The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-12-23

and false. and deserves not one sigh that you
have spent for him! He is to be married to-
morrow; he cannot break away from his
bride at Gov. Win;hrop's grand house to keep
tryst at Salem jailn
THAT was ali beard. The place whrled
round and round with me, and the roar OF
great waters was in my ears rs | fell on Tho
stone floor, ScnsclcSS while yet alive. Bu
that was the bitterness of death; what CareC
for the rest? Tomorrow came, and The
April sunshine ginted far over the earth
ana SHOWN on the bride in The streets of Bos
ton town, and on the wItch-girl climbing The
cursed hui to die heard the shouts anC
icerS and hoOtings of the rabble irving the
tender spring air, and | saw, as one in
dream the sea OF hateful face upturnCd to NE
and the black ga(lOws drawn against the
sweet, blue, sunny sky, and | ielt the hang
mans hands touch me and turn cold the
blood in my veins, and flung out my las
breath in a curse that should cling-that ha!
clung-to all women born of that woman
down through unnumbered generations
down to you, who trace your lineage through
Mabel Daniels and Roger Nane. In tha
curse my soul wavered and t!u,tereh out
sprang free, and left, swinging between the
black earth and the sky, on Wltch's hill, the
fair form that crept close into lovers arms
in the green wood long ago.
She stood over me-this ghost Of Esther
Chllirgworth-and tore the coil of dark hail
away from her neck; and in the faint, misty
moonlight, | saw a dreadful circling mark
around the fair, white throat My blood cur
died with the horror Of it; and | hid my eyes
covering away in the pillow rs she hung ov
er me with Il long, moaning sob, like the lasl
breath of the dying. think that terror
made me nsensble as lay there heard
no more, nor saw my strange visltant vanish
with the glimpse of the moon; but when
opened my eyes again, the room was light
with dawn, and | was quite alone, with moth
ing more ghastly than dull old family por-
trait to watch ne between the parted curtains
"A dream" | thought, shuddering, as | rub
bed my hands across my eyes.
Esther Chillingworth's ring was gone from
my finger II don't know the exact story OF
it." said Aunt Lucinda, at breakfast "The
legend goes that It belonged to sweetheart
OF our ancestor, Roger Vane who was hung
for witchcraft-the girl, mean, not Roger
Eane,-ln the Salem excitement of 1893. That
was wha. my grandmother used to tell me
She never wore the ring, for she said 1t was
unluCky. BY the way, you haven't got 1t on
have you? | don't see it on your finger
"Auntie," I said, solemnly, with my eyes as
round as the saucer before me, 'it was taken
away from me last night!
"Taken away Nonsense" said Amt Lu
cinda excitedly. What are you talking
about, Child?'
So told her. Tut, tut" said my aunt
derisivey; you've had the nightmare! The
ring has slipped off your finger IN bed, it was
Il size too loose for you. Susan will find II
when she is doing up your room, I'll en-.
gage
And so she did, but my faith was in no
wise shaken, nor could any sceptical argu
ments destroy my firm belief in the ghost OF
Esther Chllingworth. And to this day Aunt
Lucinda admits that sit was a odd coinci-
dence about the names, that's certain