Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/241

 Folk- Lore Scrap-Book. 229

xii. 1899, 49. With Canadian Germans, the possession of the bone, here called the " trick-bone," confers invisibility. — Editor of the Journal of A?nerican Folk-Lore.

" How to conjure. — Get graveyard dirt, and put it into the food or sprinkle it around the lot. It will cause heavy sickness.

" Put a file under the step and it will break peace forever, — even make a man leave his wife.

" Have a vial, put into it nails, red flannel, and whiskey. Put a cork in it, then stick nine pins in the cork. Bury this where the one you want to trick walks."

" Remedies to cure Conjuration. — If the pain is in your limbs, make a tea or bath of red pepper, into which put salt, and silver money. Rub freely, and the pain will leave you. If sick otherwise, you will have to get a root doctor, and he will boil roots, the names of which he knows, and silver, together, and the patient must drink freely of this, and he or she will get well. The king root of the forest is called ' High John, the Conqueror.' All believers in conjuring quake when they see a bit of it in the hand of any one.

"Tie a snake shed around your waist, and it will help you carry any point you wish. Tie red flannel strings around your ankles, knees, and arms, and it will keep off conjure. Also, wear silver money around your neck."

" A Word of Courtship. — Gentlema?i : Lady, if you should see me coming down the road, hat sitting on three sprigs of hair, cigar in north corner of my mouth, my coat-tail arguing with the wind, and my shoes crying judgment, what would be the consequence ?

" Lady : My head is full of argument, My tongue is full of chat, Say, kind gentleman, can you tell me What 's good for that ? "

" Why the Wren does not Fly High. — The eagle and the wren once had a contest as to who should be king of the air. At the time appointed for the trial of strength they began to soar, and whichever went the highest was to be king. After they had gone a few feet up, the wren placed herself on the back of the eagle, and she was so light that he did not know she was there. After the eagle had flown as high as he could go, he called out, ' Where are you, Mr. Wren ? ' Then the wren flew about six feet above him and answered, ' I am the highest ! '

" For her falsehood she was told she should always fly low."

" Brer Rabbit beats Brer Fox. — One day Brer Fox was hungry. As he wandered about the wood he saw a squirrel upon the branch of a tall tree. ' Hello, Brer Squirrel ! ' he said ; ' Hello, Brer Fox ! ' replied the squirrel.

"Then said Brer Fox, ' I once had a brother who could jump from limb to limb.' ' So can I,' replied Brer Squirrel. ' Let me see you,' said the fox, so the squirrel jumped from limb to limb.

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