The Portland daily press., 1867-07-20
Miscellany.
THE OLD MILL.

AvILLAGE ROMANCE OF THE oLDEN TIME.
There never were such cosy nooks for the
wild flowers, such silvery streams tor the
sporting trout, such pretty children, and such
nice old ladies with white caps and silver
spectacles, as in the charming village Of Elfs-
dale. One of the most romantic things in the
place is an old mill. Its ponderous wheel.
over which the sparkling water used to play
so prettily. is silent now, and the bright
stream that once sang so merrily as it whirl-
ed along, flows placidly onward. The old
mill itself has long been deserted, and its
stone steps covered with moss, but there is a
story attached to the old building which lends
it an additional interest in the ewes of all
story-loving people. fft iJJJ3f
Many years ago an old miller lived at the
mill. He was silent man, and as he seldom
had pleasant word for any one, and was
besides bent and wrinkled, he was not gener-
ally sought after by old or young. But the
old miller possessed one thing which found
him favor in the eyes Of many of the youth of
the village, and that was beautiiulIaugh
Surely most beautiful daughter, as all the
young men knew very well She had ewes as
black as sloes, and such fair, white arms that
half score OF idle fellows used TO hang about
the mill on washing day, to catch but one
glimpse oftheir polished whiteness.
There could scarcely have been two beings
hoiS blloil tLiS ldlllet anu daughter.
lfthe old man was silent, the young girl sang
blithely to the hum of her spinning wheel.
III the father spoke to no one, the daughter
chartered gaily with the bluff farmers that
came to get their corn ground, or smiled en-
coufaSinSly ON some amOrOus swain that dali
lied by the kitchen door, bashfuy chewing a
bit OF wild grapevine. 1t was no wonder then
that all the young men in the village were in
love with the maid of the mill
But no one in this world can please everv-
body: Ii the young men followed the form of
the far maiden with loving eyes as she trip
ped through the village, the old women peer
ed maiciously at her through their half-closed
shutters, and called her forward wench and
an ill-natured rattle-box. IF the Young fel-
lows praised her dark eyes the old women
talked OF her "ugly nose," or ridiculel her
'bcisterous mirth."
SO many months passed by, and strange re-
ports began to be afoat concerning the maid
OF the mill. 1t was declared by some of the
village gosslps, that when passing the mill on
dark evenings, they had heard the miller's
daughter singing weird and fearful dtties to
herself in the darkness and that sparks were
seen to fly from her fingers as she sat on the
OLD stone steps. 1t is true that one old DAME
VINO was more adventurous than the rest. and
nad approached the maiden more closely, af-
hTmed that she was only humminq "Giles
Scr iggins," and stroking her black cats soft
1ur the wrong way, but no one believed her of
course.
ABOUT thls time young stranger came IN
to the village. He was a school teacher. he
said, and soon the little red school-house. he
meath four tall maple trees, which had been SO
long closed, was swarming with laughing
children, for every one was pleased with the
strangers appearance. He was tall and hand
some, with dark blue eyes and light curling
hair, and had smile and merry word ready
iof every one. 1t is true he paid but little at-
tentlon to the children in the school horse.
and very often left them to cut and carve The
Old desks and benches, while he picked How-
ers to pieces. as the boy said, or pored over
heavily bound books. AT recess, too. while
the boys were robbing some farmers orchard.
thelr teacher would be gathering flowers and
moses near the old r.ilI and talking to tbe
miller's daughter, as she sat sewing on the
Steps, win he.I favorite cat, black as her own
raVen mar purring by her side. 1t was soon
rem leliaT Led by all that the niller's daughter
vs. not so much alone as formerly, and that
wherever she went the handsome stranger ac-
companied her. But this seemed to increase
the jealousy, not only of the young men, but
also that of the old women, and many and
strange reports went forth concerning the
young maid. Some said she might be seen
dancing alone in the moonlight, with her
black cat, his eyes flasing fire, sitting on her
shoulder, and that horrible shrieks and means
might be heard in the old mill every night as
the cl Jck struck twelve.
These reports gaining ground, the old wom-
an who semed to have first instigated them
held meeting i'll great horror and indigna-
tion, and declared, after talking everything
over, that the maid of the Mill must be a
witch, and immediately began their prepara-
tions to have her seized and tried as such. The
village was in suppressed excitement, and a
certain evening was secretly appointed on
which to bring the supposed witch to trial.
In the meantime, no one was more Jealous In
his efforts to bring the witch TO punishment
than the fair-haired stranger, who seemed to
have lost all affection for his former sweet
heart. t g.
AT sunset OF the appointed day the maiden
was seen walking calmly in her garden, the
cat at her side, and evidently ignorant of the
tate IN store. A few hours later crowd had
assembled at the old mill, and no one appear
ed more deslrous of making himself useful
than the young stranger. As the crowd
pressed silently around the door, the school
master seized ladder, and telling the others
to try the door, declared he would mount to
the upper windows himself, if they could not
effect an entrance in the usual way, and hur-
ried to the other side of the house.
The frantic crowd assaulted the door, bnt
there was no resistance from within. The
shattered frame soon fell backwards, and the
mob rushed in. In vain they searched room
after room. The bird had flown, no maiden
was to been, only the miller inquired grufiy
what they wanted When asked where his
daughter was, he refused to speak, but when
told that she could nowhere be found, though
he was still silent, it was noticed thathe rem
bled from head TO foot 1t was singular cir
cumstance OF the affair, that no more was
seen from that time forth of the young school
master, and it was therefore inferred that he
had been spirited away by the bewitching
witch Of the mill, when in the act of CLIMBING
to her window with which he was last seen.
Indeed, it was reported by an old peddler, who
was walking in the village ON The eventful
night, that two figures robed in white, and
riding on broomsticks, 1ew slightly past him
near the entrance of the village, and it was
supposed by most of the villagers that iu this
way the miller's daughter escaped from The
punishment she deserved.
IL mas oeen asserted by some of the incred-
ulous, tnat the fair-haired stranger was in
love WIN the maid OF the mill, and failing to
gam the consent of her parent to their union.
had gladly taken this opportunity of elopine
with the black-eyed maiden; and it has more.
over been said by an old man of Elfsdale, who
generally spent his time in wandering from
one place to another in search of adventure.
that he had stopped in the course of his tray
els at comfortable house, where he had dis
covered the maid oithe mill herself, surround
G by four or five tow-headed little ones. who
we've the images of the fair haired schoolmas-
ter. But no one paid much attention to the
stories of wandering Dick. and every one
seemed inclined TO believe the old peddler.
Soon after his daughters disappearance the
old miller died, and as his child was still sun
posed to hold revcls in the deserted rooms,
with all the witches of her acquaintance, and
to dance down the rickety stairs on broom
stick, through the long dark nights, no one
cared to purchase the old place, and it soon
came TO be stunned and neglected by every
Inc OLD mill stands. and only the tall Grass