Morris tribune., 1883-09-22
JACKS VIGIL.

Jack Barr settled his tarpaulin tIifie
more jauntily on his head; took last
preparatory puff at his pipe; sonorouly
cleared his voice and began:
"Widys," he said refectively, gazing
at the well filed bowl of the pipe;
"widys are wonderful institution!
there's something about wildly that
that amt about any other created woman.
To put it POLITICALLY, gentleman" look
ing from his pipe to his auditors, 1.-THE
wildly is like rose. In the rose you'd
call it q perfume, in the wildly charm.
You take the rose and smell of it, and
you can't, for the life ofyou, say what
makes it the queen of flowers. You can
only say it's rose. A."
Clear, hearw shouted Jacks auditors
uproariously.
Jack raised his pipe to his lips with
serene satisfaction, INDUCING in placid
Whit till 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, it
is with the wildly. That something
about her is nameless. Altar or a-near
you feel it, but you only say-its the
Widy"
Eli, hill" responded the audience.
Jack took another puff and somewhat
sadly continued.
"Gentlemen, we have so far had the
l.. TO To- 10 DIV
in particular-my widv. Gentlemen,
she was as clean timbered a craft as ever
Set sail for husband. Her eyes were
as blue as the ocean, her lins like two
coral banks, and her teeth and skin like
the solid sea foam! not a speck on the
wilderness of either. And the color OF
her cheek! Bless you! no rose ever
equalled it; while her chestnut brown
hair was enough to entangle the soul of
-of-vell, of a sailor! 1t got me!
Well, the upshot of my ensnaring was
that took board with her. She kept a
nicer home. The longer l stayed the
more 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. Merrihew
soon acknowledged that / was the man
for her and the thing was settled.
But, about two weeks before tie banns
were to be 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"
"I'm an orderly woman, you know,
Jack?" she said.
''Such another don't livep' cried.
well, jack" she answered, there's
a chest, pointing to one across the room,
all done up fancful in chintz-''there's
a chest that won't stay in order one
night! First l accused Mary Ann (the
girD of nIeudling with it She most left
me, she was so mad, and I 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 I Of
ten look over them, and they amt OF
use to any other living soul! Jack, l tell
you what I think"
"Well?"
81 think the chests bewitchedI And
Mary Ann thinks so too, and threatens
to 90 if 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. I lock il and put
the keys under my pillow, and lock and
bolt the door, and screw down the win
dows--it's ali the same, the chest is
sight the next morning.
The wildly first looked at me with eyes
as big as saucers and then she did some
thing better; she 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 a corner away from the chest; II
1 heard nothing was to do nothing; if
l heard rustling among, the papers 1
was to strike match and look into 1t;
that all fixed, the widy left me looking
as happy as an angel.
But somehow l felt pretty queer when
she left me alone with the glim doused;
1t wasn't bit like knowing what you
were going to meet, and meeting it un
der good light. l 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. stuck it out till the
clock struck twelve, and then l gave in
to the witches. / wouldn't 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 yeu, when l got up
souldn't run! My legs and my feet were
froze stiff; there was no more run in me
than the chest! Just as l got square on
my feet there was soft fumbling souno
at the door and then horrid rustling of
moving in the dark.
had been frightened thinking of the
witch, but was more frightened with
these! l heard the thing go to the chest;
l heard the lock turn; heard the lid go
up; heard the papers rustic. l would
have run then, for my legs began to feel
q little alive by that time, but l was
afraid to go in the dark; the matches
we're in my hand, l drew one
across my coat sleeve; it was very bad
but very quiet as it blazed upI
81 didn't dare to look at the chest til
I'd got the candle lighted, for tear I'd
let the match drop and be again in the
dark. If had, think I'd a-gone into
a fit.
mighty sirs! the things / had thought
Of were nothing to what presently faced
me- After the candle was lighted raised
ed it over my head and looked at the
chest. In front of it stood something
that drew me to it almost without my
cit was a woman I saw; but what
kind of 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
dirty white kid mask, with holes for the
eyes, nostrils and mouth, and tied be-
hind the gray, frowsy head with two
dirty muslin strings. The hands were
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
word that wasn't good. 1t seems to me
had seen that gown! and then came