UNDER THE LADDER

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 103, 25 January 1930, Page 26

UNDER THE LADDER

“Oh, you musn’t walk under that ladder, Auntie,” said Cecily. “It’s unlucky.” “Why?” asked Auntie. What has luck to do with ladders?” Cecllv looked rather uncomfortable. She had not the slightest idea why it should be unlucky to walk under a ladder, so she just replied: “Everybody says it’s unlucky.” “Then nobody knows what they re talking about,” said Auntie. “The days are gone when it was unlucky to walk under ladders. ' A great many years ago, where there were no firearms, huge walls were built round cities and castles, 'and the only way in which an army could attack these places was, by putting a huge ladder against them and climbing up to them. It was not a very nice job for soldiers, because there were men on the top of the wall with large stones and buckets of boiling oil. If the soldiers tried to creep under the ladders and destroy the wall with ramming rods, a bucket of boiling oil was tipped on to them from above, and that certainly was .unlucky. Now, Cecily, do you expect boiling oil to be poured on to you from that little house?” “No. I don’t.” grinned Cecily, and she walked brave!.- under the ladder.