Daily Kennebec journal., 1882-02-15
Gales ar.o Skettbts.
WITCH HAZEL.
(Conrinueo from Yesterday. ,

(Conunueu from Yesterday
You can imagine that after hearing all
these stories must have thought that
had come to live in rather pokerish place.
I confess nv heart did fail me. and don t
know but would have given up the school
and have gone if il hadn't been for Will
Darby He and had been engaged for a
( long time. and viii was working on the
/ river floating logs down in the rafting
season Whenever he went by he put up
AT Durkee's tavern, and would come up
and see me 1t was my only really happy
time ttre u hout the whole summer, though
/ / wasn't 50 desolate a. | might have been.
either, for your grandmOthers brother
/ Gershom used to drive over with a fine span
I Of horses a. often as twice a week from
I Mortified Farms and take me out to what
ever was gong on in the whole country
round Gershom was rich man and good
looking. and he prided himself, so I've
heard, on driving the handsoinest span and
having the prettiest glrl to sit beside him
in all the country round. VIII Darby was
as poor as most Young lumbermen. and
| rather of a Jealous disposition, but my heart
was lust set on him. could tell his figure
As far as could see it on the river. stand
ing on the slippery logs as careless and
graceful. with a hng pole to keep his
balance. his curly hair flowing in the wini.
and crimson silk handkerchief knotted
at his throat under the wide collar OF his
gray flannel shirt.
/ Lone day | was up on the mountaln-side
looking for fringod gentians. 1t was late
I in the fall. and | remember thinking |
! wouldn't 90 out for flowers again that sea-
son, when Just before me young girl
started up Ny only thought at first was
that she was unusually handsome, for
though meanly dressed in an indlgo-blue
! cotton gown, she was as handsome az a
picture Her black hair. coarse and straight
as gypsy's. was knotted in a careless
heavy mass at the back of her neck. and
grew low over her forehead, shading eyes
which were as black as pokeberries. She
| held knife in one hand and 4 basket in
I the other, and | saw that she had been
| searching for nervine and sassafras. We
| Joined each other, and rambled about for
an hour longer. talking about heros and
| flowers. and remember that | took quite
a fancy to her. At last she said, Your
/ folks will be anxious about You as soon as
they learn that am out here oh no.
says | i often take long walks by my
self. and Rex here takes good care OF me-
Rex would never hurt me, said the girl,
trying To pat the dog. which skunk close
to my side, and perhaps you would be
afraid yourself if you knew who | am
Who are you?' asked. Some people
call me Witch Hazel she replied.
We'll, will not say that | was not Il
little taken aback; still. she wasn't so
frightful-loo as The old one, and | an
swered up as peart rs | could. .Iou are
Dvcie Hazel, who lives at Durkee's tav
ern.
Yes she said you'd be glad to live
there Yourself, or in a worse place even
if YOU had a home like mine. Mother has
driven us all away. There We're my two
brothers they couldn't stand things, and
they went east to work at IA machine-shop.
One day mother had a fit. and when she
came out of it she said they were both
dead, but that they would never be buried
Two days after. we heard that the boiler
had exploded. and there wasn't enough
found of them to make u funeral After
that mother took on worse than ever, Tor
the boys were all she cared for in this
world. ran away and joined show.
performed long time dressed as boy
but father dropped everything and hunted
the country over till ne found me. and
brought me back. When we got home.
mother banged the door in our faces. and
told Us we shouldn't neither of us enter
it again Then he took me to Mrs Dur
kee. and bound myself ont to her. He's
ut the poor house now. but when I'm of
age | am going to work for wages. and
get him out. Mother lives all alone at the
old house with the devil
"Some way the girls story touched me.
and put my arm around her. Il am
your friend, Dycie Hazel says I. Il am
almost as triendless away out here as YOU :
let us beirlend one another
when winter set in. the measles broke
out in my school. had never had them.
and they 70 hard with grown people
Down came. and. .as bad luck would have
it. your grandmother had never had never
had them. eitheryand down she came and
not a soul to nurse us. for Your grandfather
and the boys were up north chopping
We lay there two DAYS. each of us too sick
to lift the hand for the other. On the third
day in came Dycie Hazel. L knew YOU
were sick. says she: something told me
SO. and I've come TO nurse you. Mrs.
Durkee doesn't need me more than hall
the time. and can spend the nights here
And so she did, footing it ba,k and for
ward through the snow until we were
both well. didn't get real hearty all
that winter; but when spring came, and
the ice broke up. and VIII Darby came
down with hisshrst float of logs. was all
right again 1t was Dyce's nursing that
pulled me through. but i was the sight
of Wills face that put the finishing touch
to the business. But viii was not quite
himself that sp,i1g. When he came to
the house | was not at home, for Gershom
had come to take me out to ride and Your
grandmother had persuaded me that it
would do me good to 90. When | came
back. there he was sitting on the door
step playing with Rex. He didn't say
anything. but he looked queer. Your
grandmother told me afterward that he
asked her if that sort of thing had been
going on all winter. and she told him it
had. for she was anxious that we should
quarrel. and that | should marry her
; brother. didn't think anything of his
queerness until afterward. was so glal
II see him again. | remembered his hair