Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 November 1893 — Some Curious Superstitions. [ARTICLE]

Some Curious Superstitions.

"Say,” said Colonel Peter Sweeney of rhe Union Pacific the other evening to the Omaha Boe, just after the mau he was walking up with stopped and pickod up a pin that lay shining close to tho curbstone, "did you ever notice how many cranks there are in tho world? Of course, I don’t refer to present company —oh no, certainly. But I was just remarking on the curious superstitions that people get into their heads. Now, for instance, you stopped just now and picked up thut pin, from which I infer that you are in tho habit of doing so whenever 3 ou see one. "Well, I know of lots of men who nover fail to pick up a pin, the same as you do. Then there are tho sidewalk crauks, who always step on eaoh third or fourth crack, according to tho width of the boards, or, if they are walkiug on a pavement, they step between aud on the cracks. "After these come the stair cranks. They wouldn't tell it to anyone if they were asked about it, but the fact is that these persons always start upstairs left foot first, and feel badly if the right foot doesn’t strike the top of the stairs first. These persons, I may remark, are usually those who have been afflicted with a semimilitary education, as are those sock and shoe cranks who put their hosiery and footwear on the left foot first. "Then some men have a peculiar way of entering a room. They will always enter with a certain foot foremost and their exit will be made in the same way. And, great Scott! I might go on for a year about cranks and never get through. But do not mind telling me why you pick up stray pins?” "Why, no, certainly not," answered the other man. "I do it for luck, of course.” "For luck, eh! Well, have these blooming pins ever brought you any luck?” "Tobesuro. Why, only last winter, at a time when I was in very uneasy circumstances, I picked up three pins in one forenoon, with the point toward me in every case. That afternoon I got ” "You got a draft?” asked Colonel Sweeney in a sort of I-think-you-are-a-tone of voice. "I got an insurance assessment of $80.05,” replied the pin crank sadiv, "and still you say pins don’t bring luck. Wasn’t that luck—bad luck?" But Colonel Sweeney hadn't a word to say.