New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-27
RACHEL, OF VIRGINIA.
,v,,u souE RrMARKs on WITCHES.

manfred when he would do IT, and he Fepleu pooy
soon now with pause between each wora suincien'iy
long to allow Of tho cNpccforatioh vi 'o'%0o Iueo
liant You do It Tomorrow we anxiousiy In
quircd. ,u,
81 mout. ef doant plant 'taters,' he replied.
ait ia too wet for any one to plant potatoes "o
affirmed I'm tone intended to carry conVicuon.
The man looked up at the gray clouds; he ex'
rec,orated: he looked down at the wet ground ex-
ncctorate pressed his foot into the moist soil; ex
perforated. and then said;
lilo came tbe next day made two or three trips
homo Tor bls abowtss roap,' and finally cleaned
out tho well.
aTbe pump sucks" Rachel informed him.
aIso done abowt all ter day / rcckoned on dewfn,'
bc Informed her "Ef ct keeps on a-suchn mout
no ,roun termorrer or some time ter take OF up agn
eff hes ter"
IIo has NOT vet returned though the pump Keeps
nm .-suckin,, so Rachel is forced to make frequent
nurrimaces to the nearest neighbors well Last
evening returning from we'could hear her before
.bo reached the house, "a-tawbin,' We supposed
fer dat pail" or " dat pump" But she was not
Mr. steshn she calculated on entering the room
ber dull heavy eyes fairly iridescent with the glea-
inc anger dat boy Ib'rltt dat boy, he dun cawlcd
me surtbn, asdes my name An CT he comes over
bvar ter.morrer Isc gwne ter Kill him. III beat hi'
IN kill him. I'll beat him, Ise les agwine ter spit
his head open. I'll kill him ef nebber gifts anudder
nlace fer wurk long as lbes He'd potter not
show hisself ober hyar ter-morrer dat britt do
bestest place fur him is in his own mudders door
ward Ell gifts my hands onter him once he'll cotch
itp
Everett was a neighbours son who had been working
about the yard and garden for the GROUNDS ao"ho our
babitation had been sadly neglected.
when the tide Of Rachels Indignation had been
sufficiently checked had overiiown enough by reason
of her giving free vent to It, TO listen u '"qui'' ~
replied in response to them
"Yas he did He cawled me sumhn' asldes my
name he did, Dat Ib'nttw But printers ink can
never express the those sable lips emphasized
.be cawled out Rachel. Pumice-stoncF funiice-
stone is an article Rachel uses to clean her po's anu
to,nes with and hence sho IS sensitive on that score
like the retired tailor who drowned his vile because
che would pcrsIst In saying scissors to him.
al seq. yer cawls mo Pumlcestone' do yer!" an
7 cotcbed IN a chunk o. dirt ter trow Mt him, an
den he cawls mo BLACK Niger wench,' an lse agwine
ter hev my satisfakshuD outer him. Is 'as' IL
beat him. I'll kill him. WILL II eber nc comes a-nsh
mo de safest place fur dat britt IS his own nuuuerS
doah yard"
Oh Rachel, warn, "you mustn't 10 tna''
You will get into trouble. Let Mr. steSh attehd W
the matter lie Will sac that IL ooeS ho' ""Pp''
again"
Mis- eteshn and her arms went akimbo over her
hips. "Ise a-gwlne ter tend ter dat myself III
WIZ ter tell his mudder she'd not b'ecve me- muuucr'
ncbbcr does an what satlsfakshun Woulu l si'' No
bonn ter hev sadsfakshun, is. han't a-comeu
hyar ter be cawled a black mgecr "o"'" W "0'''
an not by dat britt y
-rbrea,eninrs and mutterlngs dire did Raohel con-
t,nue to utter during all evening and occasionally
her voice would DO raised In loud deep "h'-op Va
anger out Into the yard she went. walking pach anu
forth like dark. avcDgng spirit, and hnaiiy TIMING
her lamp she proceeded up the STEERS" 10 net Wv"
room still breathing ont threatenlnGs. Later We
bpr6
q ,or,ldr,n A loud scream awokc MS in the middle
~ tho night showing that anger had not yet gwen
place to sleep - ,,.h,
when called in the mornng-for. by the way Rachei
ALWAYS has to DO called-shc Immediately again pcsa
"tawkln' and even when assured that the boy shoui
reg her pardon before being allowed 10 uo any '"O''
work refused TO be appeaScd'
aI,se agwine ter beat him. she ciaculaed knows
I'll bev fer pay fur 1t, but I'll beat him Ell docs
Rachel was on the alert for Everetts appearance
and We were startled by her screaming
aDoan, yer come no furder. IF yer sots yer foot
onter dat step Isc agwine ter beat yer III oc"'
ycri I'll kill YER 49,, was
The head OF the house intcrposcd' paruoh was
begged and peace, for the time being Is rc''orou
aTbc pump kept on a-suckln' and finally the pump
,epair,r monder. rcjuvonator returned But not
after an absence of only one day-no' indeed, nc al
lowed several TO clapsc before he reappeared
,ruo darLcv fashion, one Of the many things mat
rachel continues to persist in doing NOTWITHSTANDING
circumstances and prohibitions, she calls
asay yer, why didn't yer come ter-morrer aS S'r
said yer gwinc ter ,,
The man looked in at Rachel; cxpectorated iooNeu
at tho pump cxpectorated; and finally said:
"rse hyar now u
~ r,,o,rs worse bvar now but what want ter
,ovrs pc why YER want hyar afCre,' said Rachel
tbe ebon head with It's deep pink urban Sill out Oh
the window. 80 .
The man expcctoratcd. Hc stood fun moment
evidently in deep thought; expectorated again. anu
finally said;
pse he'd a grave ter dig. woman sno neu 'er
die an | he'd ter dig her grave
Put Rachel was called in to attend TO somo house
hold duty or rather her head was so the interesting
colloquy ceased. Later, however she found an OPP
portuny of renewing It, for we heard her coniding TO
Parmel
"Ff dies Parmel dat man haint gwne ter dig
nv crove dats fur shore An ef any O. my kin dies
bc baint agwne ter dig dar graves I'll dig 'em my
self fust Dat man. he axes ies' ez dough he's mad
acos he he'd ter dig dat pore womans grave, an sho
warn't ter blame none fur dyin'. doan s'posn ez
baow She waniId ter gwine ter die, but she ies' he'd
ter"
Rachel wore very troubled face the other morn
ing but she soon unbosomed herself OF The weighty
matter that burdened her soul.
Mis-, stcsh' she said, " dar WIZ sumin took me By
dc anklus las night an dragged me clean across de
bed, dey did,
Nonsense. Rachel replied, that couldn't be.
You didn't see any one, did your
a.yo Mis- stcsh didn't nobody but dey wuz
dar all de same. felt en-
But, Rachel, there was no one in the house. If
there had been, they would have done something DO
sides moving you across the bed
sMs' stesh, didn't say es how dar wuz no pusson
in dc house, did II said somebody moved me, an
80 1or dtd hut I doan' kalkerlate 'twuz no pusson
Sec hvar.. and Rachel took the carving knife with
which TO Illustrate 81 wuz lyn' dis away OBJ dc
bed les, so. an sumfn cotched me by de anklus an
moved me dat away"
Yor, had the nightmare | said.
@Dc nightmar' l dussent Know what dat is,' she
coll, yea never heerd o. dat afore, but Ise hecri o.