Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-03-10
Eyes, but grandmother died ten years

%, oue kIduumOG0or QloQ Ten years
ago." ,
The Hazels were queer lot; but then
don't know as any of them were really
witches. The people round used to think
80. and were MORALLY afraid of them. es-
pecially of the old mother. The old man
declared she was witch, said she sold
he.self to the devil behind the barn, and
he knew when she did it. She was fright
full looking old creature, and dressed in
rags from head to foot. carpet rags tied
around her feet and arms, and a piece of
old guilt about her body, Your grand
mother had sn enormous dog-old Rex
they called him; he was half bull dog and
half mastiff. There were lots of rough
characters rafting logs down the Connec-
ticut in those days, and putting up at the
Durkee's tavern; but we were never afraid
of any of them, for old Rex would have
torn them limb from limb if they had Of
fered to touch us. He used to go with me
to school, and lie on the door step. There
were only half dozen or so of white
haired children that came; they might
tramp on Rex or sit on him and he never
offered to hurt them. But let one of those
river men stroll along the road, and his
blood was up. They generally finished
their " ak and concluded to turn back be-
fore they reached the school house. had
come from civilized parts, and used to be
lonesome. I should have been frightened
to death many a time if it had not been
for Rex; he seemed to constitute himself
my regular protector, and he never failed
me but once. One afternoon at recess I
heard the children screeching, and saw
them all coming in stepped to the door
and there stood old Mrs. Hazel, and hor-
rid sight she was, with her gray hair
streaming over her tatters, and her crazy
grin. called Rex! Rex!' and the dog
came bounding over the opposite fence;
but as soon as he saw Witch Hazel he
howled and skunk away into the bushes.
She laughed at me as wicked as could be,
and ran back into the school house and
bolted the door, for was scared to death.
''That night your grandmother told me
stories till near midnight about her. She
said there was one woman in the neigh
borhood that declared Witch Hazel used
TO change her into horse and ride her
about at night. Your grandmother said
she told the woman she didn't believe it.
She does, she said, she rides me on the
river road. 1 pass your house at midnight
and the next time 60 by I'll whinny.
Well. your grandmother declared that
that very night as the clock struck IL she
heard Rex bowling like one possessed. and
then pretty soon there came the sound,
clappery clap, of hoofs cantering on the
turnpike, and in minute after there was
strange, human-like whinny at the gate
that made her very blood run cold.
"Your grandmother sat up till after
midnight, telling many stories Of this sort,
and they made great impression on my
mind. At incoming next day. too, the
school-children were full of them. One
of the Durkee boys said that his mother
had taken quite fancy to Dycie Hazel,
and had had her bound out to her. But,
says he, she'll be as big witch as the old
one. I've seen her in the orchard roll over
and over, making herself as round as a
cart-wheel, with her fingers just touching
her toes. There is nothing can make her
mad but to call her Witch Hazel 1t you
do that, she will froth at the mouth and
she will chase you like a dog till you cross
running water Then one of the Taft
children spoke up: My father was going
a-hunting, and he met old Witch Hazel in
his path. You won't shoot nothing
says she. But he went. all the same. By
and-by he saw fat doe couple of yards
off, and he fred at her. She ran little
way, and then sat down and looked at him.
He fred again; and took very careful aim;
but she never stirred. Then it came over
him that this wasn't any kind of game,
and he remembered that he'd heard tell if
you fire walnut plug at witch, it is the
only thing that will hurt them. So he cut
a sprout, and whitfield one end sharp, and
put it in his gun, and fred. and the crea-
ture gave cry and leaped into the bushes
and he couldn't find hide nor hair of her.
But when he got home the first news he
heard was that old Mrs. Hazel had fallen
down stairs and broken her arm After
he had finished his yarn, Molly Caswell
had one to tell. Mrs. Hazel had been to
their house, and wanted to borrow her IA
theirs horse to ride to Northfeld, but her
father wo uldn't lend it. That very after
noon bumble-bee stung the horse in the
pasture, making him throw himself and
break his leg, and her father had to kill
him to put him out of misery. When he
came home, there was Witch Hazel stand
ing by his gate. She gave him wicked
look and said: THAT was great deal bet
ter than to lend your horse to me. wasn't
it p He always believed that Mrs. Hazel
had changed herself into that bumble-bee
and stung the horse out of spite.
s'You can imagine that after hearing all
these stories must have thought that I
had come to live in rather pokerish place.
I confess my heart did fail me, and don't
know but would have given up the
school and would have gone if it had not
been for Will Darby. He and had been
engaged for long time, and Will was
working on the river floating logs in the
rafting season. Whenever he went by he
put up at Durkee's tavern, and would
come up and see me. It was my only real
ly happy time throughout the whole sum-
mer, though I wasn't SO desolate as l
might have been, either, for your grand
mothers brother Gershom used to drive
over with fine span Of horses as often as
twice week from Mortified Farm, and
take me out to whatever was going on in
the whole country round. Gershom was
a rich man and good looking. and he prid-
ed himself, so have heard, on driving the
handsomest span and having the prettiest
girl to sit beside him in all the country
round. Will Darby was as poor as most