River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-09-20
JACKS VIGIL.

"Widys," he said rehectiyely, gazing
at the well filed bowl Of the pipe;
"widys are wonderful institution
there's something about a widy that
that amt about any other created woman.
To put it POLITICALLY, gentleman" look
ing from his pipe to his auditors, "the
wildly is like rose. In the rose you'd
call it perfume, in the widy a charm.
You take the rose and smell of it, and
you can't, for the life of you, say what
makes it the queen of flowers. You can
only say it's a rose. A"
"Hear, hear" shouted Jacks auditors
uproariously.
Jack raised his pipe to his lips with
serene satisfaction, INDUCING in a placid
Whit TIL the noisy demonstration came
to an end.
Quiet restored, Jack resumed:
II repeat my last words. You can
only say it's rose. So, gentleman, 1t
is with the wildly. That something
about her is nameless. Afar or a-near
you feel it, but you only say--its the
wildly"
eli, hir' responded the audience.
Jack took another puff and somewhat
sadly continued
Gentlemen, we have so far had the
widy in general; now we'll take the widy
in partcular-my widy. Gentlemen,
she was as clean timbered craft as ever
set sail for a husband. Her eyes were
as blue as the ocean, her lins like two
coral banks, and her teeth and skin like
the solid sea foaml not speck on the
whiteness ofeither. And the color OF
her cheek Bless you! no rose ever
equaled it; while her chestnut brown
BAR was enough to entangle the soul OF
-of-IelI, of sailor! 1t got me!
Well, the upshot OF my ensnaring was
that | took board with her. She kept a
neat, handy girl, and nobody ever had a
nicer home The longer l stayed the
more I swore it should be mine forever,
and the widy with it. | didn't lose any
time, but set straight in to counting, and
with very good success. Mrs. Merrlhew
soon acknowleds ed that was the MAN
for her and the thing was settled.
But, about two weeks before TIE banns
were to he published, [ began to notice
Mrs. Merrihew looked worried, and a
little more worried every day. For ten
days or so she put me off. At last she
told me all about her trouble"
M an orderly WOmanj you KNOW,
Jack?" she said.
''Such another don't live!" 1 cried.
well, Jack" she answered, there's
a chest, pointing to one across the room,
all done up fanciful in chintz-"there's
chest that won't stay in order one
nj ht! FIRST | accused Mary Ann (the
girD of aIeddling with it She most left
me, she was SO mad and ! soon found
was all wrong. But who was at my chest
every blessed night, and who is?-There
amt thing in it but old bills and pa
pers; they are of no use to me, but Of
ten look over them, and they amt OF
use to any other living soul Jack, tell
you what think"
"Wel?"
81 think the chests bewitchedi And
Mary 4 mn thinks so too, and threatens
to 20 ii | don't burn it! AS true as you
live, Jack, put that chest in apple pie
order every day, and every night it's
turned topsv-turvy. | lock il and put
the keys under my pillow, and lock and
bolt the door. and screw down the win
doWs--its all the same, the chest is
sight the next morning.
The widy first looked at me with eyes
as big as saucers and then she did some
thing better; size threw her arms around
my neck. Naturally we wandered of
from the chest then; but be fore bedtime
we got back to it, and we agreed that |
was to sit there in the dark, keeping
close in q corner away from the chest; II
| heard nothing | was to do nothing; II
| heard a rusting among the papers l
vas to strike match and look into 1t;
that all fixed, the wdy left me looking
as happy as an angel.
But somehow | felt pretty queer when
cb 10 mn aloUa xrrif n tho dim 6Ousp1
1t wasn't bit like knowing what you
were going to meet, and meeting it I'm
der good light. | had my own ideas
about witches and they wasn't pleasant
ideas; began to see eyes glowering at
me through the dark and to feel Shiny
hands touching my neck; and to hear
whispering voices and soft kissing laughs
all over the room. I stuck it out till the
clock struck twelve, and then / gave in
to the witches. ! wouldn't a stayed in
that room another hour for two widys-
no, not for dozen!
With that in my mind I started up to
run. But bless you, when l got up
soudn't run! My logsand my feet were
froze stiff; there was no more run IN Inc
than the chestl Just as l got square on
my feet there was soft fumbllng sound
at the door and tken horrid rustling OF
something moving in the dark:
had been frightened thinking OF the
witch, but was more frightened with
these! | heard the thing 20 to the chest;
| heard the lock turn; heard the lid go
up; heard the papers rustic. would
have Iun then, for my legs began to feel
a little alive by that time, but | was
afraid TO 60 in the dark; the matches
were in my hand, | drew one
across my coat sleeve; it was very bal
smelling, but very quiet as it blazed upl
81 didn't dare to look at the chest til
I'd got the candle lighted, for fear Ia
let the match drop and be again IN the
dark. If had, think I'd a-gone into
fit.
Mighty sirsl The things | had thought
OF were nothing to what presently faced
me-. After the candle was kghted Iraised
ed it over nv head and looked at the
cnest. In front of it stood something
that drew me to it almost without my
knowledge.
at was woman / saw; but what
kind of a woman | never guessed till
got to the end of the chest where |
could see the face. As / looked at that
| felt my hair rise and my flesh creep.
The face was completely covered by a
dirty White kid mask, with holes for the
eyes, nostrils and mouth, and tied be-
hini the gray, trowsy head with two
dirty muslin strings. The bands we're
covered with dirty white kids, and were
throwing the papers in the chest hither
and yon as if hunting for something.
Directly, something about the gown
she wore made me burst out with a
word that wasn't good. 1t seems to me
/ had seen that gown! And then came
to me that I'd seen the gown on the
same person. set the candle down in
hurry and made dive for the wo-
man.
AS l did so she raised herself up and
looked at me with her cold stony eyes.
/ shivered and fell back. But the next
minute I had her by the arm.
''Tm going to see under this kid,
shouted.
The woman seemed to tremble all
over. But ] didn't wait to see what the
trembling meant. got hold Of the kid
and pealed it off"
Jack stopped and gently stuffed lit
tie more tobacco in his mouth.
I. I IL 49,,