it cause I knowed somebody round here wuz go die." She continued:

"Listen, child! If ebber you clean your bed, don't you never sweep off
your springs with a broom. Always wipe 'em with a rag, or use a brush.
Jest as sho as you do you see or experience death around you. I took my
bed down and swept off my springs, and I jest happened to tell old Mrs.
Smith; and she jumped up and said, 'Child, you ought not done that
cause it's a sign of death.' Sho nuff the same night I lost another
child that wuz eight years old. The child had heart trouble, I think."

Mrs. Avery believes in luck to a certain extent. The following are
examples of how you may obtain luck:

"I believe you can change your luck by throwing a teaspoonful of sulphur
in the fire at zackly 12 o'clock in the day. I know last week I was
sitting here without a bit of fire, but I wuzn't thinking bout doing
that till a 'oman came by and told me ter scrape up a stick fire and put
a spoonful of sulphur on it; and sho nuff in a hour's time a coal man
came by and gave me a tub uv coal. Long time ago I used ter work fer
some white women and every day at 12 o'clock I wuz told ter put a
teaspoonful of sulphur in the fire."

"Another thing, I sho ain't going ter let a 'oman come in my house on
Monday morning unless a man done come in there fust. No, surree, if it
seem lak one ain't coming soon, I'll call one of the boy chilluns, jest
so it is a male. The reason fer this is cause women is bad luck."

The following are a few of the luck charms as described by Mrs. Avery:

"Black cat bone is taken from a cat. First, the cat is killed and