Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-03-16
lFrom Putnam's Magazine.]
The Old Woman who Dried up and Blew

.
lfrom Putnam's Magazine.l
The Old woman who Dried up and Blew
Away.
" ! here may be many witches at this day
III Lapland who sell wind to mariners and
they must needs go whom the devil drives -
-FbHcr s HJiy and Profdne State.
cod woman, old woman, whittier SO high -
~ sweep the cooweos from the sky"
10y - ~ vi tne ny, oiu staSe-roau icad-
i,S ,S iioui nos'oii " iiynoutn' just out OF
weymouth INTO ilhgnam' there lived an old
woman VINO went ny the name OF Sue Ward.
mere sac cam: IRON no one knew Some
years "G'ore 'ie .iihe OF Which we write, She
nav 'aNcn up ner az ue IN an old mouse
"",c. ""u oGen ucscI'eu ny its larhcr owner
""" '"ele sle ""cl'-ah aiohe, perfect
mystery 10 tne SosSi pS OF the helShDorhood
onc hhcnuSeu 10 eet H'lnS ny doing all
sorts OF odd jobs Tor the people of the village;
by knitting now and then a pair of stock
ings by spinning a few knots of warn. or
going out as nurse for the sick Tie villa
gers also, at first, were quite kind to her
But after n while they bcpan to wn,rv or bo-
ing benevolent to SO mysterious a bcing All
rl"tt;-,- ~. r,...--'-' =.
former lie iailen 'o lrouucG any eHect save u
stupporh rc'usal u 6''''9 uiioe'V9' anu
s'lE"t u'sn's u 'nSe'' WHY" All inquiieiS
"SiVvu Oo",N Nv III,
Alth1ugh tne .llne ol whicn we write was
after Tue cAGltrihen' CONCERNING thG @"ienl
witcnes, yet pelei IN such beings had not
Wno!'y u'cu AWAY csl'ec''l'y ",no,'S tue o'uel
portion VI @ nnc com Cuuiu ,ney nv
quote the bip'e ana tne Eouiy Nr' Ma'her IN
support V' ."cir uocil.'e
by y-a'u-py s'i"nse s'olies Ts Wgsni' u y. cil-
cui,'eu cohctrii.ls ptu oue ara ~ was
ou' ' '1o va ''il .hC
gave ut'erahce 10 ihu''eieo curse ana 'he
l.eA' h,ori'''5 ,nI ue,r"n y "ss' ";',e' wa.
'ouhu oI"u' i" SHo ;i ii st,'"It i%siV'oI' ','ar
mo'ouy %u' ''e l,;, Wi ~ :.el
ti tluic '1I', tl'' ""'
81 to,N ~:
.'ci III n's my 'e" ""So"' 'lo aeAIi "i"i
" I.' "e' "pi"o' "' ''c was ''reu' p.' NC
Ieli'ou ne c'ulu ~ nv as ~ ~ was i",1el on ms
ro'u' anu ne was III d hurry; Nay you ne
n1, nnninnt nfterwnr,is hts horse
f.Ii. broke both shafts to the wagon, and
what WAS worse. his own ler.
These stories, somewhat inaguinud perhaps
in the telling. were soon in the mouth of
every one in tie village Soon they spoke OF
her no longer as Mistress Ward, or old Sue
Ward. She possessed the three great requi-
sites for Il witch of that time.
/. Sne was old
H. She was ugly
III. She was poor.
With such an evil suspicion hanging about
her. it is no wonder that many who had for
merly befrIended. now avoided her. Even the
little children. having heard the mysterious
talk of their parents, as they passed Eer in
the streets, clusped one another's hands more
tiphtlv. and. ,rlziur at her with hall-fright-
rnod i1nk,. vent b1rriedly on though some of
the larger bows would sometimes shout after
her.
Matters went thus. as one wild windy No.
vcInher nipLt. old she sat bv her fire in her
Ionnly ,ur She had b,en out TO gather the
cgrots of which the fire was built, and meet
inc some rude bows on her return, they had
| tainted her with unseemlv words. Not often
| But ns the SCREAMING wind howled through
| tho branches of th. T,rest. and she heard the
moonings Of the DYING uutump. thinking all
thn whi1e That sh: knew NOT where to look
tnr boln tlrnnoL tbn com;ng winter what
,,'andnrt ,I,. "a rait lilo c,srsinn tLo l,v in
which cha yrns horn1
Sho d;I cnrso tmost bittcrlv Her wickcd
,,ithcred oIJ Lanrt yos Eftirg itseIrun in
tIasrion,,, .,s a'.o+ hr bor Eve thot n;t,ht
and g,1nd intrntlv into its flames as they
Tr,h ssnaJ -, Lo. ,a;,oraIJo room
e.. W. up ~ Ia ~, n'n,terad sbo 70 ber
.olr r. sorant,, ,,aars nr sorro,y seven.
~, ,,.ors nr sin cash., cnongh for one mar
-, ", - p;,Ia sa,, ,S6,t ,hroa snnr,
,oars nd tnD ors Nv. limits of l;fcl Wh,
SSt",I5 7 Ii,o I,noori u;tbout rrionds
1ritI noao nr ,,,o enr, C,rts which helong +,
TO n',e nIl moor miserable. haif.staryed anC
ldi,' o,i rT'c Jrn,y nm closer to the fire an,
oo,rtinnoa
81 ,yorld Jro,vr mvsoIr hpt the water i
s,cnl6 I hnyo nat sfrcnrth onourb 70 xii
,nysolr o,, thor wnv \vbv il there n,
,tIor ,ra',! Lnt dy;ng Ia hc rid of the world
IF G,il,s n1nIJ c,,t Elf life ns thev do an oil,
a,rment I've heard of old women tina
GrieJ nm and bIew away. The Lord know
; ~, Jry e,,nnoh Wbv if he will not let In
lie viii he not blow me awuyl / should no
s.re If II was ia n plnce warmer than thi.
| wlere old woman don have to 20 out fter fap
gots." And she urinned "A most wicked grin
! showing one worn yellow stump OF tootl
, :" Good evening, Mother Ward" said
, voice at her elbow.
4 She turned ana saw Just at her side littl
= old man dressed in black. A quick actiy
old fellow he seemed, AS, without bein
asked, he drew the other Of the two rush-bo
I toned chairs-all the seats the room col
T. tainei-up to the fire
r ,Who are YOU What do you want |
) asked old Sue, us soon as she had a little T,
e covered from her astonshment at this sudde
d interruption.
e \ po-r cold traveller who wishes to war
/, himself at your fire." replied he, Just glal
n cling at her with his keen black eye. Oh
was the wickedest eye you ever saw, so fu
g. of malice and devlltry, 50 ghttering al
Of snake-like.