The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-02-26
MOHAWK'S WITCH.
Lucky Brom Van MARKER Chosen
to Wed Her.

to Wed Her.
Brom Van Warker was young man
of fine physique, good-lOoking in the
full acceptation of the term, and highly
esteemed by the good honest Dutch in
the valley of the Mohawk. His parents
died when he was about eight years Of
age, leaving poor little Brom and a
five-year old blind sister, without a
dollar in the world to scramble up the
hill of life as best they could.
The good, benevolent old dominic,
the Rev. Thomas Romeyn, who attended
to the spiritual needs of the Dutch and
Indians, became so much interested in
little BrOm, that he, at his own ex-
pense, sent the child to Albany to be
educated. People wondered why the
good dominic should incur such an ex-
pense when his salary and yearly dOna-
tions amounted to but a trif1e more
than four hundred dollars.
Sometimes, as he sat writing a SER
mon, his good wife would attempt to
demonstrate with him relative to what
she deemed needless expense, where
upon the old man would deposit his
goose quill pen upon the table, with
draw the long-stemmed pipe from his
mouth, deliberately knock the ashes
from the pipe bowl into the box of sand
at his feet, and in the most solemn and
impressive manner exclaim: 'Cast
your bread upon the waters,' and after
many days it shall return unto you!"
He would then return to his pipe and
pen, and the good wife had sense
enough to know that it would be folly
to attempt to resume her subject.
Brom remained at Albany twelve
long years, and when he returned to
Caughnawaga, his childhood's home,
he found everything nearly as he had
left it, natural wear and tear excepted,
as the lawyers say.
People during his absence had grown
older-boys had become men-girls
had become women; and now and then
could be seen an old gray-haired per-
son who had climbed up and up, and
stumbled down and down, and pressed
feebly forward, until the entire circuit
of the globe of life had been made, and
the weary wanderer rested at the start
ing point-the land of childhood.
The natural scenery had changed but
little.
There was the same old river wend-
'
Hudson; there were the same old fat
boats slowly crawling up the river with
all their owners phlegmatic patience.
There was the same old rock in the
river from which the little village de-
rived its name-Caughnawaga.
There was the impetuous Cayadutta
creek, twice as large then as now,
roaring and plunging with unrestrained
haste into the Mohawk, as though
heartily glad to escape from the cold,
bleak and unacceptable region north Of
the Mohawk.
Brom was too proud to exist mere
drone upon the charity of others. So,
when he was offered the position Of
village school teacher at sixteen dol.
lars per month, of twenty-six days, anC
board around the district, he gladly
accepted the offer.
1t is no exaggeratiOn to say that ht
had pretty hard time of it. 1t cos
so much beside his board to live, anC
contribute to the support of his blinC
sister, that, when the old year wen
out and the new year came in, there
was nothing left with which to star
upon the new year.
But he was brave-hearted and ener
getic, and possessed of an indOmitabl'
power of will. Every time he felt like
fainting by the way-side, he would g
and visit the blind sister, and taking
her delicate little hands in his own
gaze silently into her sightless eyes
and think of their childhood days be
fore the poor girl met with 81 horriC
accident-how they romped anC
roamed together through the long sum
mer days, gathering wild flowers along
the banks of the Cayadutta, and hunt
ing for Indian arrow heads on the
sandy banks of the Mohawk-how will
the sainted mother long since gone t.
Heaven they would kneel at the bed
side and repeat the beautiful praye
commencing: Our Father which ar
in Heaven" and then restraining thu
first gathering tears he would mental,
renew his vow to fight manfully tb'
cause of life and conquer or die a
would become brave man.
But at length there came a tins
when the poor blind girl sickened, Ian
guished, faded and departed for an
other and better world, where, withou
the aid of mortal eyes, she could NEE
and recognize her sainted mother il
he habitations of the blessed.
AS they deposited the precious cofi1
in its narrow resting place, and tn,
grief-stricken man retraced his step
hOmeward from the grave yard, he fel
sad, detected, and as though there wal
nothing left for him to live for, and b,
mentally wished that he, too, NIGH
sleep in that silent grave yard, wher,
the black birds twittered so mournfully
and the winds blew SO gently over thu
new-made grave, and sung such swee
and mourntul requiems among the
stately pines.
But in course of time nature came G,
the rescue, and reminding Brom tina
what was his great loss was the poo
blind girls inestimable gain, com
manded him to stand up like man and
philosopher. and continue the BATH
for life.
Brom was human, and, as the foun
tains of grief gradually dried up, h
began to consider seriously whether
Wouldf Il be well for him to marry.