Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-05-17
CHAPTEs III.

Sitting under the trees. Poor Mistress Lucy
could not bear to be seen by the mott inti-
mate friends, or even by the villagers and,
the idea that she had been bewitched, gained
ground fast
Mistress Gilbert was one Of those patient
haters, who never halk themselves Of their
revenge by rushing upon it prematurely. To
screen her own malpractices, she had said at
first that Mistress Lucy was bewitehed but
Il did not occur to her then to turn this to
the furtherance Of her schemes against Rose
Nicholl. One lovely June evening, however,
in passing by the smiths cottage, she saw a
gathering Of the village goodies, who told
her that the White Rose, her detested rival,
had just got little son; and, week or two
later, she saw the young mother herself
standing at her open window with the child
in her arms, and the stalwart smith leaning
in, making gentle paternal advances 70 her
great and laughing delight. Mistress Gil
berts heart felt like lump of molten lead in
her bosom at this picture. She stopped and
l0okei at it wickedly over the hedge for sew
eral minutes, and then rushed rapidly home
wards. Her plan was maturing.
A dreadful scene greeted her when she ar
rived the house was in an uproar. Every
body running hither and thither, calling for
this thing and that, in frantic haste. Mistress
Elizabeth was i'll, she was dying-dying in
agonies; her shrieks could be heard half over
the house.
She IS poisoned" said lady Bedinfeld,
who was shuddering and weeping by her
daughters writhing form but Mistress Gil
bert, bending over the bed her ash-gray face,
said a No I have seen these convulsions
before she IS bewicthed, like Mistress
Lucy
Every one in the room paused aghast with
their remedies, but lady Bedin6eld said, -
Who can pursue our family with such q
relentless hatred whom have any of US in
jured? There is worthy Parson Phillips
coming to our aid; let him be admitted"
While the minister said his prayers, Mis-
tress Elizabeth died "She has been poi
soned, be also observed, but the doctor, not
being able 10 name the drug that had killed
her, solemnly countenanced Mistress Gilbert's
idea, that she had been bewitched. The
waiting woman was not long in discovering
where Mistress Elizabeth had found her fatal
draught. Advantage had been taken of her
absence to break open the ebony box and sb-
stract the cosmetic powder. Too large an in
ternal dose had done its work forever.
From the time Of her sisters death, poor
Mistress Lucys health also began fast to de-
cline. She became subject to long fits of mel
ancholy depression, and more than ever eva
ded seeing strangers Still she would 60 out
Of doors, and her favorite haunt was sunny
knoll in the plantations, where she would sit
for hours with either her mother or Mistress
Gilbert. Any sudden noise-eYen the flight
Of bird from one branch TO another would
cause her TO tremble convulsively, as if with
overwhelming dread for the poor girl had
heard it said she was bewitched, and the idea
worked in her Imagination until she believed
it. 1t happened one morning while in the
wood, rs usual, that Rose Nicholl-with her
baby in her arms on her way to the hall, to
show him to Lady Bedinfeld, as she had re-
ceived commands TO do-passed within sight
of Mistress Lucy and the waiting woman
Rose was singing as blithely as any bird, and
never noticed the two under the trees; but
Mistress Lucy began to shudder and cry out.
is it Rose Nicholl that has bewitched you
Mistress Lucy?' asked Mistress Gilbert, ear
nestly.
Yes, yes, replied the nervous creature,
following the retreating figure with wild eyes.
81 always thought sol l saw the devils
mark upon her neck the day she married, -
cried the waiting woman, triumphantly.
When they returned home, Mistress Lucy
told her mother that all her deformity and all
her present illness had been inflicted on her
by the malice Of Rose Nicholl, the smith S
wife, and that the sight Of her threw her into
convulsious, such as those her sister died Of.
Lady Bedinfeld was troubled but suspicious.
She consulted her husband, who was remark
able for anything rather than sagacity, and
proposed to have Rose tried by one of the
common prickeFs who made it their business
to go from place to place, discovering witches
and bringing them TO punishment Sir Roger
consented, and Mistress Gilbert having un-
dertaken TO produce a witch-fnder, innocent
unconscious Rose was indicated to him as a
suspected person; and, full Of the importance
Of his terrible Office the pricker went to the
smith house, when be was at his forge.
Master Simon also was away from home,
and Rose, with her baby asleep in her lap,
sat saving diligently, like the good house
wife anh householder that she was. The
pricIer obtained an entrance into the cottage
by pleading that he had walked far and was
tired so the unsuspicious Rose bade him rest
himself, and gave him some refreshment-
Presently, two of the village woman saunt-
cred in, ostensibly to see the baby, but in
reality, by pre-concert with the pricker, to help
in the examination. They all began to talk,
and presently led the conversation round TO
the subject of witches and warlOcks. There
had been many hundreds of wicked and cruel
execution in England during recent years fer
the crime Of Witchcraft, and Rose had heard
Of them like others; indeed, witch had been
swum and drowned in Hamledon mill pond
within her own memory. She expressed great
commiSeration for this old woman, and said
that she believed many unfortunates were the
victims of the malice of their enemies, rather,
than real criminals, as was pretended. The
pricker took unbrage at this remark, perhaps
because Mistress Gilberts bride lay heavy on
his conscience at the moment and, thinking
to dauht Rose, he exclaimed, that she herself
was notorious witch, and evil liver, and he
was there to prove it.
Rose started up; and, when the two women
approached to lay hold on her, she broke from
them, and rushed out at the door shrieking
Richard, Richard, help mel"
The hammer was not going in the forge
Just then, and the smith heard her. Clutching
astout cudgel, he ran to the spot and, while
the two assistants decamped, he seized the
pricker in a grasp like a vice, and, without
waiting for explanation proceeded to belabOr
him sosoundly that the miserable official was
likely to have a skin fun of sorely aching
bones for month to come.
When her husband paused, Rose said, bit
terly weeping; He is a witcher finder, Rich
ard, and declares that am witch. He came
here to prove it. o, where, where shall we
Ay2 You know, dear husband, that am
your own true wife, and no wicked witch
Don't you, loYe?" She clung TO him beseech-
ingy. In those good old times there were
few ties ofblood oraffeetion that did not break
under this terrible accusation but the smith
loved his Rose heartily; and, having an intense
antipathy to the manipulations of such odious
gentry as the pricker, his wrath was SO far
increased by the idea that they might have
been exercised on his young wife, as to find
it indispensable 10 beat him again, and then
to throttle him until he confessed that he had
received a hriha fnou, Mietregg Gilbert To az