Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-12-21
VOLUME XII. NO. So.

the advice of his neighbers, and in spite of some-
what discouraging hints touching certain mat
rmonial infelicities experienced by the late hus-
band, he absolutely stepped into the dead mans
shoes; the mistress became the wife, and the
servant was legally promoted to the head of the
household
For time matters went on costly and COM
fortably enough. He was now lord of the soil
and having laid in his crops of corn and pota-
toes, salted down his pork, and piled up bis
wood for winters use, he naturally enough con-
graduated himself OH his good fortune, and
laughed at the sinister forebodings of his neigh
bors But with the long winter months cames
change over bis cloves young dream" An
evil and mysterious influence seemed to be at
word in his affairs. " Whatever he did after con-
sulting his wife, Or at her suggestions, resulted
favorably enough, but all his schemss and pro-
jects, were unaccountsbly marred and defeated.
Ii he bought horse, was sure to prove SPAWN
ed or wind-broken. His cows either refused to
give down their milk, ofs giyingsit rsfrsju
kicked it over. A fine SOW which he bad bought,
repaid his partiality by devouring her own chill
dren. By degrees dark thought forced its way
into his mind. Comparing the repeated mis-
chances with the anti-nuptial WARNINGS of his
neighbors, he at last came to the melancholy
conclusion that his wife was witch. The VIC
tim in Motherwel's ballad of the Demon Lady,
or the poor fellow in the Arabian tale, who dis
covered that he had married ghost in the
guise Of young and blooming princess, was
scarcely in more sorrowful predicament He
grew nervous and fretful Old dismal nursery
stories and all the witch lore of boykood came
back to his poor memory, and he crept to his bed
like a criminal to the gallows, half afraid to
fall asleep lest his mysterious companion should
take fancy to transform him into horse, get
him sAod at the smithy's, and ride him to .
witch meeting And, as if to make the mat
ter worse, his wites affections seemed to increase
just in proportion as his troubles thickoned upon
him. She aggravated him with all manner Of
caresses and endearments. This was drop too
much The poor man recoiled from her as from
II waking nightmare. His thoughts turned to
New England he longed to see once more the
old homestead, with its tall wsll-sweepsnd but
ternut tre(a oy the roadside; and he sighed
amid the rich bottom lands of his new home for
his fathers rocky pasture, with his crop OF
stinted muleins SO one cold November day.
finding himself out of sight and hearing Of his
wife, he summoned courage to attempt an es-
cape, and resolutcly turning his back on the
West, plunged into the wilderness towards the
sunrise After hard and long journey he at
length reached his birthplace, and was kindly
welcomed by his old friends. Keeping close
mouth with respect to his unlucky adventure in
Ohio, he soon after married one of his school
mates, and by dint of persovering industry and
economy, in q few years found himself in posses
sion Of comfortable home
But his evil star still fingered above the ho-
rzon. One summer evening, on returning from
the ay-feld, who should he meet but his witch
wife from Ohio She come riding along the
street on her old white horse, with pillisn be-
hind the saddle. She accosted him in very
kindly tone, yet not without something OF
gentle reproach for his unhandsemc desertion of
her, sae informed him that she had come all the
way from Ohio to take him back again.
1t was in vain that he pleaded his latter en-.
sagements; it was in vain that his new wife
raised her shrillest rcmonstrancos, not devoid of
expressions of vehement indignation at the rev.
elation of her husband real position; the witch
wife was sinexorable- he must, and thatspeed-
lily. Fully impressed with the belief of her su-
pernatural powers of compelling obedience, and
perhaps drcadng more than wichcralt itself the
effects of tho unlucky disclosure on the temper
of his New England helpmate, he made vir-
tue of the necessity of the case bid farewell to
F the latter amidst hurricane of reproaches, and
mounted the white horse, with his wife ON the
E pIlion behind him. To that ride Burger might
have written counterpart to his ballad;
Tramp, tramp, along the shore they ride
Splash splash, along the sea "
Two or three years had passed away, bring
ing no tidings Of the husband when he once
more made his appearance in his native village
lie was not disposed to be very commemorative
but IL. me thing, at least, he seemed willing to
express his gratitude His Ohio wife having no
spell against intermittent fever, had paid the
debt of nature and left him free; in view Of
which his surviving wife, after mauiesting some
degree of resentment, consented to take him
back and could never learn that she had cause
to regret her clemcncy.
SrlKING GuNs.--A correspondent Of the Lon
don Morning Herald thus explains the mode Of
spiking guns, and describes the spikes -
"The spikes are about four inches long, and
+. of the dimensions of a tobacco pipe; the head
d fat; barb at the point acts as spring which
is naturally pressed to the shaft upon being fore
t ed into the touch-hole Upou reaching ths
e chamber of the gun, it resumes its position,