An open hand in a baby is a sign of a generous disposition, but a habit of closing the fingers indicates avarice, or, as we say, closefistedness.
Cambridge, Mass.

An open hand in a baby is a sign of a generous disposition, but a habit of closing the fingers indicates avarice, or, as we say, closefistedness.
Source: Current Superstitions (1896), entry 10.
Fanny D. Bergen, editor.
Modern normalized navigation; the historical attribution above remains unchanged.