A girl must pluck a leaf from the even-ash, and, holding it in her hand,
say—
This even-ash I hold in my hand,
The first I meet is my true man.
She carries it in her hand a short distance, and if she meets a young
man, he will be her future husband. If not, she must put the leaf in her
glove, and say—
This even-ash I hold in my glove,
The first I meet is my true love.
She carries it in her glove a short time, with the same intention as
before, but if she meets no one, she places the leaf in her bosom,
saying—
This even-ash I hold in my bosom,
The first I meet is my husband.
And the first young man she meets after this will infallibly be her
future partner. There are a great variety of rhymes relating to the
even-ash. Another is—
If you find even-ash or four-leaved clover,
You will see your love afore the day's over.