Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-03-02
A MOORLAND MYSTERY
The Boggart That Job Kirkbright
Saw on the Fells,

Saw on the Fells,
1t vas what sailors call a dirt,
night. a wild west wind was tearing
over the Fells and sweeping down tn,
narrow valley in fierce gusts, driving
the rain in sharp bursts against the
windows, and bowling angrily round
the chimueys of the little inn at Sci.
side.
But II the evening was dark and
stormy and things outside were cheer
less, the kitchen of "The Moorcock''
was a cosy picture of warmth and
brightness. A mighty fire blazed in
the wide open fireplace, and sent long
trails of sparks and great curls Of
smoke roaring up the huge chimney.
It's light danced upon the timbered
ceiling, across which long ropes of
onions and bundles of dried herbs were
artistically festooned; it flashed upon
rows of pewter plates and dishes on
the old delf rack on the wall, and
lighted up the brass face of the old
clock in its dark corner, as it licked q
solemn accompaniment to the ftful
snoring of a goldcn-tan sheep dog
Nhich lay stretched out upon the brick
floor in front Of the hearth. One side
oil the room was taken up by a deep
old-fashion settle, with sloped back,
aud an end which curved round so as
TO shut out the back door into the
garth or yard. On this bench some
half dozen natives were seated, putting
stolidly at their long clays, which
were periodically withdrawn from
bucolic lips to allow of the application
OF the quart mugs which stood in reg
ular sequence upon the wooden table
in front.
Two tall rocking chairs were drawn
upon the opposite side of the kitchen
in which two storm-bound rovers were
comfortably %ensconced. And highly
picturesque figures we made, clad in
miscellaneous garments, belonging TO
mime host who was himself en-
throned on an upturned cask. and
formed a connecting link, as ii were,
between 'the classeS'' on one side and
"the masses on the other side of his
hearth.
"a good deal pleasanter here, land
lord, than up on the Fells."
$50 | reckon, sir. Turn-Dub's a
dowly spot o meets when its doggy
;Anglicc, misty; eh, Job?-tha
knows"
Atall, lean fellow, with the hard,
wiry look of a Yorkshire dalesman,
graycly nodded, and muttered:
I'D moan gan over t'neet not fur ten
pund."
"Ah? thee had onst a rum soart on a
thing happen tull'ee," quoth his right
hand n%eighbor, whose rudy face was
set in II mass of bright red whisker.
Come, tell t gen'elm'n ont; they've
moan hecrd loike ont, I'm barnd."
After ii little coy hesitation, which
gave way when our order was to ''fll
up all round had been carried out,
JOB kirkbright, shepherd and fac
totum, told his story, which being
translated from the rugged dialect of
Craven into ordinary par,ance, was
much as follows:
~ had sold some ewes over in Lit
tondale, and after getting the brass
and taking "A glass of ale TO wet the
bargain at Tom Mason's, | set off home
over the Fells in good fettle. had
my dog, Bob, with me, and we climbed
up on the moor, and had soon got well
our way. 1t was late in the autumn
und the days were drawing in fastish,
but | knew the path well and so
thought nothing much about the time
o day. But when | got right up on !
Moortop, ! began to see as how it was
coming on misty, and so ! pushed on a
bit faster but the fog was coming up
with IA Goldfish wind from seward, and
soon it had got all round me and made
mefcel chilly. 1t did not close in thick,
like a regular smotherer, you must
know, but it kept whirling in patches,
then lifting a bit and rolling away up
the Fell, but only TO come unrolling
back every now and then. | don't
mind as how | ever heard the wind
moan so queerly it was for all the
world as if q lot OF folks were groaning
and moaning, and it made me feel u
skeery like; and the rocks and
powders looked uncanny with the gray
wisps twining among them. | was
main glad, | can tell you, when | made
out Hanging Crag, and knew l was
over the highest point of the road, and
ginning TO get higher home.
The path leads down a dip like on
The moor, and Langdon Beck runs
alongside for may be hall a mile. and
then it turns Off suddenly and runs
away southwark, to plunge down into
Huntpot-a big sort OF pit, which is
yards deep, and as fearsome a
place as you can want TO sec. They
it's haunted with a boggart, eve
since a young girl was thrown in there
oy her sweetheart nigh twenty years
lgone. At least, folks always said as
low he had showed her down. for they
we're seen not fur of the hole one even
ng having some words together. and
hat was the last time she was ever
cen. He swore, when they asked him
what had become OF her, that he did
,now more than that she had left him,
aging that she would not Keep CON-
ANY with him no longer, but take up