The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1949-10-27
HORSE AND
BUGGY DAYS
by
Ida 10 Martin
Cross YOUR fngersl

ana Strange DeueIS reach CllllldA
Halloween. Although l am not
superstitious person myself, l en-
joy hearing about such things from
older people who maybe once prac-
ticed them. l don't mind walking
behind a ladder (unless there is a
man on it with a bucket of paint
or, black cat crossing my path-I
like black cats-or raising an UNI
brella in the house. Just the other
day l broke a mirror, and as yet
nothing serious has happened.
There is one superstition l did
practice though, when l was little
girl in pig tails going to school. 1
was always told that while walking
with someone, if you you came to
a tree or any object like that, both
should pass on the same side or you
would quarrel with that person. If
the tree came between you and your
friend, the only thing to do was for
one of you to go back and go around
the tree l can we'll remember doing
Just that, but l can also remember
that we Quarrelled too. So evidently
the tree had nothing to do with it.
Recently was visiting with lady
IN Maugansville who was able to
give me quite list of superstitions
that she has seen practiced. So if
you are superstitious, and don't al
ready have these on your list, you
might make note of them.
Above all things, never sit at a
table with only thirteen at the table.
If you do, bad luck will surely be-
fall you. What want to know is,
whether every one of the thirteen
will have bad luck, or if it will fall
on just one of the group? and how
is it decided which one?
was told about a family who
visited friends in Woodstock, Vir-
ginia, some years ago. Everyone
was having a good time until din
ner was served. The hostess was in
the process of passing or serving
pie which had been cut into twelve
pieces (now I would really like to
see pie like that. When she came
TO her own daughter she told her
that she was too small for pie, and
she served everyone but her, but
when the little girl still asked for
pie, her mother said that it was
~an." One of the ladies at the table
then counted the persons seated at
the table, and Lot there were thir-
teen. Some time later she remark
ed that it was big relief when they
reached home because they were
sure that they were going to have
an accident.
Strangely enough, it happened in
this family that there was an &C
cident short time later. It is no
doubt such occasions that keep
these old traditions going.
Then there are many superstit-
tons concerning Ascension Day and
Good Friday. One family staunchly
believed that you should do abso-
htely no sewing on Ascension Day,
for if you did you would be struck
by lightning
And as to sweeping on Good Fri
day, there are different rules and
regulations for that. One family
permitted sweeping if you followed
the maxim Sweep all or not at ALL"
Early on Good Friday they started
sweeping. They started in the at
tic and swept down to the basement.
But that was not enough, so the
yard was swept also. Others said
that if you swept before daylight
on Good Friday it would be alright
if you put the dirt on the dust pan
and left it sit until it turned day
light. Yet another family would
allow no sweeping on that day at
all, and as precaution all brooms
and dustpans were hid on that day,
for as sure as someone swept, they
would get lousy.
Most of you are acquainted with
the term "Fraus-naught" It is
Pennsylvania Dutch for dough nut or
fat cake. There is certain day set
aside and named for this Pennsyl-
vania Dutch delicacy. On that day
every good housewife should bake
"fausnaughts." But do remeber to
throw the very first one you bake,
to your chickens. That little act
will assure you that your hens will
lay better during the next year
and will save you buying an ex-
pensive laying mash.
My Maugansville friend then told
me of an interesting visit to her
aunt's on Fausnaughts day. Aunt
Annie was baking fausnaughts, and
told Mary that she must remember