The Republican journal., 1875-04-29

| - "
shucklng tomorrow night"
More white powders. Then came
Wash, great big Wash; and when hi
powder changed, what do you suppose he
did? Well, he just tainted outright
The remaining powders retaining theil
color, and Wash having been restored tc
consciousness, Dr. Rutherford directed
him to a clump of chinquapin bushes neal
the "big gate" at the entrance of the
plantation. There he would find a fiat
stone. Beneath this stone he would find
| thirteen grains of moulding corn and
some goats hair. These he was tc
bring back with him. Under the first rail
near the same gate Mercy would find a
dead frog with his eyes torn out and
across the road in the hollow of stump
Apollo was to look for muskrat's tail
and weasel's paw. They went off re-
luctantly, the entire corps de plantation
following, and soon they all came scamp
perlng back, trampling down the ox-eyed
daisies and jamming each other against
the cornet Of the rail fence, for, sure
enough, the witch's treasures had been
found, but not soul had dared to touch
them. DR.. Rutherford sternly ordered
them back, but all hands hung fire, and
their countenances evinced resistance of
such stubborn character that Edward at
length volunteered to go with them.
Then It was all right, and presently re-
turned the most laughable procession that
was evel seen Wash with his arm at
right angles, bearing his grains of mould
ing grain on burdock leaf which he held
at as great a distance as the size Of the
Leaf and the length of his arms would adj
NIT, his neck craned out and his eyes 50
glued to the uncanny corn that he STUN
bled over every stick and stone that lay
in his path Mercy next. with ludicrous
solemnity, bearing her unsightly burden
on the end ofa cornstalk Apollo last, his
Weasefs paws and muskrats tail deposited
in the toe of an old brogan which he had
found by the roadside brown and wrinkled
and stiff, with hole in the side and the
ears curled back, and which he had hung
by the heel TO u long crooked stick. On
they came, the crowd around them fol-
lowing at irregular distances, surgmg
back and forth, advancing or retreating
rs they were urged by curiosity or re-
PEELED by fear.
1t was now getting dark, SO Dr. Ruth
erford, having had the table removed,
brought forth three large plates filled
with different colored powders. On one
he placed Mercy frog, on another Wash's
corn, and on the third the muskrats tail
and weasels paw taken from Apollo's
shoe Then we all waited in silence
while with his hands behind him he
strobe solemnly back and forth in front
Of the three plates At length the bees
had ceased to hum; the cattle had come
home of themselves, and could be heard
lowing in the distance; the many shadows
had deepened into one twilight had fad
ed and darkness come, Then he stood
still: Il am the great Dr.. Rutherford, the
witch-doctor of Boston. | will now set
fire to these witch's eggs, and if they
burn the flames will scorch her. She will
scream and fly away, and it will be a hun
dred years before another witch appears
in this part Of the country
He applied u match to ApollJs plate
and Immediately the whole place was il
Illuminated by Il pale blue glare which fell
with ghastly effect on the awe stricken
countenances around. while in the dis
tance, apparently near the ''big gate, -
arose a succession of the most trightful
shrieks ever heard or imagined. Then
the torch was applied to Mercys frog and
forthwith every nook and corner, every
blade Of grass was bathed in flood Of
blood-red light while the cries grew, if
possible, louder and tiercer. Then came
Wash's corn, which burned with a poison
Gus green glare, and flashed its sickly
light over the house and yard and the
crowd of black faces and hardly had this
died away when from the direction of the
big gate there slowly ascended what ap-
peared to be Il blood red ball.
''Therc she goes " said the great Dr.
Rutherford and we all stood gazing up
into the heavens, till at length the thing
burst into flames, the sparks died away
and no more was to be seen.
Nov, that is the last of her impress
lively announced the witch doctor o. Bos-
ton ''and neither she nor her sisters will
dare come to this country again tor the
the next hundred years. You can all
make your minds easy about witches.n
Then came triumph instead of dread,
and scorn took the place of fear. There
arose q succession of shouts and cheers,
laughter and ieers. They patted their
knees and shuf1led their feet and wagged
their heads in derison.
"Hyar. hyar! old gal. Done burnt up,
is you3 Take keer whar you lay yo' aigs
arler dis p advised William Writ in loud
voice. go long pizen sass !" said Mar
tha You done lay 20 las aig, you is y
''Hooray tagrag!" shouted Chesterfield
nfIiste yo' heels, ole Mrs Satan, cried one
"You amt no better'n q free Niger ="
said another ''Yo' wheel done skotch
for good ole skeer-face! hyar hyar You
better not come foolin' long o Mas Ned's
no mo-
The next night was 4 gala one, and a
merrier set OF negroes never sang at
corn-shucking, nor did iollier leader than
Wash ever tread the pile, while Mercy
sat on a throne Of shucks receiving Sam
bo's homage, and, unmolested by fear,
coyly held 4 corncob between her teeth as
she hung her head and bashfully consent
ed that he should come next day to ''ax
Mas Ned de liberty OF de plantashun.
But, Edward said |, ''why did those
three powders turn black ?"
because they were calomel, my dear,
and it was lime-water that was poured on
them," said Mr. Smith.
"Well. but why did not the others turn
black too ?'
because the others We're tartarlzed an
timonyn
Where did you get what was in the
plates, that made the lights, you know :"
''Rutherford had the material He is
going to settle in q small country town,
50 he provided himself with all sorts of
drugs and chemicals before he left Phila
delphia''
''But, Edward" persisted putting my
hand over his book to make him stop read
ing, chow came those things where they
were found and the balloon to ascend
just at the proper moment? and who or
what was it screaming so? Neither you
nor Dr. Rutherford had left the yard except
to 60 into the house."
mo, my dear; but you remember Dick
Kirby came over Just after dinner, and he
would not ask any better fun than to fix
all that"
''Humph!" said |, ''men are not so stu
pid, after all"
Edward looked more amused than flat
tered, which shows how conceited men
are. lin Lippincott's Magazine.