The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1845-02-21

i Strange, Squire, aint it But is nue.
Z easier to cheat ourselves than to chea, tb
e devil. That old bag was too sliugv to hn,
7 dress, bu, persuaded herself It was bein
d too good to wear il.
r Well the house vas fa,rot fed house an,
had trap door in the ceilln' over the keep
. ing room, and there wac crane on III,
rooi, with rope TO il to pull things 10 spreat
out TO dry there. As soon as the limit,
were all out, aud Barney though, the OLE
| woman was asleep. he crnwls up on th'
house, opens the trap door, and lets himse'
, down in The chimney corner courtin', or a
they cal il in them diggins snufIin' ashes.
When daylight began TO show, he went ~
the rope hand over hand, hauled i, up artel
him. closed the trap door, and made him
sell scarce. Well, all this went on as slick
as could be for while, but The old oman
seed that her darter looked pale, and as il
she hadn't had 81 ep enough, and there was
no get,n' Of er up IN the mornin'; and
when she did she vas yaN kin aud gapin'
and SO dull she hadn't word TO say.
She got very uneasy about it at last, and
used 10 get up IN the nigh, sometimes and
call her dartcr, aud make her 90 off 20 bed
and once or twice came plaguy near catch
ing them. So what does Barney do Lut
takes tso niggers With him when he goes
arter that, and leaves them on The roof, aud
tastens large basket TO the rope, and tells
them if they feel the rope pulled 10 hois,
away for dear life, but not speak word for
The world. We'll, one nigh, the old woman
came 10 the door rs usual, and sails, Jeru
sha,' sails she, what on Garth ais you 10
make you 81 up oil nigh, that way do come
to bed that's dear Presently, marin,
sails she, Pm resting with the evil one now;
I'll come presently Dear, dear, sails she,
you have rested long enough with him to
have throwed him by this time. Il you
can't throw him now, give ii up, or he may
throw you Presently, marin, sails her
daner Its always The same tuoe,' sas
her mother, going off grumbliag-'its al
ways presen,ly-w hat ha. 20, into the gal
TO act 50. Oh, dear what a proirac,ed
time sho has on it. She has been surely
exercised, poor girl.
A. soon as she he'd gone, Barney lar(ed
ohc had to put his arm around her waist 10
steady him on the bench, in way that
didn't look unl Ike rompn. and when he !ul
touch her cheek with his lips, IA way that
looked pnguiy like kissing, and fels like il
too, and she pulled 10 get away, and they
had regular rasle as they set on the beech,
when us luck would have il, over wen, the
bench, and down vent both on'em on the
floor with an awful smash, and in bounced
the old woman, (Which is uppermosl y
sails she: Have you ,hrow'd Satan, or
has Satan thiow'd youl Speak, Rusty
speak, who's thro~'di al have ihrov'd
him." slis the darter; and hope have
broke his neck, he acted So" Come TO
bed, them" sais she, " darling, and say
prayer backward. and - just then The
old woman was seized round the waist,
hois,cd though the trap door to The roof,
and from there 10 the top Of the crane,
where the basket, stepped, and the first thing
she know'd she was away Up ever so far in
the dir swinsin' in large basket, and no
soul neur her.
Barney and his niggers cut stick doubly
quick, crept into tne bushes, and went all
round to the road Just as day was bteakin'.
The old woman was then slngin' out for
dear he, kckin' and squealin' and cryin'
and prayin, all IN one, properly frightened.
Dawu runs Barney as hard as he could
clip, lookup as innocent as if he'd never
heered nothing Of i, aud pretending
to be ho:ild frightened, offers his ser
vices, climbs up, releases the old woman
and gets blessed and thanked aud thanked
and blessed, ill lie was tired of it. or
ment Jerusha throwed the evil one, the
house shook like an earthquake, md as |
entered the room he sez'd me, put me 10 +
to his basket, aud il'w OF with ne. Oh,
never shall forget his fiery cye-balls, aud
the horrid smell of bslnstour he had.
Had he clovrn foot, aud long tail
sails Barney. couldn't see IN the dark,
sails she, bu; his claws was awful sharp; oh,
how they dug into my RIBS cen Almost look I
the flesh otf'-oh, dear Lord have mercy
on US hope he's lain in the Red Sea
now Tell you what II is, aunty,' sals
Barney, chats an awful story, keep II sc
cret for your life folks might say the
house was haunted thai YOU was possessed
and that Jnrushl was IN leagues with the
evil one. Don'l so much as lisp sy liable OF
il to a lvin' sinner breathio;' keep the Sc
crei aud will help you
The hint took, the old woman had no
wish to be burnt or drown'd for witch,
and The moment a fellcr has u iroman's Sc
cref, he is that poman's muster. lie was
invited there, stayed there, and married
there but the old woman never know d
who the evil one was, and always thought
TIL her dyin' day, i, was old Scratch himself
After her death they dld'n. keep IL secret
no longer ;and many good laugh has there
been at the story Of Barney Oxman and
the Devil
PISONERS AND PAUPERS.
The New York Express says that" the
whole number of inmates in the peniten-