The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-15
Ir-ulsd By Special 1855. ]
A LITTLE BROWN WITCH


'live and awake look out of their places" bright
as those of Browing's gypsy witch.
''As if she could double and quadruple
At pleasure the play of either pupil"
The tan of ali the sun in the sky and all the
sheen of the sea were on her skin; and melan-
choly like that of the sphinx seemed to have
turned the face to stone. She sat in little hut
by the shore. whose door was open; and she had
little dead child across her knees.
or course we looked in, and then we went in.
''You poor child!' 1 said. "Tell me, what is
thisl What does it meant How terrible for
you here, all alonel Is there nobody"
That's just it" she said. in a low, hollow tone.
and as if talking to herself. Nobody" 1
kneeled down beside her, and looked at the little
dead three ear-old baby-iust our Efie's age
putting my arm around the elder did so.
'You can kiss her if you want to-" said the
child with sort of gasp. ''She was so sweet. "
7 didn't want to. But kissed her; and then
kissed the little mother holding the dead baby
on her knes. 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 kissed me-" she said family,
"since the day that wave tumbled over father
and he never came up And the baby had fever,
and he'd gone up to town for some medicine,
and the wave. It's stormed week since. OF
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 dor interjected.
'Tm sitting here till die, too. Twont be
long you see," she said, family, looking up
and leaning back in her chair again. I'm so
little it won't take so long to starve az it does
sometimes. don't feel SO bad, you know. be-
cause 1 shall see them soon now"
''StarveP L cried. my dear child! What do
you think of such thing for2'
there's nothing eat" she replied in dull
tone. ''Thsre hasn't been, this two days. What
else shall Go2 And Pm-Tm glad of it. It's
the only way 1 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"
HE has sent something" I said, crying my
self. HE has sent my husband and me. You
shall go home with u.s." And 1 took the poor
baby and laid it on the bed, and while the other
child looked at me with half bewildered eyes, 1
proceeded to unpack our lunch basket and light
the spirit lamp-for Ralph and L had strolled
down the beach for old-time picnic by our
selves-and to heat some milk and water, which
/ made her drink 'Its itoo late for the baby,
she SAID, lOlQlpR 1t OH a moment Il sat OoSluo
her and in little while made her drink some
more. And then as she seemed falling asleep 1
went to the door, where Ralph waited for a
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 q wave. We can row out there in
n boat-the boat came ashore you, know. Baby
would like that best" She said then quickly:
''She might, you know she might sink and find
her fathers arms-he loved her 3d." How
wizened, and old. and preternatural she looked
as she was saying this in her thin and feeble
voice! But, of course, could not think of
any such burial as she proposed, and the baby
had a little funeral that outraged none OF the
proprieties. And as no one IN the region round
about knew anything more about the children
and their father than that they had come there
and had lived some months in that lonesome
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 dot" said
IT don't know as there is anything" said
Ralph, obviously. 'tAnd the little wretch relies
on US that don't suppose we can put her off
into any institution, as Aunt Juliet suggests"
Not would not do. Don't you see the
child is full of a certain sort of refinements and
of strange ideaties9 Didn't you sec her rocking
Eaie in the twilight Efie takes the place in
some fashion of that baby of hers. She sings
the sweet old English ballads that can't imag-
inc where she picked mp. And did you notice
how careful she was to make up the little parcel
to take with her? What do you suppose there
was in i'll Something she called her mothers
wedding lines. And a little bundle of letters
and an old photograph of her father, and ring
Just a plain gold one that his father gave him
when he was boy. and that he used for her
mothers wedding ring-and the mother died.
poor young thlng-and they were SO poor he
sold every thing else, but he wouldn't sell that
She said all this she was putting up the par
eel. I haven't asked to see anything in 1t"
THAT is right Respect her reserves And
by and by she may forget the thing hope so
il we keep her. And 1t looks as though 1t were
meant we should"
well, if ever there were two young fools who
ought to have guardians appointed~ cried Aunt
always find a leading of Providence where you
want it. But hope you are going to keep her
in the kitchen, and make her of some use!"
you don't mean to send me away! cried a
voice 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 wringing enc another
fYou can't mean to send me away when you've
brought me here. when I've got nobody
else but you, when / love you SOL" And the
tears that her great despair and neigh borhood to
death had u OF called forth, FLASHED over now in
large drops You know" she said, THAT will
take care of Efie, and run Roses errands. and
sew with Jane all day long. and | will teach
Fife her letters, and can wipe dishes and pick
over berries, and l can dust, and feed the CATS
and put on your headaches. and air the
newspaper-
cried Aunt Juliet II should think she went by
machinery OF course you'll make yourself use
full and stay in the kitchen and earn your llv-
ing. And j expect" she said warningly to me,
''that she'll eat You out of house and home The
idea of taking in every beggar's brat you come
across!"
But Nina had no idea of staying in the kitchen
On the contrary. wherever was she was and
i soon found that she considered herself on the
footing OF little or elder daughter.
For a while now. Nina very quiet: some
times she cried little all by herself. but quite
gently, doll she played with sometimes
she came and stood by me hanging an arm
about my neck. silent for a long while; some
tunes she sat in the big window and crooned
her old ballads to Ralph, for whom she had de-
veloped an extravagans devotion. ''He is love-
w. isn't he2" said she "Oh. If could only do
something for him! If it would do him any good
TO walk right me / would lie down under
his feet-indeed / would
THAT Is very strong language" said l. II
can't see how that would do him any good. And
1t would burt you" Il should want it to hurt
mel" she exclaimed passionately. II can't do
ANYTHING for him except to be hurt"
But after a this feeling seemed to
hate zomewhat Nina went to school. and