In a dish of mashed potatoes place a ring, a dime, and a thimble. Each guest is provided with a spoon with which to eat the potatoes; whoever gets the ring is to be married within a year; the thimble signifies single blessedness, while the dime prophesies riches or a legacy.

Some canny la.s.sies have been known to get the ring into one of their very first spoonfuls, and have kept it for fun in their mouths, tucked snugly beneath the tongue, until the dish was emptied. Such a la.s.s was believed to possess the rare accomplishment of being able to hold her tongue, but nevertheless tricky.

MELTING LEAD

Each person melts some lead and pours it through a wedding-ring or key into a dish of water. The lead will cool in various shapes, supposed to be prophetic. Any ingenious person will interpret the shapes, and furnish much amus.e.m.e.nt for the listeners; thus, a bell-shaped drop indicates a wedding within the year; a drop resembling a torch or lamp signifies fame; a pen or ink-bottle, that the future companion is to be an author; a horn of plenty, wealth; a bag or trunk, travel; etc.

NAMING CHESTNUTS

Roast three chestnuts before the fire, one of which is named for some lady (or gentleman); the other two, for gentlemen (or ladies). If they separate, so will those for whom they are named; those jumping toward the fire are going to a warmer climate; those jumping from the fire, to a colder climate; if two gentlemen jump toward one another, it means rivalry.

THE MIRROR

Walk backward several feet out of doors in moonlight with mirror in your hand, or within doors with candle in one hand and mirror in the other, repeating following rhyme, and face of your future companion will appear in gla.s.s:

"Round and round, O stars so fair!

Ye travel and search out everywhere; I pray you, sweet stars, now show to me This night who my future husband (wife) shall be."

BOWLS

One bowl is filled with clear water, another with wine, a third with vinegar, a fourth is empty. All are placed in line on table. Each person in turn is blindfolded, turned about three times, and led to table. A hand is put out and prophecy made by bowl touched. Water shows happy, peaceful life; wine promises rich, eventful, n.o.ble career; vinegar, misery and poverty; an empty bowl is a symbol of bachelor or spinster life.

LOVER'S TEST

A maid and youth each places a chestnut to roast on fire, side by side.

If one hisses and steams, it indicates a fretful temper in owner of chestnut; if both chestnuts equally misbehave it augurs strife. If one or both pop away, it means separation; but if both burn to ashes tranquilly side by side, a long life of undisturbed happiness will be lot of owners.

These portentous omens are fitly defined in the following lines:

"These glowing nuts are emblems true Of what in human life we view; The ill-matched couple fret and fume, And thus in strife themselves consume; Or from each other wildly start, And with a noise forever part.

But see the happy, happy pair, Of genuine love and truth sincere; With mutual fondness while they burn, Still to each other kindly turn; And as the vital sparks decay, Together gently sink away; Till life's fierce trials being past, Their mingled ashes rest at last."

FLOUR TEST

A bowl is filled tightly with flour. During the process of filling, a wedding ring is inserted vertically in some part of it. The bowl, when full, is inverted upon a dish and withdrawn, leaving the mound of flour on the dish. Each guest cuts off with a knife a thin slice which crumbles into dust. The guest who cuts off the slice containing the ring will be married first.

APPLE SEEDS

Apple seeds act as charms on Hallow-e'en. Stick one on each eyelid and name one "Home" and the other "Travel." If seed named travel stays on longer, you will go on a journey before year expires. If "Home" clings better, you will remain home. Again, take all the apple seeds, place them on back of outspread left hand and with loosely clenched right hand strike palm of left. This will cause some, if not all, of seeds to fall.

Those left on hand show number of letters you will receive the coming fortnight. Should all seeds drop, you must wait patiently for your mail.

Put twelve apple seeds carefully one side while you cut twelve slips of blank paper exactly alike, and on one side of each write name of friend.

Turn them all over with blanks uppermost and mix them so that you will not know which is which; then, holding seeds in your left hand, repeat:

"One I love, Two I love, Three I love I say; Four I love with all my heart Five I cast away.

Six he loves, Seven she loves, Eight they both love; Nine he comes, Ten he tarries, Eleven he courts and Twelve he marries."

Stop at each line to place a seed on a paper, and turn slip over to discover name of one you love or cast away. Continue matching apple seeds with papers as you count, until all twelve seeds and twelve papers are used.

=THANKSGIVING=

AFTER DINNER GAMES FOR THANKSGIVING DAY

The game of enigmatical menus, as its name implies, is not only especially appropriate for Thanksgiving Day, but has the further merit of not requiring a great deal of preparation beforehand, and is therefore not too great a tax upon a busy woman's time. Before this greatest feast day of the year, the hostess is usually so fully occupied in planning the actual bill of fare, that a game which requires nothing more than pencils, and sheets of paper with the following riddles either plainly written or typewritten upon them, will be found a boon indeed.

An hour's time is usually allowed for guessing the names of the guests, and of the viands suggested upon any one of the menus which are given together with the correct answers.

A DINNER FOR HISTORIC CELEBRITIES

The Guests

1. He who refused the crown of England.--Cromwell.

2. The conqueror of Napoleon I.--The Duke of Wellington.

3. He who escaped from his foes by reversing his horse's shoes.

--Israel O. Putnam.

4. He who owed his good fortune to his cat.--d.i.c.k Whittington.

5. The inventor of printing.--Guttenberg.

6. The captive king whose hiding place was discovered by his troubadour.--Richard Coeur de Leon.

7. A sly one.--Fox.

8. The kernel of the peach.--Pitt.

9. Minister to George II.--Walpole.

10. The author of Poor Richard's Almanac.--Benjamin Franklin.

The Menu

1. Soup--The mainstay of the Chinese. Rice.

2. Fish--A color. Blue Fish.