Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-03-21

| three taps fthe paw, ana the Jog roueu
| over dead There had apparently peen NO
o ottennt at resistance. Mr.. Manchester
Ss;d that at this moment he considered the
tiaer cat his certain prize. Bringing up
hiS ann with the alacrity of an Old sports
man as lie was, he snapped IT, 10 ms
surprise it missed lire. Twice hlole nc
essayed, yet not spark lefG tne nin = IL, IL
| lowered the weapon with feeling oi dreaa'
n1,o,,,ined the lock for a moment, and on
looking ND. discovered that the creature
had vanished. Raising his piece, he
snanped it once more, but this time from ron,
mere curiosity. The flint threw out most
of SHARKS and the gun was discharged as
usual 7 doubt not there are many ola
neople, who. like myself, have heard MI
| Manchester relate the circumstance.
a" What bond Of sympathy, If any, exist
ri between Dame Ruggles and the tiger
cat. cannot say; but that the old woman
was really a witch, seems very probable.
If was ayerred that the rendezvous OF the
weird sistcrhood was Gray Owl Dell anu
| Michael Flynn, Mr.. Marvins hired man,
land, by the way in that early time the
only Irishman in the town. going one
| morning to attend to sheep at the farm, sald
that he heard voices over ms hea9, anu
| distinguished among them that OF Dame
| Rnggies. Michael who always stood for
! the last word with friends anu enemies,
| shouted out:
| "sComc down here, Mishtress Ruggles,
va indacent ovid scowld, and I'll warrum
! We wild taste o. me pitchtOrruk, we bag
Whereat there was loud, Jeerfug
| laugh so near his head that Michael threw
| his pitchfork with vengeance, hoping to mt
SOME of his invisible tantalizers; but ne
| was surprised to see the implement sail
aroupd in the air as if some witch had
| bridled it for horse 144.A ana
| ! Ttfs Yez. hev got me forruk, yer wild
! bastes,' cried Mike but be the hOuly
Margin come down here thin; it's all
axes of Iyez, and I'll tan yer ovid hides till
yez scrame agin pa - --- '''I'4 :
-" At mention of the Virgin,S the witch
merriment subsidized into total silence, and
Michaers 'forruk' lay at his feet as quietly
as if it had been ridden i'll air by these
posters of the sea and land Such was
Mikes story but it had often been limited
that his love Of truth was no match sorthis
imagination. 5rln aI4lLLsy.8, az
cit was however, asserted by one IN
whose veracity the whose neighborhood
reposed implicit confidence, that he had
seen, the form of Dame Ruggles stretched
| at full length across the chimney at Gray
| OWl OCll LII AOuSS33 WlIAiO iSi SPAiAo w W.
far away fon some ubiquitous mission.
| This may have been the very shape which
! Will Ashley hal once mistaken for all owl
of unearthly al pect /; or, reversing 1.-The
| case, the owl may in the last instance
have been taken or the dame--so uncer-
tain are things which we know nothing
about, Y~7naa 8q.vfaq slIctg .f,g4g
"But whether wi ch or not, there was
in the circumstances attending the death
of Dame Ruggles, which occurred that
winter something unaccountable. During
/ her brief illness the old woman had been
more querulous than ever, and the attempt
of any kind Samaritan to draw the least
appearance of gratitude from her jagged
mind, was like trying to grab handful
; of single nails out of keg.' "3m1Hatt
GAS her dissolution approached, the
watchers, who had heard that no one can
see witch die, were alert for the closing
scene. The night was cold, the bed clothes
were supposed insufficient, the fire upon
the hearth, kindle it as they would, refused
to burn brightly, and they therefore lighted
furnace of charcoal in the centre OF the
room. Did they moment relax their Wig
lance, they would find their patient
stretched upon her back across this fam
ing furnace, as if she loved fire, and felt
her present agony soothed by this foretaste
of her future Inheritance How her cloth
ing Jared remains an open question to this
day, but she herself snapped and cracked
like burning whalebone. q
GO She must go sOon,' said one of the
watchers, when for the last time the old
woman had been removed from the fur
mace to her bed. : We shall certainly see
her die =
cat this moment tumult of voices out
side drew the watchers attention. Cats
wawled, owls hooted, and there was strange
: screams intermingled with malicious
laughter-yet no living creature was visi-
BILE. They were about turning to their
patient, when, as they averred, some
thing, having the appearance of red hot
ball, shot past them and out at the window.
This window, though closed showed no
mark of the singular exit On reaching
the old DANES side, they perceived that her
spirit had departed. 4 ~
Now" continued grandmother, "I
always took this story with some allow
ance; but, that unaccountable things have
been done by people called witches, l
have, not the least doubt. !, ! am by no
means sure that Dame Ruggle's familiar
spirit did not stir up great commotion
| in the elements on the night OF her death.
"It happened that early in the evening,
| party of us had set out in two double
slcighs for ten-mile ride, with view to
a merry collation. at a country tavern
hotel, you call it now. Will Ashley was
with us, but blue eyed Margaret Rivers,
whom he had attended home on the night
that he saw the witch owl, was not of our
number Some trifing Misunderstanding
between the comedy farmer lad and the
maiden of his love, had grown to down
| right quarrel Margaret had 'wept the
weary day. not doubling that this silly
quarrel was the one great calamity of her
life, which should shadow all nights and
days to come. The jingle of our sleigh
bells was like the dirge.of all her joys, and
she sat down to find what consolation she
could in the Children of the Abbey
| One must indeed be far gone who comes to
| that sl 1n.y ssl u trea1
''Will Ashley, no less miserable, appeared
| as the escort of Anna Franklin, between
whom and Margaret there existed feud.
VIII had been at some pains to place him
self In position, the misery of which can
be appreciated by every spiteful lover,
who has not only flung away his peace but
| drawn to his side perpetual reminder of
! his folly Anna Franklin's ill-concealed
regard was, like the bitterness of worm
| wood to poor Will He tried to be gay,
while Anna did her best to to amuse and
| tascinate; but not all the attractions of her
wit and beauty ,ss.l f,s -H... N. ~.
- Were worth one pearl-drop, bright and sheen
From Margarets eyes that fell ~ 'a3 h.4- lso
Before our party broke up, furious
snow storm, set In This great storm, on
the night that Dame Ruggles died was
long. talked of in the neighborhood. As