Litchfield enquirer., 1877-02-15
MISTRESS WILSON.
A TALE OF SALEM w1rcHcRAFT.

''The child is bewitched, good man Thyself hast heard how it shrieked and screamed when the elders were here to pray. And Dame Walford says that as Palson Williams laid his hands upon it, it made fearful grimace at hlm, and turned black in the face"
 'I saw it not, said the good man, la- conically.
 And moreover, Dame Walford says, mayhap it's not our child at all, but some devils brat that the witch spirited here, and took our babe for her own. And it's true, Enoch, her child has curling hair and fresh color like thine. whilst this one is sure neither like me or thee" The young mother as she spoke looked at the little one on her lap with painful ex- pression of aversion and distrust. -.
 May, Miriam, that I can't say. It has thy blue eyes and yellow hair. If only 1t were healthy and strong, thou 'dst see it was very like thee" The father stopped and touched tenderly the little wasted hand and looked into the baby's face, piached and worn with sickness. sThe Lord hath sent us weakly child, and we should rather care for it as best we can, and pray to him to do the rest, than ac- cuse innocent folk of bewitching it. I tell thee, Miriam" he continued, straight ening up his tall form again, Eff Mistress Wilson IS hanged, l shall ne'er know another happy hour: nor thou either, when thou hast thy senses again, for, yer lily, If one Is bewitched, it is thou, poor wife, and not the child" 2
 ''Ay, say thy wife is a witch at once, and have done !' was the bitter and pas. sionate answer. ':It were better to thy taste, mayhap, that I sat to day in Salem ! jail and Mistress Wilson here She is a beautiful woman, and since her husband l ne'er came back from sea, thou canst not ] pity her enough" s135a 42' 'y Z f-.s-. zTa Shame on tnee!'' was the good mans sole reply, and he turned away and stood at the little window looking out into the twilight. The ticking of the clock was the only sound in the room till the mother laid the child in the cradle and pushed it from her as far as her arm would reach. At the movement Enoch turned again and came back to her. sss
 Miriam" he said, gently, Miriam
 ''Thou knowest better than all the learned gentlemen about the witches" she answered slowly, with hard express sion around her mouth.-"better than Parson Williams and they in Salem, and than Mr. Cotton. Mather himself, who D OAC SIIluICu O1 bu0 O0Vll must De cast out, root and branch. And thinkest were as thou wouldst have it and the witches all innocent folk Nay, but they confess their misdeeds themselves. Goody Blake, that was hanged o'Tuesday, ragged and foamed at the mouth when they asked her in court had she or no tormented the Pryor children and given Mistress Dwight holrld rheumatic pains. She cursed them then before tho judge and all the people, and said If she could she would come back from hell to plague them"
 "God be merciful to us Goody Blake had fiery tongue, and was ever a poor. half-dazed old wretch. The gentlemen-of the, the court know what thaxs dq J. tEpst Il cs.n I .9:~:---, dispute not with tic f learned men who affirm that Satan is going up and down among us. It may be so. Only this say, that Mistress Wilson cursed no one She only answered, Nay, on my soul, as gently as have heard her speak-how oft lin this very room, when the judge charged her with throwing the parsons son into fits and bewitching our babe here. Nay, on my soul,' she said, and stood straight and looked him in the face. God knows have wished the poor babe nought but good, from the time it came into the world And I bethought me, Miriam, how kindly and helpful she was when the child was born; how she watched with thee at night and rocked the babe in her arms.
 "Ay. and she we'll knew why," said the mother, the lowering cloud of hatred darkening in her face. My babe has never known healthful hour, and hers is like rose. She has drawn the life out of our child into her boy, if, indeed, it be our child at all !"
 "How can'st thou be so cruel?" burst forth the indignant answer. "The par sons son is well agaIn, and this poor child has naught the matter with it but that it was born of & weakly nature, like many another one before. Even now, Miriam, thou hast only to declare that that thou believest it not and Mistress Wilson might go free. Think, wife. she is young like thee and has a child as thou hast, and she must die and leave the little creature alone in this hard world. all be- cause thou hast listened to old wives tales? Nay, God forbid Thou hast ne'er thought of 1t myself, know; but thou hast done great wrong in letting others wicked suggestions get possession of thy heart, and there is but barely time to make it good agaln.'' .4 f...ssssf.er
 The young face looking into the glow ing fire lost not one whit of the fixed ex- pression that disfgured it. There came no reply. ss es-
 Miriam" said the youthful good man, with passionate pleading in his tone; ''say the word. and will get her release this night before 1t IS too late"
 Again no answer was vonchsafed. Right eous anger flashed in Enoch's eyes, and his voice trembled with deep emotion, as he added:
 Hear this then. If Mistress Wilson is hanged tomorrow morn, he- blood shall be between me and thee so long as we both shall live"
 As he stood in the frelight, with uplift- ed hand and trembling lips, like an aveng- ing angel, Miriam gazed at him wItl a sort of awe. But after he had waited in vain for her to speak. when he left her and she heard the house door close be- l hlnd him. bitter smile crept over her lips, and she let her head sink on her 1 hand.
 Her meditations were disturbed direct ly. The door of the 'keeping-room," as I the family sitting-roo of those days Was called, opened to admit an elderly woman | ln the prim costume of that olden time. ''How goes it with the child, Miriam Has it had it's fl again ?' she asked with eager curiosity. q
 s'Nay, dame. but it has cried slnce morning till now, and it has the witch's mark on it's forehead as have almost ne'er seen i. before" ea4 #r ssiGH ,st
 The two women bent together over the cradle, and contemplated it's little occu- pant, who had fallen into troubled slum- Der. Between the baby's brows, that scowled as if the child were still in pain, lay indeed a deep red flush; the feverish token, perhaps, of its incessant crying. While they looked the little parched lips moved and twitched. A happier mother might have said the babe was smiling; but when Dame Walford whispered mys- terlously. ''The witch is talking to it, '' Miriam nodded her head and sank back in her chair t5~@
 "Think ye, dame" she asked. looking fixedly at the flames, while the visitor took