The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-06-28
a LITTLE WITCH


quaintance of our cousins, the brufesi / sssy we,
cuurteously, for am not inclndedi IN the class
of persona who arc contumacious TO dogs,
horses, and other quadrupedal inhabitants Of
our planet. The fact is, l am more interested
in be8ver than bean; and a chained bear,
who travels all his waking hours in a circle,
and always turns q soHeFsault at a particular
point. is much more interesting to lne than II
fashionable young fellow. doing very much tbs
same thing. / was always very odd, and l
cannot tell whether first liked William Cum
saing for bis horse Selm, or for himself. Sc
lin was q wonderful! fellow, and had eost a fab.
ulous price, though be had bad name. No
one had ever ridden him but William Cum
/ ming, and yet the fret FIVE minutes Of our tc-
qiiaintance made us friends. Selim archcd bis
proud neck TO kiss me- and patted his glossy
coat, and smeothed his nane, and put my side-
saddle on him with my own hauds.
lyon must not ride him. said Williams
''Nhat would be my portion. if any accident
should befall you in your mothers absence =
If she were here to give her consent
s.Nonsense:" cried "my mether is used to
my ways, and she is not q coward. Selim and
am friends, you can see.'
"But he will try TO be master, and yonr
hands are not iron, my little friend
"Never you fear" said j; II will turn him
three ways at once, If he insists on running
away. Skill is better than hard work in most
affairs, and especially in managing horse
"Who taught you skill in managing horse!"
said he.
Common aense," l replied. "Now do lc,
me go"
Common sense, at thirteen!" said William,
laughing and he took OF the side saddle, aud
replaced it with his own, and then rode away.
went up to my room and cried bitterly
Girls and babies don't weep-they cry. When
my eyes we're red, and my crlrls in q tangle, l
looked in the glass. was at a trying age;
nv .,yf,, o,,dh huHs s.Sait
cellars" with dreadful shadows, and my arms
We're skin and bones. 4 weaver would have
said was ''all warp, and no filing William
Cumming was thirty years old, and had a fafm
adjoining my fathers. lie was a scholar and q
gentleman, and cultivated his own land. and
had the handsomest horses in the country /
had great respect for him, though l am afraid
he was indebted 10 his four footed friend for
portion of it.
have said that was odd. My sense had
sort Of preternatural acuteness that seemed
miraculous to others, and am not quite sure
but that had sense more than belonging to
nv acquaintance. William Cumiuin. used to
call me "a little WITCH because l could tell
him what he was quite Eure ! knew nothing
, about, and could not find ont by any natural
mea'is---bu, lie infant usual, think, when he
said natural My ways of acquiring informa
ton were YER. aple, and natural to me; still,
as had established a character for eAtracr-
not deserve il.
For instance, when said TO my little brother:
"Eow came You to go into the china closet,
and take manma'u oranges y he answered, re-
dolent Of the purloined fruit, 80 sister, how
could you see ne through the door, when it
tbat l was something very like witch. Older
persons, in u similar manner, cheated them
selves into the belief that my gifts were much
more wonderful than they were.
'Are you quite sure that you are not little
witch"' said William Cumming. 'Selim kissed
you and laid his nose on your shoulder, the
iirst five minutes of our acquaintance"
answered him with some impatience: II
wish people had .s much sense as horses
They know who mean well by them, while
people are always suspectipg one. They sus-
pect poor little me of witcnery, or the black
art, Even You, Uncle William, are afraid 1
will cheat you
had not been trusted to ride seiim; and now
William had returned, wished to punish him.
/ But he took no notice of my ill-humoY, aud
said very pleasantly .Tel me, by your black
| art, where have been the last half hour
| He was standing by the door, aud was at
dranght of air, and l answered: "You nave
| been whisking the flies off Selim with a bunch
| of PENNY royal, and you have been over to the
| bank where the wild thyme grows, and you
have been among the wild roses on Ginger
Hill. / know all this, though have been here
/! the whole time"
| He walked over where was standing, and
! said, How do you know sll this? :"
| As he came beside me, said, "And yoi. s,iv
| Mary Stacy, and shook hands with her and
| you have something III your pocket from Luke
| Stacy"
How do you know all this p said he, won.
der struck, as he had been halfa dozen times
! before
| ''No spy glass could tell you this, for Mary
was at home in her fathers house beyond the
| hill and the thyme bank is beyond that, and
| hidden from everybody; and the roses aud
penny royal are beyond the hill and the W hole
is three miles from here. You could not have
followed me- unless you had been on the bach
! of another Selim; and, besides, you say tina,
yon have been here all the time How do yor
know that have something in my pocket from
Luke Stacy and what is it r
| ''It is u letter" said l, that be has brought
1 you from some one
Even SO. What YOU cay is all true bu
/ how do You know itl''
| a nose. When You came ill., sinelt Sclim an(
the penny royal. The mingled oders told ms
| that yon had been brushing the flies off tn,
horse with some sprigs Of the herb /. The mex
odor l snielt was the thyme, and then the wilt
roses. When you came to this side OF the room
| smelt the verheila-tbe only perfume Mar,
| Stacy uses. When YOU came a little nearer,
ssnelt Turkish tobacco and the SIZING of paper
and then was sure you had sorle paper fron
Luke Stacy. and the most probable idea was
| letter. Whv, can smell Luke at the lowe
end of our lane ,,yhcn stand in the door
| Now you can see that have fairly accounte'
for everything"
Except for the fact that you are all nose,
said William. "iOu are a cross between
valture alda dove. But must attend to Sclim
dare say he thinks he is hungry
He went out 10 see Tire horse, hut he wa
gone. He looked ali around, but did not fin
| him.
"He is stolen,,.' said William, much alarmed
Il saw nn iil.looking fellow watching me us
rode home. The gate s shut. and there wa
hrs taken him.
.1l,e gate is shut said I. ..bu, il ia no. fas,
ened"
The gate was fastened by u pin, which VIA
put in hole bored in tho gate.rost. Whc
this pin waa taken out the gate swun., one,
and II the wind were right, it Nigh t be close
again. | examined the pin; Selins,s lsfeat
WAS warm Oh it. This was perfectly percep,i
bic 10 me, but not to Wiliam
'.Seiim don't know enough to take ont tho
/ pin and then replace IT, said he.
"Iie has more seiise than great manv men,
/ suid as passed into the orchard, AMI whe,
tho cruahed clover blossoms gave me motto
that tho horse had passed bu. few minute
previous. "If l lind him over the bill, may
ride him, Unclc William T.,
"You win not find him, he answered
q ran 70 the top of the bill On the oshe
8 side, Sel!m WIS trying to eat with his Bit oe
tween his teeth went 10 him and tried 1,
unbuckie the bridal on the wrong side. HI
quietly turned tue other side of his head TO IN,
awkward hands, putting the right buckle pei
!. tinaciouaiy before me, till uafassened IT,
William Cumming cAlne along. ,,reatly pleased
but said thnt neiim should do the gaso-tficl