By Which Fortunes Are Told in a Most Singular and Diverting Manner.

LOVERS' HEARTS.

Four young persons, but not more, may play at this game, or three by making a dummy hand. This game is played exactly the same in every game, making the queen, which is called Venus, above the ace; the ace in this game only stands for one, and hearts must be led off by the person next the dealer. He or she who gets most tricks this way (each taking up their own and no partnership) is supposed to have most lovers, and the king and queen of hearts in one hand is said to denote matrimony at hand; but woe to the unlucky one who gets no tricks at the deal, or does not hold a heart in his or her hand; to them are ascribed misfortune in love and long tarry before they marry.

LOVE'S LOTTERY.

Let each one present deposit any sum agreed on, or a certain number of counters; put a complete pack of cards well shuffled in a bag, let the parties stand in a circle and the bag being handed round, each draw three; pairs of any kind are supposed to be favorable omens of some good fortune about to occur to the party and get back from the pool the sum that each agreed to pay. The king of hearts is here made the god of love, and claims double, and professes to give a faithful swain to the fair one who has the good fortune to draw him; if Venus, the queen of hearts, is with him, it is the conquering prize, and clears the pool; fives and nines are reckoned crosses and misfortunes, and pay a forfeit of the sum agreed on to the pool, besides the usual stipend at each new game; three nines at one draw is supposed to portend the lady will be an old maid, three fives, a bad husband.

MATRIMONY.

Let three, five, or seven young women stand in a circle, and draw a card out of a bag. It is taken that she who gets the highest card will be the first married of the company, whether she be at the present time maid, wife, or widow, and she who has the lowest has the longest time to stay ere the sun shines on her wedding day; she who draws the ace of spades will never bear the name of wife; and she who has the nine of hearts in this trial will have one lover too many to her sorrow.

CUPID'S PASTIME.

Amusement may be caused by this game to all those playing, and at the same time it is supposed that some curious particulars may be learned concerning the future fates of the consultants.

Several may play at the game, it requiring no special number, only leaving out nine cards on the table not exposed to view; each person puts a trifling sum in the pool, and the dealer double. The ace of diamonds is made principal, and takes all the other aces, etc.; twos and threes in hand are said to show luck; fours, a continuance in the present state; fives, trouble; sixes, profit; sevens, worries; eights, disappointment; nines, surprises; tens, settlements; jacks, sweethearts; kings and queens, friends and acquaintances; ace of spades, death; ace of clubs, a letter; and the ace of diamonds with ten of hearts, marriage.

The ace of diamonds being played first, or should it be amongst the nine, the dealer calls for the queen of hearts, which takes next. If the ace be not out and the queen conquers, it is supposed that the person who played her will be married that year without a doubt, though it may perhaps seem unlikely at that time; but if she loses her queen, she must wait longer. The ace and queen being called, the rest go in rotation as at whist; kings taking queens, queens jacks, and so on, and the more tricks taken, the more money the winner gets off the board on the division; those who hold the nine of spades are to pay a penny to the board, and it is said they will have some trouble; but the fortunate fair one who holds the queen and jack of hearts in the same hand is supposed soon to be married, or if she is already within the pale of matrimony, a great rise in life by means of her husband; those who hold the ace of diamonds and queen of hearts clear the money off the board and end that game; it also professes to betoken great prosperity.

WEDDING BELLS.

You select the four kings from a pack, and lay them side by side in a row upon the table.

The lady who wishes to know her fortune gives to each of these cards the name of some gentleman of her acquaintance who might be likely to woo her in marriage. It is usual to pronounce these names aloud before the company. The name given to the king of hearts is, however, an exception. This secret the lady keeps to herself. To these four kings, you can also add a queen, which then denotes the old maid.

Now, take the rest of the pack, shuffle it thoroughly, let the person in question cut three times and commence. Under each of the above-named picture-cards you lay a card in turn, and as often as a spade is placed under a spade, a heart under a heart, et cetera, that is, as often as a card of the same suit is placed under one of these picture-cards, the picture-card is turned from its position.

The first time it takes a direction from left to right, the second time it lies upside down, the third time it is raised again to a position from right to left, and the fourth and last time it regains its former upright position.

That one of the four kings who, after these different changes, first resumes his upright position, is to be the happy husband. If it should happen to be the old maid, you can imagine what is in store for you.

MARRIAGE QUESTIONS.

After having learned from the cards who is to be the husband, the questions next asked are, usually: How much will he love his wife, why he marries her, and what is his profession. These questions are answered in the following manner:

Gather up the cards, shuffle them thoroughly, and let the person cut them three times. Then tell off the cards upon the table, as you recite the following sentence:

Heartily, painfully,
Beyond all measure.
By fits and starts.
Not a bit in the world.

You repeat this sentence until the king of hearts makes his appearance. If it happens that, as you lay this upon the table, you pronounce the word "heartily" he will love his future wife heartily, and so on.

Now as to why he marries her. Count off the cards upon the table, while you repeat the following sentence:

For love, for her beauty,
For his parents' command,
For the bright, golden dollars,
For counsel of friends.

The sentence by which you discover what is his profession is the following:

Gentleman, alderman, clergyman, doctor,
Merchant, broker, professor, major,
Mechanic, lawyer, shipmaster, tailor.

This method of telling fortunes is very entertaining in society, when you have not the book to find more particular answers.