The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-12-20
THE wIToH's RING.

Lawful Executed for witchcraff.
| inquh Of several persons as to
the histor III this woman. Finally
l found al al woman who told me
the story
Old Bar IN was tried, condemned
and hange 3Drotesting innocence to
the last. little money found in
her possess was used to buy that
gravestone bnd to this day if any
one were Ia enough to go to her
grave at m Night on the same day
of the year which she was hanged
and say Barbara, believe you
were innoe at the same time
stretching "a a hand over the grave,
she would IN pear to him and place
in his hand aAalismen.
This tails m would bring good
fortune as ltfl as he retained it, but
at some tim b. his life the witch
would retur 10 claim her own.
l found uyself almost uncon-
ciously wan hing back through the
burial-grounIo the witch's grave.
Carelessly q ncing at the inscrip-
ton, l was &prised to find that
very day wa Booth anniversary of
IL
her death.
The world yas wild and weird
that night wl@ l stole forth from
the village mbrAe the low stone
wall, l made III way to that dark,
dreary corne1 Where. the old witch
reposed. 2 Bf&nd-bye the village
clock tolled12 Mechanically 1 strove
to speak the yotds / had been told,
but my lips fAsed to form a sound. 1
Still I stood D that awful, black
silence, chilled With fear, uutil with
a mighty effoi z reached out my
arm over the rsve and grasped-a
hand. AsF
Il was only br an instant-not
that, for it wa jerked away in
twinkling-bu long enough to feel
how warm and gelvety it was and
how very email / cleared the old
wall at boun{ ind was out on the
moonlit road, waking toward town.
The touch of tase fingers thrilled
me as with an l9ctric shock. Grad
ually the conscoh sness forced itself
upon me that ! geld something in
my clenched haaas-a ring set with
a flashing stone On reaching my
room at the littl inn I sat down and
examined the I'm
1t was curiouliy carved and mas
sive. The settilx .was composed for
several small coyed stones set in
circle about Mge diamond, the
name inside, "Bsrbara."
Fortune smil{3 upon me from
that night. Tw, bears of busy life
had passed and Ia Barbara's tails
man was still VI 4plaimed
Do you belieye in love at first
sight? Well, if NJ first appearance
of Walter WymanS sister had not
conquered me tn puch of her hand
when she welcol I'd her brothers
friend would hav Senslaved me for
ever. Never had &touch so thrilled
+, me since-since ! 1eld the witch's
orally threl eusrav hrd. The same
In vision. Wis across unthrough me,
The loose attrihn aen appointed to Nctral
tied, ee,s p sspyhile ID man could do
n tbe work to.bedpne. This is es-
hand III ne party power;
peculiar shocls Ya NJ Va sort of
and the mem BY Il that spee It
night came ov& d alike flash
snss-r-TT-;; 7s md came q Nut through my
asking the young a8iy II she oeheV-
ed in ghosts.
81 suppose l s'ould," said she'
laughing, Consisting my exper-
fence" -.
I implored an Explanation, and
she related the 70 owing story;
sI. yos about T. 3 wears ago when
a party of girls, pst home nom
school, were visit friend down
in the country. o eof' the girls nae
hoard a foolish stcty about witcht
grave, and some nsense about ne
annual appearance and a talisma a
and when | expres 'ai my lncredui',
thav, brayed me t. but it to the test
what is the matte The placer
LITTLE town called alingtune.
UFool;shlv / &C sptod their cha
lenge, and receive q terrible lrigh
carried out the instruo ions, an
stretched my arm )7er her grave.
was SO dark 1 cou iiseenothlng, p'
some one seized 70 hand. WI
so benumbed witt lear that cou
not crv out, but cSTAd only throul
the lonely graveylFd to where II
trembling compal Apns were ava va
ing me in the fielC n was a to {,
adventure, for ! tdt ILL and 1t G.
me valuable rim which was
me by my poor A barbara =
her little namesak she snd' wa
she sent it across M sea 70 me. 7