The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-12-21
CHAPTER III.

for protection against the witch or q
an act OF faith.
CHAPTER III.
IsILvEsTIR RESOLVES TO CONSULT TIL
WITCH.
When 5ilVestik reached the mill O
Nixon he found that his co0sinh
health had improved.
"I am better shall not die direct
lly," the sick man said "but tba
makes no difference to you, SilvestIk
L shall never walk again. my legs arl
useless and you are as much mastel
OF the mill as II I lay in the church
yard but while 1 live / must keel
the name and I must have 8 corner o
the old house TO live In"
Tears rolled down Sllvestik's face
His cousin had always been good Il
him, but till lately two well-growr
sons had barred any hope of success.
sion to the mill. Lately one of these
had been lost at sea and the other had
died of fever-R double grief which
had caused tue paralysis from which
the sick man could not rally.
His young Cousins sympathy cheer
ed the miller, And he agreed to spare
Silvestlk for few days, so that he
might arrange his affairs at Kerl0u
before he came to settle down for life
st Nixon.
That night, when tue youth had
slowed away his long legs into one OF
I the eupboard-llke bedsteads In the
chief room of the mill, he could not
sleep. He lay thinking OF all that
had tAkeA place that day-of ADnik,
Of the farmers repulse, OF the old
witch, Ursule.
The short-drswn wheeling breath
told that the sick man was at last
asleep, and for some time past the
grunts and snores of the two servants
the milIer's man and his maid-bRd
been sounding through the great dark
room. ALI at once 1t seemed to Sill
vestik that he heard the ciack OF the
mill and the plash, plash OF falling
water, and these sounds Joined in q
dull chant-'Go to Ursule nsule-
| Ursule," till the words came so close
they detached him-they hurt his
ears, aud utartlDe awake, he found
Jean Marie, his Cousins unan, beiI0W-
lug to him that it was time to rise.
The broad daylight and the interest
he felt in learning his new business
kept Silvestik from thinking of other
thi1gs, and he laughed and j1ked all
through the morning with the mil
ler's man. When he came In at last
from work Into the room where his
cousin lay, the sick man smiled at
him feebly.
"Fhe sight of you does me more
good than the DOCTOR" he said. "Who
knows, when you are here every day,
aud see your fresh face and hear you
langh, and feel, too, that good work
is doinZ-who knows but 1 may mend
and strengthen, too but that will
make no change to you, my lad ; the
miIl Is yours, and the papers Will be
ready for you to sign when you come
back"
He kept on putting of the youths
departure till tine light began to fade I;
then, as Silvestik bent over the teot-
bed on which he lay, he laughed.
stBrlng wife in thy pocket, young
one /; there is enough aud to spare for
YOU both, and she will make the
place as bright for you as you have
made it for me. Do what I say,
Silvestik."
mo such luck, eousin.D SiIvestIk
turned away hurriedly to hide his rel
face, and went out through the low
doorway.
1t was a wild piece Of up and down
road between Nixon and Kerion to
travel on = dark night moreover, it
is bordered on one side by . vast
stretch of waste land. On this, some
times standing up iD naked rugged
ness, sometimes fallen and over
grown with brown gorse and tufts cf
heather, are huge misshappen blocks
of granite.
A hoarse wind had risen after SUM-
set, and had Lroken up the dull lesd-
en- expanse, SO gloomy in the day
| light, into yet darker but less solid
masses, black fiimy clouds that drove
hurriedly across the sky, as if they ac-
tually feared the hoarse voice of the
ever-rising wind. 1t was not late,
but darkness had come with q sud-
denness unknown in England. All
at once the bowling Of the wind lull-
ed, and then q shrieking wall burst
over the waste.
SilyestIk stood still and crossed him.
self, and then looked fearfuIly about.
Just in front Of him an opening came
in the road, aud narrow way went
stReply down between two high
banks. All around him were
the pagan stones, some Of which, 30
/ tradition said, sheltered dwarfs and
korrigans, while some Of the taller
ones mad been known to walk and ia
crush unwsry travellers who met
them on their way.
''It was only the wind" he thought
as he stood at the opening Of thu
steep narrow path.
All at once he remembered that II
was down such q steep, uncanny bi
Of road as this, only nearer home
that Ursule lived and the words o
old rheumatic B2rba, and his dream
Of last night, came back-eame bscf
so viyidly, that it seemed as II I
voice from among those dark, weirC
stones were whispering in his ear
go to Ursdle.n Should be go
Could she teach him how to win An
\ mix ?
He went musing along the higl
roau difficult to keep now that waste
land spread along each side OF tn
way. Once he went plunging int,
the midst OF this, among the furzs
and stones aud then q cross, PLACED
st the angle ofS by-road, caught hi
eve, and recalled him from his wan
, derinR. He took of his hat reverent
ly, and the misty dreams that ha.
been confusing him dispersed for |
while.
"Ursule is WITCH" he said. mo
will not seek her, l will speak for my
| self" But as he drew nearer ant
nearer to Kerion, his courage failed
! Annik had never said or done any
I thing IN the way of personal epcour
, sgeDent. He could not approach he
in the regular fashion, though tn
| crooked tailor Of the village-Whos,
, business lay more in the making o
, marriages than In tho making o
! clothes-for this tailor wAs g know
! friend Of Guerik's, and would certain
[ | " speak to the uncle before speaking
, to the niece, and thus Silvestik's sui
would remain untold.
, HIfI had only a mother ~ the poo
fellow sighed. He had been an OF
. phan ever since he could remember
!. owing sli his teaching to FAthe
Here, and helped on first by on
cousin, then by another, but KNOWN
no home except the houses of ths far
mers with whom be had taken sci
! vice.
Here was Kerion atiast. He passe
the low cottage where Annik ha
; talked to the eat, and where old Bal
: ba had given her counsel, and speed
ing swiftly up the hill with long