Chapter M (4)

4. _Signs of Fine Weather._—This is denoted by a slight fog in the east before sunrise; by a white or aureated border about the horizon, and moisture on windows at dawn; by a heavy dew and a serene sun in the early morning; and by clearness, brightness and small, scattered red clouds at sunset.

5. _Lunar Signs._—A blue tinge on the moon portends rain, a red tinge means wind to come, but white coloring signifies fine weather. Fine days are likely to follow a fine Tuesday. If the horns are obscured on the third or fourth day, this indicates rain. If the circle of the moon is red, a bad time may follow; if it does not appear at all on the fourth day of its renewal, the whole period of the moon will be dull and rainy. If it rains on the first Tuesday after the full moon, it will so continue during the rest of the moon’s period, and the reverse in the contrary case. If the moon is clear on rising, there will be fine weather in summer and severe cold in winter; clearness at the full promises a fair time; so also when the halo melts quickly, but a double halo means storm.

6. _Star Signs._—When the stars seem longer than usual, rain is likely; when they are nebulous or obscure, though no clouds are visible, this means rain or snow—according to season. When they are encircled by fog, a cold wind is betokened; when they are clear and sparkling, it means cold in winter and fair weather in summer.

7. _Vintage Prospects._—If the sun is clear and bright on the Feast of Vincent, an old adage says that there will be more wind than water, which means that there will be a rich harvest of grapes.

HOW TO TELL ONE’S AGE

Girls of a marriageable age do not like to tell how old they are, but you can find out by following these instructions, the young lady doing the figuring. Tell her to put down the number of the month in which she was born; then to multiply it by 2; then to add 5; then to multiply it by 50; then to add her age; then to subtract 365; then to add 115; then tell her to tell you the amount she has left. The two figures to the right will denote her age, and the remainder the month of her birth. For example, the amount is 822. She is twenty-two years old, and was born in the eighth month, (August.) Try it.

There is a good deal of amusement in the following magical table of figures. It will enable you to tell how old the ladies are. Just hand this table to a young lady, and request her to tell you in which column or columns her age is contained, and add together the figures at the top of the columns in which her age is found, and you have the great secret. Thus suppose her age to be 17, you will find that number in the first and fifth columns; add the first figures of these two columns. Here is the magic table:

1 2 4 8 16 32
3 3 5 9 17 33
5 6 6 10 18 34
7 7 7 11 19 35
9 10 12 12 20 36
11 11 13 13 21 37
13 14 14 14 22 38
15 15 15 15 23 39
17 18 20 24 24 40
19 19 21 25 25 41
21 22 22 26 26 42
23 23 23 27 27 43
25 26 28 28 28 44
27 27 29 29 29 45
29 30 30 30 30 46
31 31 31 31 31 47
33 34 36 40 48 48
35 35 37 41 49 49
37 38 38 42 50 50
39 39 39 43 51 51
41 42 44 44 52 52
43 43 45 45 53 53
45 46 46 46 54 54
47 47 47 47 55 55
49 50 52 56 56 56
51 51 53 57 57 57
53 54 54 58 58 58
55 55 55 59 59 59
57 58 60 60 60 60
59 59 61 61 61 61
61 62 62 62 62 62
63 63 63 63 63 63

HOW TO BE BEAUTIFUL

Moore, the poet, has given expression to his ideal of beauty in the following lines:

“_This was not the beauty, oh, nothing like this,
That to young Nourmahal gave such magic bliss;
But that loveliness, ever in motion, which plays
Like the light upon autumn’s shadowy days._”

“_Now here and now there, giving warmth as it flies
From the lips to the cheek, from the cheek to the eyes;
Now melting in mist, and now breaking in gleams,
Like the glimpses a saint has of heavenly dreams._”

Wordsworth also expressed himself in the following lines:

“_He was among the prime in worth,
An object beauteous to behold:
Well born, well bred; I sent him forth
Ingenuous, innocent, and bold._”

Perhaps you ask how you can attain beauty if you do not possess it? Or, if you have some of its qualities, how you may get those you are lacking. If you will practice the following rules you will grow more and more beautiful in the eyes of others, even if age does bring gray hair and a wrinkled skin.

_First_—Cleanliness is next to godliness. Practice it in every feature of your daily life.

_Second_—Have some purpose to achieve and steadfastly work to attain it.

_Third_—Cultivate self-discipline; be master of your passions, under all circumstances.

_Fourth_—Study to know the laws of life that yield harmony and good health and obey them. Look on the bright side of life always.

_Fifth_—Avoid intemperance in all things.

_Sixth_—Cultivate every mental and bodily quality that will make you firm in goodness, strong and physically able to be useful to your kind, generous and broad-minded, self-sacrificing, and you will daily and hourly be lovely and grow into the beautiful.

MEMORY RHYMES

The Months

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
But February, which has twenty-eight alone.
Except in leap-year; then’s the time
When February’s days are twenty-nine.

Birthdays

Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday best day of all,
Thursday for crosses,
Friday for losses,
Saturday no luck at all.
He who’s born on the day of rest
In health and fortunes has the best.

The lines refer to the days of the week as birthdays. They are, in idea, the same as the more familiar lines:

Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace;
Wednesday’s child is merry and glad,
Thursday’s child is sorry and sad;
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child must work for its living;
While the child that is born on the Sabbath Day
Is blithe and bonny, and good and gay.

Short Grammar

Three little words you often see
Are Articles, a, an and the.
A Noun’s the name of anything,
As school or garden, hoop or swing.
Adjectives tell the kind of noun,
As great, small, pretty, white or brown.
Instead of nouns, the Pronouns stand—
His head, her face, your arm, my hand.
Verbs tell something to be done—
To read, count, laugh, sing, jump or run.
How things are done, the adverbs tell—
As slowly, quickly, ill or well.
Conjunctions join the words together—
As men or women, wind or weather.
The Preposition stands before
The noun, as in or through the door.

The Interjection shows surprise—
As, Oh! how pretty; Ah! how wise.
The whole are called nine parts of speech,
Which reading, writing, speaking teach.

To Tell the Age of Horses

To tell the age of any horse,
Inspect the lower jaw, of course;
The six front teeth the tale will tell,
And every doubt and fear dispel.

Two middle “nippers” you behold
Before the colt is two weeks old,
Before eight weeks will two more come;
Eight months the “corners” cut the gum.
The outside grooves will disappear
From middle two in just one year.
In two years, from the second pair;
In three, the corners, too, are bare.

At two the middle “nippers” drop;
At three, the second pair can’t stop.
When four years old the third pair goes,
At five a full new set he shows.
The deep black spots will pass from view
At six years from the middle two.
The second pair at seven years;
At eight the spot each “corner” clears.
From middle “nippers” upper jaw,
At nine the black spots will withdraw.
The second pair at ten are white;
Eleven finds the “corners” light.

As time goes on, the horsemen know,
The oval teeth three-sided grow;
They longer get, project before,
Till twenty, when we know no more.

Bees

A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.

The Cuckoo

May—sings all the day;
June—changes his tune;
July—prepares to fly;
August—go he must.

Rules for Riding

Keep up your head and your heart,
Your hands and your heels keep down,
Press your knees close to your horse’s side,
And your elbows close to your own.