Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-06-12

dat grows in my yard haba pertiklar
46ns.quahty- aAsor.r.Dar y good half
peck dar." So saying, she handed me
? basksl Of peaches. chiefly green ones,
poor blind soul! Ut
After she had called quite constantly
: fur little change, or little suthin'
to eat, or any oie.piece de madam, or de
missy might happen to hab to spare"
The last time she came, remember,
she was even more respectable than
usual, the browning elegance of her
toilette being pair of gray cotton
gloves that had been washed in streaks.
Her visits suddenly came to an end; our
servants told us they had heard she was
very i'll. decided that must 90 and
look her up; 30 one afternoon started
on my quest, inQuiring my way as l
went, and being thus led on and ON a
mile or so out on the country road.
stopped at length at one of two ad-
joining shanties. A coalblack girl of
fifteen was steadied against the door
post. square in front of whom leaned a
second girl of half her size; in front of
number two, and half her size again,
was child-sex ndetirmined-in pre-
cisely the same position. All three were
ga1il1g steadily out into space. There
was in the attitudes of these children q
rigid immobility that was absolutely
statuesque. And when half an hour later
I came out from paying my visit to Gym
thia, there they were still, that oddly
composed group. ! should say they had
not twitched n muscle. Children,
have you been standing there ever since
l went in?'' And they replied in chorus 9,
alphabetically. 1--WE has, Missy" 1t was
from them I learned that Cynthia Lane
lived next door.
Cynthia's son. 'tMarcellus Hall (why
Hall l never gleaned-surnames are Gu
riously bestowed among the race; Gym
thia had been the wife of but one hus-
band, opened the door for me, present
ing a military appearance in an ancient
blue soldiers overcoat. found Gym
thia herself in bed when l had CROPPED
my way up to the low room under the
roof where she lay, invested with GER
tain dignified composure, the white
"polonaise having returned to its orig
inal duty. There was blank look in
her almost sightless eyes-the one had
failed in sympathy with the other; but
she recognized me as soon as spoke.
cts missy. De Lor' reward her for
comm. Aunty won't las much longer.
onless my chile kin help me-"
Il hope l can, Aunt Cynthia"
"It's de spell, chile. 1t keeps a-goin'
roun' an roun' in my head, a-dustin'
an a-dustin', till de dus' come out OBJ
my ears an Sits troo cherry ting. Look
at desc sheets, chile, and dis kerchies
has roun' my head. All ober dus'."
looked closely, deceived for the mo-
ment. "Aunt Cynthia, 1 see no dust"
She became excessively excited. Her
voice shook, her hand trembled. ooh
YES, my baby, dere is dus'; an, if you
can't help me, honey, I'll 60 on a-dus-
tim an a-dustin' ontil l all turn, to
dus'." FtEa 20,
"What is it you want me to do, Aunt
Cynthia?"
"Iwants you to 'spatch to de women
as laid me under de spell. 1t war dis
away. She bore me q gredge. She
said I had TUX her washin' away from
her, which my ole mistis had glib it to
me, bekase, she said, she liked my cla-
starchin' better'n her'n. So what does
she do but she knits stockin', nm she
knits charm into it, an den she puts it
into my way when l is at de wash-tub.
an l washes oh it long OBJ my odder
pieces, an de smell Ob it goes up my
nose, an rubs it like into my skin, an
so de spell got onto me-"
"But, Aunt Cynthia, indeed"
"My blessed chile! my chile. don't
say sech tings! Aunty know what she
a-talkin' about. an missy must not say
any odder way. 1t goes roun' an roun'
in my pore ole head, a-dustin' an a-dus-
tim night an day. Jes' you 60 to dat ar
trunk in dc corner; its full OBJ dus' De
dus' sift troo cherry ting-sift troo all de
close in de trunk. So thick ar, chile,
you could write your name all ober
cherry ting"
The trunk was in apple-pie order
not specE of dust. The few garments
that it contained were Immediately
white. But l was beginning to under
stand that arguments was worse than
useless. "You were saying, Aunt Gym
thia, that you wanted me to send q dis
patch; tell me about it."
I, 81 want to 'spatch to Mary Ann Hol-
liday. She live in Washington now;
Jes' you go to de Office an 'spatch. An
jes' you wait dere until de answer come.
'Spatch to her what misery l is in. She
is de one dat laid me under de spell.
See what she say"
But Washington is a great city, Gym
thia. The message would never reach
her unless you could give me the street
and number"
A long pause, restless and agitated.
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