The Portland daily press., 1888-03-12
A LITTLE BROWN WITCH
ny HARRIET PRESCOTT spoFFoRD.

Buffalo Express.l
She was an indescribably lean, little brown
creature, with elf-locks hanging around her
preternaturally old face where the eyes, all
live and awake looked out Of their places"
bright as those of Browning's gypsy with
"As IL She could double and Quadruple
AT pleasure the play of either pupil"
The tan Of all the sun in the sky and all
the sheen of the sea was on her skin; and
melancholy like that of the Sphinx seemed
20 have turned the face to stone. She sat In
a little hut by the shore, whose door was
open; and she had little dead child across
her knees.
OF course we looked in and then we went
in,
"You poor childp l said. "Tell me,
what is this? What does 1t mean? How
terrible for you to be here all alone. Is there
nobody"
That's just it," she said, in a low, hollow
tone, as If talking to herself, nobody"
kneeled down beside her and looked at
the little dead tEree-vear-old baby-just our
Effie's age-putting my arm around the elder
one as did 80.
"You can kiss her if you want to-" said the
child, with a sort of gasp. ''She was SO
sweet"
didn't want to, but / kissed her, and
then kissed the little mother holding the
dead baby on her knee She looked at me
again moment with those fevered eyes, and
then she leaned forward and rested her head
on my shoulder.
There's nobody to kiss me-" she said,
faintly. "since the day the wave tumbled
ever father and he never came up. And the
baby had fever, and he'd gone up to town for
some medicine. and was looking out for
him, and / saw him and the wave. It's
stormed week since. Or course It's stormed.
The sun couldn't shine If 1t would. There's
been nobody here; and there's been nothing
to eat. And"
"And what are you going to do?" inter-
rupted.
s'l'm sitting here till / die, too. 'Twon't
be long, you see," she said, family looking
up and leaning back in her chair again. 81
am SO little it won't take so long to starye as
it does sometimes. don't feel SO bad, you
know, because 1 shall see them so soon
now"
"Starvel" cried. my dear child Why
do you think of such thing?"
There's nothing to eat" she replied, in a
dull tone. There hasn't been this two
NdSS. w nat else SNdtl uOF Anu Ill Ill
glad of 1t. It's the only way can have my
dear people again. she said, with little
dry Sob And of course God meant that |
should, or he would have sent something. |
couldn't leave the baby
Vie has sent something's said, CRYING
myself. He has sent my husband and me.
You shall go home with u.s." And took
she poor baby end laid it on the bed, while
the other child looked at me with half-be-
wildered eyes | proceeded to unpack our
lunch basket and light the spirit lamp-for
Ralph and had strolled down the beach for
an old-time picnic by ourselves and to heat
some milk and water, which l made her
drink. Its too late for the baby" she said,
holding IL off moment. l sat beside her,
and in little while made her drink some
more. And then, as she seemed falling
asleep, / went to the door, where Ralph wait
ed, fer whispered consultation about the
baby.
mo, no." she said quickly, all alert again,
baby can be buried where her father was,
in the middle of G wave. We can row out
there in boat-the boat came ashore, you
know. Baby would like that best She
might, you know, sink and find her fathers
arms-he loved her so.Y How wizened and
old and preternatural she looked as she was
saying this in her thin and feeble yoicel OF
course we could not think of any such buri-
al as she proposed, and the baby had a little
funeral that outraged none of the pr0prieties.
And as no one III the region roundabout
knew anything more about the children and
their father than that they had come there
and lived some months in that lonesome hut,
out of sight of any but the sea gulls, when
we went away, which was in a couple Of
days, we took the little lean, brown creature
home with us.
"For what else is there to do?" / said.
81 don't know as there is anything" said
Ralph obviously. "And the little wretch
relies on us so that 1 don't suppose we can
put her into any institution, as Aunt juliet
suggests" nou,. uon soo tho
child is full of a certain sort of refinement
and of strange localities? Didn't you see
her rocking Effie in the twilight? Ellie takes
the place in some fashion OF that baby of
hers. She sings the sweet old English bal
lads that cant imagine where she picked
up. And did you notice how careful she was
to make up the little parcel to take with her2
What do you suppose there was in 1t? Some
thing she called her mothers wedding lines.
And little bundle of letters, and an old
photograph of her father, and ring. plain
gold one that his father gave him when he
was boy, ard that he used for her mothers
wedding ring-and tile mother died, poor
young thing -an1 they were 50 poor he sold
everything else, but lie wouldn't sell that.
She said all this as she was putting up tile
parcel. haven't asked to see anything in
IT,"
That is right. Respect her reserve. And
by-and-by she may forget the thing hope
so If we keep her And 1t looks as though
it were meant we should"
"Well, If ever there were two young fools
cried Aunt Juliet, coming over later. "Of
course you can always find leading of
Providence where you want 1t. But hope
you are going to keep her in the kitchen and
make her of some use ?"
'Iou don't mean TO send me away !" cried
voice from behind us, and Nina-that was
the name her father called her, her mothers
pet name-stood there tiptoeing her great
eyes glowing and darkening, her hands
W-lnglng one another. you can't mean to
send me away when you've brought me here,
when I've got nobody else but you, when
love on sol" And the tears that her great
despair and neighberhood to death had not
called forth, FLASHED over now in large drops
"You know" she said, that will take care
of Effie and run Roses errands and sew with
Jane all day long, and will teach Efiie her
letters, and can wipe dishes and pick over
berries. and can dust, and feed the cats and
put ice on your headaches and air the news
paper
''For goodness sake, hold your tongue,
child" cried Aunt juliet. Il should think
She went by machinery. of course you viii
make yourself useful and stay In the kitchen
and earn Your living. And / expect" she
said warningly to me, that she'll eat you
ontof house and home. The idea of taking
in every beggar's brat you come across"
Rut Nina had no idea of staying in the
kitchen. On the contrary, wherever was
she was, and | soon found that she consid-
cred herself on the footing Of an elder
daughter.
sometimes she cried little by herself, but
onite gently, over doll she played with !;
sometiInes she came and stood by me, hang
Ing an arm around my neck, silent for long
willie. sometimes she sat in the big window
and crooned her old ballads to Ralph. for
whom She had developed an extravagant de-
,ntian sIie Is lovely, isn't hep" said she.
"oh. if | could only do something for him
If il would do him any good to walk right
over me i would lie down under his feet-
indeed would" ia
THAT is very strong language, SAD l.
81 can't see how that would do him any
good, and it would hurt you"
Il should want ID to hurt me-! sne ex-
claimed, psssonately. 81 can't do anything
for him except to be hurtp'
But after season this feeling seemed TO
Gbate somewhat for Nina went TO school,
ana the new interest and excitement there
diverted her, till she began to hate her les
IONS and DEFY her teacher, and presently 70
beg to stay at home. And when Ralph told