Wishing On A Falling Star

Here and there in the highways and byways of the world many legends and superstitions still linger and continue to retain their aneient prestige. In Galicia, the province northeast of Ilungary, the peasants believe that when a star falls to earth it is at once transformed into a rarely beautiful woman with long hair, blonde and glittering. This splendid creature, miraculously engendered, exercises on all who come in contact with her a magical influence. Every handsome youth unfortunate enough to attract her attention becomes her victim. Thus having alhired them to her, she encireles them with her arms in an embrace that becomes gradually tighter and tighter until the poor dupes are strangled to death. If certain words are inurmured the moment the star starts to fall they canse her alhirements to lose their power. Krom this superstition springs the custom of wishing while a star is seen hurrying through the air, a wish said Burely to come true if corapletely formulated before the light is extinguished. The Spaniards saw in the falling stars the souls of their dead friends. the thread of whose existence was cut short bj' destiny. The Arabs thought these stars to be burninir stones thrown by the angels on to the hcads of devils who attempted to enter paradise.