Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-11-23
"Let that skull alone y said gruff

: no tic Bu'iiclinE BlOoih "pNhN f'i''''
that the stranger was neither negro no
= Indian. 1t is truo he was dressed in
. rude half Indian garb, and had red bel
or sash swnthed round his body but hi
face was neither black nor copper-color
but swarthy and dingy, and begrimmot
with SCOT, MS if he had been accustomed
to toll among fires and FORCES. He had {
! shock of coarse black hair, that stood on
q from his head in all directions, and bore
an axe on his shoulder.
He scowled for moment at Tom will
n pair Of great red eyes.
"What are you doing on my grounds ?
said the black man, with hoarse growl
: ing voice.
"Your grounds ?" said Tom, with {
sneer, ''no more your grounds than mine
, they belong to Deacon Peabody"
deacon Peabody be ID" said the
stranger, "as Hatter myself he will be
if he does not look more to his own sins
and less to those of his neighbors Lool
yonder, and sec how Deacon Peabody is
faring"
Tom looked in the direction that the
stranger pointed, and behcld one of the
great trees, fair and fourishing without,
but rotten Mt the core, and saw that it had
been nearly hewn through, 80 that the
first high wind was likely to blow il
down. On the bark of the tree was scored
the name of Deacon Peabody, mn emf
nent man, who had waxed wealthy by
driving shrewd bargains with the In-
dams.
He now looked around, and found most
of the tall trees marked with the name of
some great man of the colony, and all
more or less scored by the axe. The one
on which he had been seated, and which
had evidently Just been hewn down, bore
the name of Crowninshield ; and he re-
collected mighty rich man of that name,
who made a vulgar display of wealth,
which it was whispered he Ind acquired
by buccaneering.
Hes just ready for burning r. said
the black man, with growl of triumph.
You see l am likely to have good stock
of firewood for winter"
| "l;ut what right have you" said Tom,
"to cut down Deacon Peabodys tim
Der ?"
"The right of prior claim" said the
other. "This woodland belonged to me
long before one of your Whitehead race
put foot upon the SOIL"
"And pray, who are you, if may be
so bold p said Tom.
ooh, go by various names. 1 am the
wild huntsman in some countries the
black miner in others. In this ncighbor-
hood am known by the name Of the
black woodsnan. am he to whom the
red men consocrated this spot and in
honor OF whom they now and then roast
cd white man, by way of sweet-smell-
ing sacrifice. Since the red men have
been exterminated by you white savages,
| Ia, 81
secutions of Quakers and Anabaptists l
am the great patron and prompter of
slavc-dcalers, and the grand-master of
the Salem witches
"The upshot of all which is, that if |
mistake not, said Tom, sturlily "you
are he commonly called Old Scratch.
"The same, at your service ~ replied
the black man, with halfciv nod.
Such was the opening of this interview,
according to the old story ; though it has
almost too familiar an air to be credited.
One would think that to meet with such n
singular parsonage, in this wild, lonely
place, would have shaken any mans
nerves but Tom was n hard-mihded fell
low. not easily daunted, and he had lived
30 long with termaSant wife, that he
did not fear the Devil.
1t is said that after this commence
ment they had a long and earnest CONVEX
sation together, MS Tom returned home
ward. The black man told him of great
sums of money buried by Kidd the pirate,
under the oak-trees on the high ridge, not
far from the morass. All these were I'M
der his command, aud protected by his
power, SO that none could find them but
such ms propitiated his favor. These he
offered to place within Tom Walkers
reach, having conceived an especial kind
ness for him but they were to be had
only on certain conditions.
What these conditions were may be
easily surmised, though Tom never dis
closed them publicly. They must have
been very hard, for he required time to
think of them, and he was not n man to
stick at triaes when money was in view.
When they had reached the edge of the
swamp, the stranger paused.
what proof have that all you have
been telling me is true ?" said Tom.
"There's my signature" said the black
man, pressing his finger ON Toms fore
head. So saying, he turned off among
the thickets of the swamp, and seemed,
as Tom said, TO go down, down, down,
into the earth, until nothing but his head
and shoulders could be seen, and go on.
until he totally disappeared.
When Tom reached home, he found the
black print of a finger burnt, as it were,
into his forehead, which nothing could
obliterate.
The first news his wife had to tell him
was the sudden death of Absalom Crown
inshield, the rich buccaneer. 1t was an.
nounced in the papers with the usual
flourish, that "a great man had fallen in
Tom recollected the tree which his
black friend thad Just hewn down, and
which was ready for burning. "Let the
freebooter roast, said Tom, "who cares p
He now felt convinced that all he had
heard and seen was noillusion.
he was not prone to let his wife into
his confidence but as this was an uneasy
secret, he willingly shared 1t with her
All her avarice was awakened at the men
ton OF hidden gold, and she urged her
husband to comply with the black mans |
terms, and secure what would make them
wealthy for life. However Tom might
have felt disposed to sell himself to the |
Devil, he was determined not to do 20 to
oDlige his wife ; 80 he fatty refused, out
oil the mere spirit of contradiction. Many
ana bitter were the quarrels they had OH
the subject but the more she talked,
me more resolute was Tom not to be
damned to please her.
AT length she determined to drive the
bargain on her own recount, and if she
succeeded, to keep all the gain to herself
Being of the same fearless temper as her
husband, she set offfor the old Indian fort
toward the close of summers day. She
was many hours absent. When she came
back, she was reserved and sullen in her
replies. She spoke something of A black
man, whom she had met about twilight ,
hewing at the root of tall tree. He was
'ulky, however, and would not come to
ermS she WAS To 10 amin will n 49,: ,