A very ancient and fascinating way of telling one’s fortune is by
means of two dice, and the following tables make the game easy and
interesting. We have confined ourselves to twenty questions, comprising
those which would most naturally occur to inquirers desiring to know
the future.
Two dice are used. The inquirer first selects the question to be
answered, and calling this question aloud, takes the dice either in his
palms or in a cup, and throws them on the table. The number of spots
of the upper surface of the dice are noted, the corresponding table
of answers is consulted, and the answer corresponds in number to the
question asked.
If, for example, a lady has chosen the question 5, “How many beaux
shall I have?” and the dice fall with numbers 2 and 3 facing upward,
the answer would be, “Perhaps one, possibly none.” The same plan is
adopted with dominoes, except that all stones containing blanks must
first be thrown out. The dominoes are laid with the backs upward, mixed
thoroughly, and one at a time selected, and turned over. The number of
spots indicate which table of answers is to be consulted.