50 Fortune-Telling
Gray eyes, greedy gut,
Children frequently tell fortunes on their buttons. A boy will find out what his station in life will be, and a girl the kind of person she is to marry, by telling them off, one button at a time, and saying this lingo over and over till the last one is reached:—
“Rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief,
Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief.”
To know what kind of clothes you are to wear, you say, “Silks, satins, calico, tags,” over and over down to the last button.
To know what kind of a vehicle you are to ride in, you say, “Coach, carriage, wheelbarrow, cart.”
To know what kind of a creature will draw your vehicle, you say, “Horse, cow, pig, sheep.”
To know what kind of a house you will live in, you say, “Big house, little house, pigpen, barn.”
The list of possible residences sometimes runs in this form: “Palace, mansion, cottage, hut.”
To know what kind of a wedding-ring
