Hewett's Haloween - Part 6 - Lead love-charm

A lead droplet - Some rights reserved by Menage a Moi http://www.flickr.com/photos/bearpark/3156914401/sizes/z/in/photostream/

"Then everybody insisted on Jack trying his luck, which he essayed to do by melting a few scraps of lead in the ladle and pouring it red hot into one of the basins of cold water. The letters formed, or the nearest approach to letters, at the bottom of the basin were supposed to be the initials of the future " She." The closest resemblance to letters which we could discover was an I, and an L. The question which now arose amid merry peals of laughter was to whom the initials I.L. could belong. Many names were mentioned and negatived as soon as suggested, Jack looking rather bashful, when from Jenny came the query " Does not I stand for Ida, and L for Lang ? Ida Lang is a very pretty name, and is owned by a very sweet girl." 

Jack gave Jenny a look which could easily be interpreted "I owe you one for that, Jenny" "

Oh ! oh ! Jack," replied Jenny, " we are hoping that Ida Lang will not be an unappropriated blessing. She shall have my white satin and all the orange blossoms." There was a good deal more of this sort of chaff, but no offence was taken by the good-natured Jack, and things swung along amicably."

Hewett 1900

Map - Haldon Hills  
Map - Bristol

[I have some friends of English and German-Jewish descent in Bristol who do a version of this on New Years Eve, reading the future year from the shape of the lead. 

The caption for the above photo (not mine!) reads - My Future In The Palm of My Hand I spent a lovely New Year's Eve with friends. Superlekker and keroleen73 introduced the rest of us to Bleigießen - the German New Year's Eve custom of telling fortunes by the shapes made by molten lead dropped into cold water. I can't recall what mine meant but I loved the shape.]