Be it known unto all of you that to find your own portrait and the
fashion of your hat or bonnet, your Christian name and the Alphabet
are used.
The Alphabet is divided into four parts for the second letter of each
person's name as follows:--The letters A B C D E F belong to No. 1
portrait in each row, and in the case of the first of the letter A
include such names as Abigail, Ada, Aaron, Abraham, Adolphus. The
letters G H I J K L belong to the second portrait in each row, and in
the case of the second portrait, of the letter A include such name
as Agnes, Alice, Ahaz, Alfred. The letters M N O P Q R belong to the
third portrait of each row, and in the case of the letter A include
such names as Amy, Anna, Arabella, Amos, Andrew, Arthur. The letters
S T U V W X Y Z belong to the fourth portrait in each row, and in the
case of the letter A include such names as Athalia, Augusta, Asa,
Augusta. The same rule is followed with each letter of the Alphabet:
for instance, the first portrait in the row B belongs to such names
as Barbara, Bessie, Bartholomew, Benjamin, and so on throughout the
whole collection of portraits.
If a woman is looking for her future husband, she must find the
number of her own portrait and then the corresponding number amongst
the men's, and THAT IS TO BE HER HUSBAND: for instance, if her own
portrait is No. 27, No. 27 amongst the men's is the portrait of her
future darling. The same rule is to be followed by the men. If a
man's portrait is No. 93, No. 93 amongst the ladies' IS TO BE HIS
WIFE, his own future angel.
[Page 123--Game Land]
Cole's Game Of Hats And Bonnets
Or Husbands And Wives
[Illustration: Men in Hats--Numbered 53 to 104--Letters N to Z.]
If the persons who consult this oracle are single, the sweetheart
that falls to their lot will be their first husband or wife, and if
they are married it will be their second husband or wife, and if they
have been married twice, it will be their third one, and so on up to
144 times of being married; and after that no one will be allowed to
consult this oracle, look at it, speak of it, or even think about it,
such objectionable persons being entirely excluded from its benefits.
Persons who consult this oracle must accept the husband or wife that
falls to their lot just the same as if they married them in the usual
way, but if dissatisfied on account of ugliness, dress, or any other
cause the consulter, by doing penance in the shape of a pilgrimage to
a certain place in the exact centre of the world and paying a small
sum, can obtain a DIVORCE.
The place to which the pilgrimage is to be made is Cole's Book
Arcade, Bourke Street, Melbourne, Australia, where they must buy a
book of some kind, and that act DIVORCES them at once.
Bashful persons need not mention their pilgrimage to the Book Arcade,
when they purchase the book, unless they choose.
Anyone having obtained a DIVORCE will be allowed to choose out of 9
other portraits. If the number of the portrait that fell to their lot
was 8, they can choose any other number ending with 8, as 18, 28, 38,
48, 58, 68, 78, 88 and 98, of if their first number was 65 they can
choose from 5, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 75, 85, 95 and so on; whatever
their number was, they may choose from the corresponding figures
throughout the table.
If, after making a choice out of the 9 portraits, anyone is still
dissatisfied, by making 10 pilgrimages to the Book Arcade, or by
buying and giving away 10 copies of this Funny Picture Book, they
can claim the indulgence of a GRAND DIVORCE and choose which they
like out of the whole 104 portraits.
Given under our Royal hand and Seal at the Palace of the Book Arcade,
this 21st day of November, 1890.--COLE, REX.
[Page 124--Riddles And Catches]