Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-01-13

cent Oh, God what can do against
all this cruel persecution You are no
witch, Esther You are purer than any
soul of them ALL and / must stand by so
helpless and see you die for their wicked
sport !
- Martin, l whispered to him, cling
ing to the bars, if you cannot save me,
VIII you do for me what you can 2
90 Die for you, if L may, Esther, he
cried, with boys own eagerness. And
Preached up and put my hand through
5ae window bars, out to meet him.
Z 60 VIII you carry message for me to
one in Boston, Martin have none but
you that l may trust to bear it, and my
father knows not Martin, will you find
Roger Vane for me 2
81 listened and held my breath till
he answered Then I heard him say,
softly:
"' / will, Esther.
"'Carry this to him, / said; and, AZ l
felt his warm young hand, wet with rain,
touch mine, slipped the love gift into
his palm Take it to Roger Vane, and
tell him that Esther Chillingworth lies
in the jail in Salem village, charged with
witchcraft, and that she sends him back
his token-no more than that, Martin.
Go, for the pity of God Hurry, and
take no rest till you find him, or it will
/ be too late--too late for me I
60 felt the boys lips kiss my hand,
and his young, clear voice came up
again, with a tremble i'll it,
"' Aye, Esther, that l will. My faith
er's mare is in the stable, and, this very
hour, will start, aud take no rest till |
find Roger Vane, and put your ring in
his hand, God helping me-
"God bless you, Martini | whispered
to him, rs he went; and, having blessed
a human creature for the first time in this
bitter year, it seemed as if peace stole
! into my heart, and tender tears into my
eyes, and half the weight rolled away
/ from my wretched bosom as | knelt on
/ the cold, bare floor. | counted two days
| by, and went for the last time from the
Jail to the crowded courtroom. On the
! day when 1 looked for Martin back again,
: they told me that | was to die. And,
while the voices clamored all around me
! for my innocent blood, and from beyond
! the windows the shlill cries rung in, [
! cursed them as / stood there-all, gray
old judges and young children--and cast
/ my murder upon their heads torevermore
! lay by the grated window all the rest
OF the long, slow afternoon, all through
| the open twilight, and waited for Martin
! My blood was hot with fever and there
was madness in my brain. | almost be-
! leved, as / crouched there, that all these
| tales were true and that devils had crept
! ,1,tn +hn4 /. L
head, and whispered in my ear as T
clenched my hands over it. At last /
heard my name called in a voice that was
human, and yet was kinda pitiful voice
sounding under my grating: Esther
Esther I sprang up and answered him.
pressed my face to the bars, and, in the
| growing starlight [ saw him standing
there-Martin all alone [ could only
! speak his name, and all other sounds died
in my dry, parched throat.
( "' have done your errand, Esther
SO You have seen--you have seen
Roger Yane?
"' have seen him.
/ " And the ring 2 L gasped out.
" He seemed to hang his head lower
and lower, rs if he feared to meet my
eyes.
SO I put it into his hand, Esther, Us
you bade me-.
" And he said-what did he say Are
you dumb, Martin Brown?' l cried,
stamping my foot wildly. Why cannot
you answer ne?
" Because - because | shall break
your heart, the boy cried out, breaking
| Iptn OIL !, h,
you-he is cruel and false, aud deserves
not one sigh that you have spent for him!
He is to be married tomorrow; he cannot
break away from his bride at Gov. Win
throp's grand house to keep tryst at
Salem iailr
"That was all | heard. The place
whirled round and round with me, a9d
the roar of great waters was in my ears
as / fell on the stone floor, senseless
while yet alive. But that was the bit
terness of death what cared for the
rest? Tomorrow came, and the April
sunshine glinted fair over the earth, and
shone on the bri in the streets of Bos-
ton town, and o. ihe witch girl climbing
the cursed hill die l heard the
shouts and ieers and hootings of the
rabble irving the tender spring air, and
l saw, as one in dream, The sea of hate
full faces upturned to me, and the black
gallows drawn against the sweet, blue,
sunny sky, and l felt the hangman Is
hands touch me and turn cold the blood
in my veins, and 1 flung out my last
breath in a curse that should cling--that
has clung--to all women born of that
woman, down through unnumbered gen
erations-down to you, who trace your
lineage through Mabel Daniels and
Roger Vane In that curse my soul
wavered and futtered out--sprung free,
and left, swinging between the black
earth and the sky, on Witch's hill, the
fair form that crept close into lovers
arms i'll the green wood long ago :!
She stood over me--this ghost OF
Esther Chillingworth-and tore the coil
of dark hair away from her neck and,
in the faint, misty moonlight, l saw a
dreadful circling mark around the fair,
white throat. My blood curdled with the
horror of it /; and 1 hid my eyes, COVER.
ing away in the pillow as she hung oven
me with a long, moaning sob, like the
last breath of the dying. | think that
terror made me insensible as / lay there
heard no more, nor saw my strange
visitant vanish with the glimpse of the
moon but when | opened my eyes
again, the room was light with dawn,
and | was quite alone, with nothing