Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-05-02
A LITTLE BROWN WITCH.

She was an IndescrIbably lean little
brown ere ttUre, with elf-locks hanging
around her p-eternaturally old face
where the eyes all "live and awake
looked out OF their places" bright as
those AT Browning's gypsy witch,
"Asrshe could double and quadruple
Al p.rasurc the play OF either pupd-'
The tan of all the sun in the sky and
oil the sheen OF the sea was on her skin:
and melancholy like that of the
sphinx seemed to have turned the face
10 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 W,
went in.
"You poor childp' / said. Tell me,
what is thisy what does it meanq
How terrible for you all aloneI Is
there nobody"
That's Just it." she sail, in low,
hollow tone, and as il talking to her
self. Nobody"
kneeled down beside her. and
looked at the dead three-year-old baby
Just our Etiis's age-puttin my arm
about the elder one as l did so.
you can kiss her il you want to, ~
said the child, with u sort OF gasp.
"She was SO sweet"
didn't want To. But kissed her:
and then I kissed the little mother
holding the dead baby on her knee. She
looked at me again n moment with
those fevered eyes, and then she leaned
forward and rested her head on my
shoulder.
There's nobody kissed me-" she
said faintiy, 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 was looking out for HIM, and l
saw him and the wave. It's stormed 4
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 do?" L
interiected.
"I'm sitting here till 1 die, too.
'Twon't be long, you see," sne said
family, looking up and leaning back in
her chair again. I'm so little il
won't take so long to starve as 1t does
sometimes, l don't feel so bad, you
know, because l shall see them so soon
now."
''Starver: 1 cried. 'My dear child
What do you think of such a thing
for2p
There's nothing in the house to
eat. )" she replied in dull tone. There
hasn't been this two days. What
else shall l do7 And | AMIN glad
of II. It's the only way can have my
dear people agaInr' she said with alittle
dry sob. And of course God meant
that 1 should, or he would have sent
something. 1 couldn't leave the baby.
''He has sent sOmethingW said,
crying myself. "He has sent my hus-
band and me. You shall go home with
us." And l took the poor baby and
laid Il on the bed, aud 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 / 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, hold
lrg It of moment L sat beside her
and in q little time made her drink
some more. And then as she seemed
falling asleep i went to the door, where
Ralph waited for whispered consulta-
tion about the baby.
'No, no." she said quickly, all alive
again. Baby can be buried where his
father was. In the middle of a wave.
We can row out there in a boat-the
boat came ashore, you knew. Baby
would like that best" She said then
quickly: "She might, you know, she
might sink and find her fathers arms
he loved her So"
How wIzened aud old and prefer
natural she looked as she was saying
this in her thin and feeble voicel But,
or course, we could not think or any
such burial as she proposed, and the
baby had little funeral that outraged
none Of the proprietles. And as no ont
IN the region roundabout knew any
thing more about the children AM
their father than that they had come
there and had lived some months II
that lonesome hut out of sight OF AM
but the sea-gulls. When we wen
away, which was in couple OF days
We took the little, lean, brown creature
home with us.
For what else is there to dop"
said.
II don't know as there is anything.
said Ralph, dubiously. And the httl'
wretch relies on us so much that
uont suppose we can put her on int
'9NAbubtOu, slS Auhs ouAcs $40
gests.3
Not would not do. Don't yo'
see the child is full of a certain sort oi
Iennement and strange localities
Didn't you see her rocking Ellie in tn
twhlghtp Ellie takes the place in som
fashion OF that baby of hers. She sing
me sweet old English ballads that
can't Imagine where she picked up
ana did you notice how careful sh
Was 10 make up the little parcel to tax
Win hert What do you suppose ther
was In It? Something she called he
mothers wedding lines, and littl
oundle OF letters, and an old photo
xIaph OF her father, and a ring, just !
piAn gold one, that his father CAV
I'm When he was boy, and that b
useu Tor her mothers wedding ring
anu the mother died, poor young thin
land they were so poor he sold every
aa hWwe u = - I~r.t