Ethel Mortons Holidays | Page 5

"What do you expect from a cabbage?" demanded Margaret scornfully.
"I want to know whether I'm going to marry a bachelor or a widower or
not marry at all," cried Helen. "Let's try the 'three luggies' next."
"First cabbages, then 'luggies'," said Della "What are 'luggies'?"
"'Luggies' are saucers," explained Helen, while James brought a small
table and Ethel Brown arranged three saucers upon it. "In one of them I
put clear water, in another one, sandy water, and nothing at all in the
third. Anybody ready to try? Come, Della."
Della came forward briskly, but hesitated when she found that she must
be blindfolded.
"There isn't any trick about it?" she asked suspiciously. "I shouldn't like
to have anything happen to that saucer of sandy water."
"It won't touch anything but your finger tips, and perhaps not those,"
Helen reassured her. "What you are to do is to dip the fingers of your
left hand into one of these saucers. If it proves to be the one with the

clear water you'll marry a bachelor; if it's the sandy one he'll be a
widower, and if it's the empty one you'll be a spinster to your dying
day."
"You have three tries," cried Ethel Blue, "and the saucers are changed
after each trial, so you have to touch the same one twice to be sure you
really know your fate. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready," and Della bravely though cautiously dipped the finger tips
of her left hand into the bowl of sandy water.
A cheer greeted this result.
"A widower, a widower," they all cried.
Helen changed the position of the saucers and Della made another trial.
This time the Fates booked her as a spinster.
"That's the least trouble of anything," decided roly poly Della who took
life carelessly.
A third attempt proved that a widower was to be her future helpmate,
for her fingers went into the sandy saucer for a second time.
"I only hope he won't be an oldy old widower," said Della thoughtfully.
"I couldn't bear to think of marrying any one as old as Edward."
"I'll thank you to take notice that I haven't got a foot in the grave just
yet, young woman," retorted her brother.
While some of the others tried their fate by the saucer method, the rest
endeavored to learn their future occupations by means of pouring
melted lead through the handle of a key. Roger brought in a tiny kettle
of lead from the kitchen where Mary had heated it for them and set it
down on a small table on a tea pot stand, so that the heat should not
injure the wood. Taking a large key in his left hand he dipped a spoon
into the lead with his right and poured the contents slowly through the
ring at the end of the handle of the key into a bowl of cold water. The

sudden chill stiffened the lead into curious shapes and from them those
who were clever at translating were to discover what the future held for
them in the way of occupation.
"Mine looks more like a spinning wheel than anything else," said Roger
who had done it first so that the rest might see how it was
accomplished.
"Perhaps that means that you'll be a manufacturer of cloth," suggested
Margaret. "Mine looks more like a cabbage than anything else. You
don't think it can mean that I shall have to devote myself to that
husband I pulled out of the cabbage patch?"
"It may. Or it might mean that you'll be a gardener. Lots of women are
going in for gardening now. By the time you're ready to start that may
be a favored occupation for girls," said Dr. Watkins.
"Here are several things that we can do one at a time while the rest of
us are doing something else," said Helen. "They have to be done alone
or the spell won't work."
"Let's hear them," begged Gregory, while he and the others grouped
themselves about the open fire in the living room and prepared to burn
nuts.
"The first one, according to Burns, is to go alone to the kiln and put a
clew of yarn in the kiln pot."
"What does that mean translated into Rosemont language?" demanded
James.
"James the Scotsman asks for information! However, there's some
excuse for him. Translated into Rosemont language it means that you
go to the laundry and put a ball of yarn into the wash boiler."
"Easy so far."
"Take an end of the ball and begin to wind the yarn into a new ball.

When you come near the end you'll find that something or some one
will be holding it--"
"Roger, I'll bet!"
"You demand to know the name of your future