Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-07-16

spotless, though the circumstance that this
part of the edifce was concealed by high wall
made any opinion on the subject exceedingly
doubtful. Still more serious was the report
that witch, with black dishevelled hair,
might sometimes be seen at midnight issuing
from the chimney on broom. Had not the
old lady's character stood exceedingly high,
through her conduct in the day time, this re-
port might bave damaged it not little.
To the roof of the house, thus respectfully
inhabited, did the liberated Tom betake him
self. Close to the chimney, solemnly musng,
sat venerable owl, whom he accosted as an
old friend, and to whom he presented fat
mouse that he had caught by the way The
owl was delighted with the mouse, and pleas
ed to see Tom, whom she invited to partake
of choice bird, and to the recital of whose
adventures she lent willing ear.
Being n bird of somewhat lax principles,
the owl, when she heard Toms narrative
throughout, was not little surprised to
find that he really meant to fulfil his contract
towards the wizard by providing him with
wife, and giving him the money at the bot
tom Of the well. However, when she heard
further that the chosen bride was to be the
old lady of the house and, moreover, was
reminded that her own liberation would be
n natural consequence of the marriage of
that ancient maiden, she entered readily into
the scheme, and when the cat asked how the
coy fair one could be captured, informed him
that the operation might be easily effected
with net, spun by man of sixty years old
who had never set eyes on the face of woman.
"Such net would be hard to find"
thought Tom. No, such a net was
not hard to find A net-maker,
who had been blind from his birth,
was in the habit of making nets every day,
and the owl undertook to steal one if the
cat would in the meanwhile keep guard
against the chimney. Tom IS duty, while at
the post, was to give such answers to the old
lady, if she spoke from below, as would pre-
before the owls return. That the old lady
and the witch were one and the same person
our readers have guessed long ago.
The absence of the owl was of no long du-
ration, and, as soon as she had returned with
the required article, she and the cat placed
it carefully over the aperture of the chimney.
"Is it all right up there ~ shreked a
harsh voice from below.
Perfectly" replied the owl, "the fog is of
surprising thickness
Satisfied with this answer. up went the
witch like skylark and was surprised to find
herself held fast by the net, which the allied
animals pulled with all their might. Then
began kicking, and plunging, and
a struggling, in the course of which poor
Tom received such q punch in the nose from
the broom stick that projected through one
OF the interstlces of the net, that tears came
into his eyes, and he was on the point of re-
laxing his hold, and thus losing all his ad-
vantage. However, the witch was at last
fairly tired out, and asked her captors, in a
tolerably humble voice, what was their will
and pleasure?
I" | desire my liberty" said the owl, in a
lofty tone, worthy of William Tell
''Take it and welcome,'' replied the witch. .
with litter "You might have had it
without all this trouble. Good riddance of
bad rubbish
"But we require something more" said
the owl. "You must marry the old gentle
man over the way"
Now, it there was a being in the world
that the venerable lady detested, it was our
worthy friend the wizard and hence, when
she heard the project Of the two criminals,
she naturally renewed her plungng and
kicking with increased violence. However,
she was reminded that the gentleman in
question, although secretly wizard, was
employed by the town as IL witch finder, and
further informed that, if she did not consent
to the very reasonable request of the owl and
the cat, she should be swung dangling from
the house-roof, so that her character as q
sorceress would be revealed before all the
world. If she hated the wizard, she might
easily crafty her hatred by making
him perfectly miserable in the
mar-agc-statc whereas, if she refused to
marry him, he would certainly ter
inmate her existence by means of the stak,
and the tar-barrel. This argument was if
reslstibe ; the witch consented, though un
willingly, to the marriage scheme, and having
bound herself by such oaths as sorcerers deem
sacred, to the due fulilment ofh promise
was set at liberty by her two captors. Upor
this she mounted her usual vehicle, and sailed
through the air, with the owl sitting behint
on the stck-end and the cat sitting before OIL
the broom-end, until the whole party ar
rived safely at the well, into which the ole
lady descended, to fetch up the hidden trea
! sure.
How the witch, by magical art, put on al
appearance of youth and beauty how tn
wizard married her in an ecstacy of delight
how the cat and the owl took to their heel
as soon as the ceremony was over, and neve
were heard of more how the witch resume,
her pristine ugliness when evening approach
ed and how the wizard was not only dis
gusted at his bride, in spite of the treasur
that she brought, but was miserably hen
, pecked all the rest of his days, we need no
{ relate in detail. We have shown what tn
: people of certain Swiss town mean when
. wishing to indicate that person has made
= bad bargain, they say he has bought cat
= grease.
The historical value of the above legend
:, considerably diminished by the fact that tn
9 town in which the proverb is said to be espt
= cially current, does not exist at all the whol
story being the invention of living Germa
. writer, named Gottlried Heller, who hf
4 written a very choice book, called " Die Leu
= Won Seldwyla," but is not known to the exter
of his deserts. From this book we have take
. the substance of our tale.