Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-11-20
CHAPTER V.

sea.
CHAPTER ".
THE YOUNG WITCH.
When Atlee and his men returned to
the settlement but little adverse COM
ment was made upon his action. Hillary
had broken his bonds, defed the law,
and, when ordered to surrender, attempt
ed to escape. Still. his action would have
been denounced had not the settlement
become honeycombed with the half-ex-
pressed belief that Hillary was indeed in
league with the devil
Dorothea Hillary, his daughter, was at
this time nearly twelve years old. For sew
eral days after her fathers tragic disap-
pearance she remained in the cabin in the
woods, but soon the more human senti-
ment came to the surface, and the leaders
OF the village consulted as to her future
The cabin and farm which her father had
built and claimed was settled upon her
SO that IN years to come she would be
comfortably well of, as far as worldly
possessions go. But in the meantime it
would not do for the young girl to be
neglected.
After much debate, the question of her
future home was settled by Athiel Len
nox offering to receive her into his home
and care for her, in return for what work
she might be able to do about the house
He was the village doctor.
Dorothea's new home proved to be a
pleasant one. The girl was bright and
sweet-tempered, and soon became a
favorite not only with the family into
which she had been received but by the
villagers generally. Her very loneliness
appealed to their honest hearts. In time
she was warmly welcomed by every one
she met, and her figure became q COM
mon one by the fresides of all, with the
exception of the minister's.
When Hillary's death was announced
to Mr.. Granville he was inexpressibly
panied. He felt that an unprepared soul
had been sent to its Maker, and feared
lest some act of his might have stood in
the way of its being prepared.
This feeling of regret also prompted
him to otfer any aid in his power to the
little Waif left among them. He would
even have taken her into his own home
had not another been provided for her.
The first Sunday after Dorothea had
gone to live with DR.. Lennox the minis
ter invited her home with him.; for. while
Sunday visiting was discountenanced in
Sagnauck, he rightly considered this in
Vitation more of work of mercy than
worldly pleasure.
After the cold dinner, which was al
ways served on Sunday to dispense with
any unnecessary labor, the family were
gathered in the minister's study. Dor
othea, with a child's bashfulness, had
seated herself by the window and an
swered the minister and his wife in
monosyllables. Even had she felt free
to talk it is likely that she would have
done the same, for the remarks which
her father had frequently made about
the minister caused her to look with
doubt upon his friendly advances. AS
was his custom on Sunday, Mr.. Gran
vile was ca echising his family
-Whe is Satan2" he asked his younger
daughter. Ashubah.
Dorothea turned her great brown eyes
toward the minister and startled him by |
asking:
Did you ever see him?"
He was about to reply hastily in the |
negative. when Achsah spoke up:
Il have, papa. I saw him to day"
My child, my child, what are you say
ing? You could not see the evil one"
But / have, papa"
~Wh t did he look nke?" asked Doro-
thea, turning to the girl.
Achsah looked at her questioner with a
shrewd CLEAN in her eyes, and replied:
Like your father"
The next instant Dorothea had picked
up book lying upon the desk near her
and flung it at the creature. Achsah
smiled and said:
THAT cannot hurt me as much as some
other things you might do" and the in
cident was passed over without any more
words. But that evening Achsah was
taken with one Of those nervous attacks
to which she was subject, and the minis
ter ememOer6Q her words.
Was the daughter, like the father, in
league with the evil one? The question
gave him subject for long meditation.
Dorothea was not invited to repeat her
visit.
Some months after this occurrence an
incident happened which deepened Mr..
Granville's meditations on witehcraft.
When Dorothea was removed to the
doctors home, a small chest filled with
books and papers, had been found in
Hilla rvs CABIN.
The doctor had glanced hastily at the
latter, and, finding that they referred to
Hi ary's family connections in England,
Ind them carefully away. These, with q
10 ket which Dorothea always wore sus-
pended around her neck, were the only
links binding the little Waif to her friends,
If she b d any. The minister heard of
this locket, and with the hest of mo-
tive wished to see it. But this Dorothea
refused to allow, and in his distorted
mag nation the poor man wove a story
of cabalistic relics and internal charms
For what else, he reasoned. could 1t be SO
sedulously guarded by one SO young2
A. len III, one day, he exercised his
authority as minister OF the psrish, and
commanded Dorothea to deliver up the
ch I'm. She refused to obey, but he
forcibly drew the iocket from her bosom
and ened it.
fair face, the counterpart OF Doro-
thea's, only more mature. met his gaze,
and beneath the glass of the other side
OF the case was q lock brown hair
He dro--@7 = snvolzntarily, and DoFo-