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Novel Ways of Telling Fortunes

THIS year the annual festival of the fairies is to be celebrated with wilder pranks and madder mysteries than for many a long season, and if we enter heartily into the spirit of the fun and make preparations for them, the little folks will surely reveal many secrets the future holds in store for us.

Ask the fairies, gnomes and elves to your Hallowe’en frolic; they will be delighted to come, though of course, you cannot invite them in the usual fashion. Instead of writing notes, you must braid three

Invitation Rings of Grass—

fresh grass is best, but the dried will do—and hang the rings on bushes (Fig. 48), or lay them on the outside window-sill, making a wish on each grass ring as it is put into place. To insure the fulfilment of the wish, you must not see the rings again until after Hallowe’en. The fairy troupe will find the green circles as they come floating along through the air on gay-colored bubbles from the magic spring waters of Fairyland. During the last days of October fairies are always looking for such invitations.

Fig. 48.—Hang the rings on bushes.

Here are some of the ceremonies and games newly revealed to me by the old witch who lives in the black clouds that sail southward on the northwest wind.

Black Cats,

the friends and companions of witches, are wonderful creatures to conjure with, but all cats can work a charm, and it is cats, or preferably kittens, you must have for the first rite. There must be a pussy in hiding for each girl and boy present at the Hallowe’en frolic. With different colored bright ribbons tie a tinkling bell around the neck of every cat, leaving one end of the ribbon one yard long. Seat your Hallow-e’en guests in a semicircle around the room. Ask them to sit quietly for a few moments, and suddenly put out the lights. With the room in total darkness let absolute stillness ensue for a second; then say very slowly and distinctly:

Kittens Telling Who Will be the First to Marry.

“Hold out your right hand and there will come to each one of you a disguised gnome or fairy. Be very gentle and kind to the little creature (here pause for a moment); for if by any chance ill befall the disguised sprite the fairies will be angry and will do nothing for you until next Hallowe’en.” Again pause; then say: “So I caution you once more—be kind and gentle.”

Have some one keep the kittens near by, in readiness, so that you may lead all into the darkened room without a moment’s delay. Hold the ends of the ribbons in one hand while with the other you take one ribbon at a time, and as you pass along the line place it in the outstretched hand of each successive guest, saying as you do so, “Hold fast this magic clue.” The instant the last ribbon has been given to a guest, turn on the lights and while the girls and boys are looking with surprise at the little creature they hold captive and laughingly exchanging comments, you must pin a piece of white tape on the floor across one end of the room about four feet from the wall. Request the guests to kneel, with their funny little gnomes, in a row on the enclosed space next to the wall, and face the tape. Announce that there will now take place the race of fate. Each player must hold his or her pussy with its fore paws directly on the tape, and at a given signal all the girls and boys must exclaim in unison, “Run!” at the same time releasing the kittens that they may scamper away in any direction they choose. The guests should remain stationed back of the tape line and watch them as they scatter wildly over the room trailing their bright streamers. No one may touch or in any way molest a kitten after the signal has been given to let them go. The girl or boy whose pussy first reaches the centre of the room, which has previously been marked with a second strip of tape, will be the first to marry.

Do not wait for the other kittens to make the goal, but gather up the little creatures and lead them away to be seen no more, or the spell will be broken.

Old shoes possess strange and occult powers as we all know, else why should we throw them after the coach of a newly wedded couple? So we must have a

Pair of Old Slippers

After the last cat has disappeared, bring out the slippers; any kind except toy ones will do. Place the slippers on a sheet of white paper laid on the top of a table where all present may see.

Fig. 49.—Place one slipper on top of the other.

Explain to the girls and boys that they must take one turn each in trying their fortunes by putting one slipper crosswise on top of the other, both right side up (Fig. 49), and while holding them so, repeat the following verse:

These slippers I toss into the air.

Will my love be dark? Will my love be fair?

What future is mine? I pray you show

By the turning of sole or the pointing of toe!

Lift the paper and give the slippers a slight upward toss to fall on the floor as they may, and the manner in which they reach the floor indicates the fortune:

When both slippers land upside down and do not touch, the player will be a great traveller and have no settled home.

When both slippers land right side up and do not touch, the player will go on the stage.

When the right slipper is upside down, the future mate will be cross and selfish.

When the left slipper is upside down, the future mate will be unselfish and kind.

When the slippers are crossed there will be an early marriage.

Fig. 50.—Decided difference of opinion between husband and wife.

Fig. 51.—Very congenial.

When the toes of the slippers point in opposite directions, there will be decided difference of opinion between husband and wife (Fig. 50).

When the toes of the slippers point in the same direction, husband and wife will be very congenial (Fig. 51).

When the soles cross, lying one on top of the other, the player will own a gold mine.

Cups and Bowls

have supernatural power on this night and exercise a peculiar influence over marbles placed under them; consequently you must get three china cups and three marbles, a crystal (clear glass marble), a commie (ordinary brown marble), and a china (a white marble crossed by different colored lines).

Set three cups in a row (Fig. 52), under one place a “crystal,” under another a “commie,” and under the last a “china.” Blindfold each player in turn and let the girl or boy raise one of the cups. If the marble under the lifted cup is the crystal, the husband or wife will be young and life will be easy and full of sunshine. If it is the china, the husband or wife will be middle aged and life will be hard but famous. If the commie, the husband or wife will be old, and life will be filled with adventure. The marbles must be changed into different cups after blindfolding each player.

Fig. 52.—Set three cups in a row.

As no Hallowe’en ceremonies are complete without

The Apple,

there must be a dish of apples and a box of wooden toothpicks.

With the apples and toothpicks you can ascertain for your guests the nationality of their future mates.

Fig. 53.—You will marry an American.

Fig. 54.—Your future partner will be English.

Fig. 55.—Your future mate will come from France.

Give every one an apple and a wooden toothpick. Each player may push the toothpick in any part of the apple; the spot occupied by the toothpick tells the fortune, but the apple must be kept in one position, and on no account turned after the toothpick is once in. When all have inserted the toothpicks each boy and girl in turn must hold up his or her apple that all may see while you read the fortune.

When the toothpick stands straight and erect in the top of the apple, the life partner will be an American (Fig. 53); if in the left side of the apple, the mate will be English (Fig. 54); in the right side, French (Fig. 55), in the back, German; in the front, Italian; sideways at the top of the apple, the mate will be a West Indian; sideways in the right side, the mate will be a Japanese; in the left side, a Russian; in the front, Spanish. When the toothpick breaks the player will not marry.

Fig. 56.—You must prepare a card like this for the Wedding Race.

Now comes the fun of forecasting to learn where the wedding will take place, so prepare for

The Wedding Race

For this you must have a card like Fig. 56; fill in the spaces under “The way you go” with the following words according to the numbers: (1) Walk slowly,(2) Walk backward, (3) Walk on toes, (4) Walk on heels, (5) Run, (6) Walk fast, (7) Skip, (8) Walk without raising feet, (9) Run on toes, (10) Walk on toes of one foot and the heel of the other, (11) Run on heels, (12) Walk sideways.

In the spaces under “Wedding” insert: (1) Church, (2) On shipboard, (3) Boarding house, (4) Hotel, (5) Home, (6) Friend’s home, (7) Top of mountain, (8) Minister’s house, (9) Tent, (10) Out of Doors, (11) Courthouse, (12) Cave. Inform the guests that each in turn must go the length of the room. He or she may walk slowly, walk fast, walk sideways, walk backward, walk on toes, walk on heels, walk on the toes of one foot and the heel of the other, etc., etc.

If many guests are present, start two at a time crossing the room, one from each end. Write the initial of every player on the line of the card corresponding to the manner in which he or she crosses the room; for example, if the first player’s name is Barbara Carter, and she runs across the room, put down her initials B. C. on the line No. 5 on which is written the word “Run.” If the second player’s name is Jamie Bartlett and he also runs write his initials J. B. on the same line of the card, but, should Jamie decide to go backward across the room his initials would then belong on line No. 2. When all the girls and boys have crossed the room, and quiet again reigns, read to them the various places where the different players will be married, for instance, if referring to your card you find the initials of Jessie Douglass on line No. 12, you should read, “Because Jessie Douglass walked sideways across the room, she will be married in a cave. Won’t that be romantic?” Always add some pleasant remark after reading each record; such remarks make things run easier and add to the fun. Probably you will be able to think of many delightful little speeches, but in case you find any difficulty, the following list may be of some assistance. Remark for line No. 1: There could not be a better place. No. 2, How charming. No. 3, Better there than not at all. No. 4, I wonder if that will be a runaway match. No. 5, The dearest spot on earth. No. 6, A friend in need is a friend indeed. No. 7, I

hope we will all be invited. No. 8, An elopement, you may be certain. No. 9, Delightful. So gypsy-like. No. 10, I am sure there will be room for us all at this wedding. No. 11, Many a happy marriage has taken place in a court-house. No. 12, Won’t that be romantic?