47 



parents, and by a great many who knew him, that his good fortune 

 was the result of his finding the horse shoe. You all know how 

 holed coins are treasured ;— and I am of opinion that the practice 

 of hanging holed coins to our watch-chains can be traced to 

 superstition. Any person who has visited Breckonhill Tower, 

 Longtown, cannot have failed to have seen horse^^shoes, circular- 

 shaped, nailed behind each door. I once asked the reason for 

 this. " Ah," was the answer given, " it is for luck. Mr. Standish 

 (the owner) is a queer man." I here trace this to the fairies. 

 Persons also spit on money for luck : the absurdity of the custom 

 being excelled only by its untidiness. 



An old lady in Longtown told me that if any person makes 

 their "honours" to the new moon the first time they see it, they 

 are sure to get a present before it goes away. My informant further 

 stated that her sister once did this, and she got a pair of gloves 

 before the moon went away. 



There is an old superstition still believed by many, that to 

 ensure good fortune during the year, some part of a person's dress 

 must be new on Easter-day ; it is also believed by some that if this 

 condition be not complied with, the birds are likely to spoil one's 

 clothes. Perhaps this is why so many ladies insist on having the 

 prescribed new bonnet on Easter, since the proverb says :— 



At Easter let your clothes be new, 

 Or else be sure you will it rue. 



Hundreds of other little incidents are believed to be fraught 

 with solemn warning. If your nose itches or your ear rings, it is a 

 sign of death ; if your right ear burns, some person is praising you, 

 and if your left burns, they are speaking lightly of you ; if your 

 foot itches, you are going to travel on strange ground ; and if your 

 hand itches, you are going to get money. 



When the butter was long in coming, the churn was believed to 

 be witched, and the housewife used to throw some salt into the 

 fire, and put a little in the churn, to "buy over" or "frighten" the 

 witches. Sometimes before the churning the pitchers containing 

 the cream were carried to the edge of a running water and back 



