Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1850-06-21


TsELEcrED FOR THE +" JOURNAL BY a LADY,
From the Odd Fellows Offering
The Witch.
I. H.
(eoNcLUDED.)
The daughter paused not C1e moment, from the
time she began to read this painful development OF
her mothers nfatuation and disgrace till she had
reached the last word The tears would sometimes
swell in her eyes, but she brushed them hastily a
way, and continued. When she had finished the
reading, she dropped her head between her hands,
and wept and sobbed bitterly. Let the reader him.
self define her feelings At length, the hour of mid
night was tolled from the village church steeple,
and she raised her head to look forth into the moon
light. A cold shudder ran through her frame, and
faint scream escaped her lips for fronting the Win
dow, in the full glare of the moon appeared face
haggard and withered as ifwith premature age She
caught but one uncertain glimpse of the apparition
for mist passed before her, and when it cleared a
way, the appalling figure had vanished. The
witch she family artic'lated, and buried her face
in her pillow. Presently she uttered scream as
she felt touch upon her shoulder. smiles how
ever dimpled her pretty cheeks and shone IN her
lustrous eyes, she recognised the new intruder
He was youth of some twenty-five years, straight
as a sapin and 1.-THE willow with a fne frank
ry for thus abruptly intrudng upon your privacy"
he began, - but heard Scream and knowing you
had not retired'-
How did you know that q interrupted Mary.
By the simplest means in the world and with
out the exercise of any impertinence you suspect
had been into the fields to look after some horses
that had broken loose from the enclosure and in de-
scending the hill overlooking the house, on my re-
turn, discovered that your curtains were undrawn.
that you were reading and apparently disturbed
in mind. l was going to my own chamber when l
heard you Scream
20, Harry cried the girl, let me intrust you
with secret which, considering the relation in which
we stand, is worth your knowing-indeed, one which
ct knOy honor m
change our relation"
"Ah !" exclaimed the youth, turning pale; ''what
then was the meaning of the scream which heard
before coming in g.
It had no connection with the subject of our pre-
sent conference as you shall hear 1t caused by
girlsh fright, seeing, just them the face of Moth
er Foote whom they call the witch, at the window
What can she want here? She can gain nothing by
frigh tening a poor girl like me-.
" Mother Foote ]" repeated the young man. paus-
ing for moment in thought she has an object be-
yond that if we could fathom it. Has she ever ap-
peared to you in this manner before -
Never"
Strange but what is this matter of such mo-
ment ="
9 You know, Harry" she responded, that I am
an orphan-that your kind, noble aunt and uncle,
with whom have been reared through the past ten
years, are only my adopted parents o.
81 do, of course Whittier does this tend q
Listen! not only your uncle and aunt, my father
and mother, as | have always loved to call them,
have been in profound ignorance of my birth and
parentage but even myself until this evening"
"This night and how then at length have you
been able to unravel the mystery! o.
. You see that package" she replied, pointing to
the with which we have seen her occupied
The story is there: you forget that it left by
my father to be opened by me- on my eighteenth
birthday This is the appointed time, and l have
performed the dutyyou must do the same, for it be-
looves you to know the contents.
:! How can it possibly concern me p incurred the
youth, tenderly; you forget that your father could
lot possibly have known anything of me and have
lot yet the right to be admitted to your family
,rets wait till Tuesday week: then, indeed, shall
nave husbands privilege to be made acquainted
With the contents of this manuscript"
You must be made so acquainted at once: per-
chance you may conclude never to exercise that
light but read first will explain afterwards
Thus urged the youth took up the package and
IlUu1y himself ualnutd Will It's
The young girl riyeted her eyes upon his face as he
ORDER if possible to define his thoughts
but it was of no avail, for he gave no sign. At
times his lip observed to tremble and his eye to
fash or fill with tears but he uttered no exclama-
tions and when he had finished the reading, he laid
the packet down, and sat some moments in profound
silence. The girl drew timidly toward him, and
ted her hand upon his shoulder, while she said in
subdued accents: - Now Harry, you know all, even
to my mothers disgrace You know too, how much
love YOU she added, dropping her cheek upon his
shoulder, and pausng for moment in the excess OF
conflicting emotions: ''you know too that on Tues
day week we were to be welded. | have your troth
for that. When accepted your generous offer, neth
of us knew what has Just come to our knowledge.
| release you from all your promises lou free
to make your promise anew"
MARY" he exclaimed in a tone of reproach.
"Nay, Harry" she replied, - be patient with me,
for my brain is fevered tonight Think we'll on
what you are about to do. You about to take to
your confidence, to your heart, the child of-oh
how shame to think of what l cannot utter-the
child of such as you now know my mother to have
been. Can you have confidence in me! Can you
overlook this family faint, and persist in consumma
ting this sacrifice p
Mary, desst | will not listen to you. When
persuaded that the child is responsible for the
misdeeds of the parents, when satisfied that the
bad conduct of one member of family with JUS
tice be punished in another-any more than one
member of the human family should be made to suf-
fer for the misconduct of his neighbor-then, per-
haps, your reasons mis- ht have some weight: but
Mary, it is you am to We'd not the memory of your
mother whose errors must be atoned in the way Pro-
violence shall drect--so now let me hear no more OF
this. ] grieve with you for the loss of mothers
honor if it be lost for of that not so fully salts
fed as your father; and please Heaven shall
vel this mystery IN time, and, may be, sooner than
you think. Let drop that subject for the present
You say you have never before Mother Foote
whom they call the witch ~
''1es I have seen her sometimes, wandering a.
bout the fields, but never before face to face. Dc
yUu know hCr lristury a.
3" In part, and if you attend to me- will relate all
know of her"
The maiden signifed that nothing would CRAFTY
her more, and he began
1t is now about six years since Mother Foote
came into this neighborhood, unattended and un.
known. She first seen wandering among the
shops in the village purchasing some simple articles
Of firm tI1ro nc