Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-03-10

ing with laugh that she was going to the
milliner's to buy some artiticials. She
came back with the hat wreathed with
dog wood berries. 1t was very pretty, but
1 screamed right out, Why, Dycie, child
you will be poisoned!' Nothing can poi
son me- she replied; and l could not help
noticing how sweet and ladv-like she
looked, so different from her old SELF
What has come over you, Dycie?' I.asked,
You look Just like other people.
don't I?' she asked. I hope you will
think So And then it came out that
love had made the change. She had a
lover on the river just as had, only hers
was of higher birth than she. and all her
new resolve to study and make something
of herself was born of her desire to please
him. There was something touching in
1t that drew me closer to her, it was about
this time that in her reading lesson in the
Bible she came to the text, Unto Him
that loved US and washed u.s. She STOP
ped right there, and looked at me with all
her soul in her eyes. Then He loved US
before we were clean, she said. I didn't
think that any one could do that but my
boy; but if Christ is like him, then shall
love Him, too. And because you love
your lover said, you are trying to make
yourself lovely She did not let me
finish: I will clean myself up for Christ,
too,' she said.
l had great influence over that girl,
greater than [ ever had over any other hui
man being. I gained it because she thought
believed in her, and lost it because she
found out that doubted her. God for
give me. I believe she was almost Chris
tian them" Aunt Wealthy paused in her
narrative, and we saw that her keen eyes
were dimmed with tears.
II never meant to wrong her, she pro-
ceeded, land / do not think she would
have injured me then for the world; but
we each wronged the other bitterly, and 1
was the greater sinner. When autumn
came. Will Darby stopped to see me, on
his way up the river to the woods, where
be had to spend the winter chopping. He
was strangely changed, and could not
understand it, and told him so. I'VE
might as well understand each other,
Wealthy he said, though didn' think
would be the first to break. I expected
that when 1 came back this fall I would
find you married to that other fellow
Gershom What's-his-name, and then there
would have been no need of any explana-
tion.' With that declared up and down
that I had never cared mite for Gersh-
ON, and had sent him about his business
long ago, for 10 we'd him better than all
the world besides. L nsed to feel just
that way about you, Wealthy said he
Used to!' said I. for my temper was up
$ Y GU are bewitched, WILL I said a minute
later, for he looked so helpless and misera-
BILE that in my own terment I could not
help plying him. Yes, I'm bewitched,
he replied. and yonder is the witch; but
she never could have done it if had been
sure that you loved me, Wealthy gave
one look out of the window, and there,
strolling along the road, with her hat trim
med with the poisonous berries swinging
on her arm, and my Willis crimson hand
kerchief knotted at her throat, was Dycie
Hazel. She smiled and waved her hat as
she saw us standing at the window, and I
don It remember clearly anything after that
till found your grandmother rubbing me
and pouring hartshorn and vinegar up my
nose to bring me to. She didn't ask me
what had appropriateness was no need
and she was glad enough for Gershom's
sake. I sat and studied over the matter
after came to myself. She is a witch, I
is a witch, or she could new
a charm that your grandmother told me
Mrs Durkee had tried tor her afflicted ba-
by, and 1 determined to make a cake of
Wills hair and burn it, and see what
would happen then to him and Dycie. I
slipped into the pantry and got some flour,
and then went over to the school house, so
that your grandmother wouldn't suspect
what was doing, and made fire in the
L
when picked up the chips I noticed that
the sky looked threatening. There was
great black cloud that looked like hurri-
cane bundllng up in the northwest. 1t
was lined with sulphur-color, and remind
ed me, IN It's shape, of old Witch Hazel
grown to giantess. I locked the school
house door, and took Willis hair from the
desk, and kneaded it into my cake. Then
made my fire, and when there was good
bed of Goals I sat the cake right in the
middle of it. 1t had grown quite dark by
this time, and just as | sat down the cake
there came an awful flash of lightning
that lit up the whole country round, and
1t the same instant such a tremendous
roar of thunder that it seemed as if the
world had exploded. The light did not die
put at once, but fingered in the school
room quite while, and a ball of fire SEEM
ed to be dancing over the desks. With
The darkness that followed the rain came
down in one solid sheet. could hear the
river roaring behind and the trees crush
ing on it's banks.
IA moment later, and above the sound
Of the storm heard some one beating at
The school-house door, and calling wildly
10 me to let her in. 1t was Dyce Hazel
[ stepped to the door and was going to
undo it, when remembered that this was
,he confirmation of the charm, and that
must not let her in until the cake was
burned. 1t was proof that she had be-
uitched Will that she was there now,
like wild creature at the door.
[ walked to the fireplace; the cake was
burning and the nauseous fumes of the
singing hair nearly choked me, but knelt
Town on the floor and waited. Dycie had
eft the door and could hear her at the
she could see me sitting in the
ir e-light, and she pushed against the sash
Until she burst it in, and it fell shlvering
IN the floor. Then she leaped in after it,
md springing to the fire, raked the burn