River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-03-17

pulsive and the more feasible It seemed,
and his fortune seemed assured
At the extreme end of the village
there was a small house built in the
form of an OctagOn. The paint had
been worn OFF for years and the clap
boards had faded TO a soft dingy dral
color, while the roof was green with
moss An odd foreign-looking vine
with brilliant crimson flowers ran up
beside the door and then struggled
about at its own sweet will over the
roof and sides. The chimney had half
fallen and left an irregular pile of
bricks in its place. from which the
smoke curled IN a thin blue stream or
rolled in soft clouds.
Altogether il was a queer looking
place and it was little wonder that the
old woman whose home it was bore
the name of witch.
As long back as the oldest inhabi-
| tant could recolleet the house had
stood there, weather stained and moss
covered, and old Granny Hirch had
hObbled in and out on her errands,
gathering wild herbs and digging roots
in the woods beyond and performing
strange and mysterious cures with the
medicines which she concocted from
them.
Some of the old men of the town
could remember grannys son, a wild,
headstrOng fellow, who went as a
sailor and was lost at sea.
The vine growing over the cottage
was from a seed which he had brought
had been a witch, they said, she never
could have made it live and thrive on
this strange soil, in a land where the
sun hid itself for days at time.
Whatever foundation granny's claims
to witchcraft may have had. she GER
tainly was a skillful nurse and even
successful doctor.
Nobody could see any earthly sense
in measuring a patients length in
string and then smoking the string in
a barrel in the yard. But that per-
fOrmance, strange as it may seem, ac-
companied by queer mutterings and
rumblings, was granny's specific for
erysipelas. and the joke of 1t was that
nine times out of ten the patient re-
covered, and this amid the jeers and
sneers of the medical profession.
In cases of "Yo- Books" in infants,
granny was at her best True. the
doctors had another and more scientific
name for that disease which wasted
the tissues OF the poor little sufferer
until he was but skin and bones. But
granny's name was quite as intelligi-
Die as theirs and her tow strings,
creased with lambs tallow and hung
over the door hinge, were just as often
credited with working a cure as the
physicians stuff.
John Smith had no belief in granny's'
powers That is-he said he had not;
and he scoffed long and loudly when
her remarkable powers were the sub
ject of conversation.
The fact that, when he was a mis-
chievOus and impudent lad, John had
been caught trespassing ON granny's
grounds and had been treated by her
TO a hot shower bath from her tea
kettle, may have had somewhat to do
with his skepticism l do not know
how that was myself.
Granny had in years gone by had the
reputation of being able to put up
marvellous charms and mysterious
dhiltres which would bring the most
recreant of sweethearts to time. But
nobody in these days ever calls for
that sort of thing. so that it might
well be supposed that granny's hand
had lost its cunning in that branch
of her art, from long disuse.
But it seems that there was one love
1s,r-r, Tsssf.. -
in Old-time charms was mistaken.
She was rather a simple little thing,
but pretty and sweet enough to make
mp for her lack of depth. In her in
nOcent little heart she believed that
Granny Hirch could give her charm
which would bring To her arms the
man of her choice-and this chosen
lover was John Smith.
This girl was an orphan named
Clara Dill, and she lived with an aunt
who was the guardian of the snug
little nest egg which her parents had
left her. John had paid Clara some
little attention. and in truth had been
more than half in love with her until
the subject of spoOlIs and spirits had
engrSsSed his attention. Then, as
Johns mind had not room for two i'm
pOrtant themes at one time, Clara had
been forgotten for the mysteries of
table-tipping and planchettes.
On the very night which John had
set for his unrighteous errand, Clara
Dill made stealthy visit TO the little
uncovered cottage of Granny Hirch.
With what rites and ceremonies gran
ny initiated her TO her task, l cannot
say. but she came ont shortly, bearing
under her shawl little package and
small trowel. Keeping close IN the
shadow. she stole softly down the path
and into the woods. and was soon lost
in the darkness.
John Smith, armed with a pick and
chisel and screw-dri-er. set out from
another part of the village at the very
same time. lie took an unus ed path
and walked slowly and with great care
lest his tools jingle and make a noise
At the least sound. a creaking twig be-
meath his feet or the to-whit of an owl
over his head. he would start and stop.
asi often halt as though half-minded
10 turn back
However, ne reached the cemetery in
time and there all was silent The
moon shown bright and clear and John
turned down one side. keeping outside
of the high 0sage hedge which Dor
dere the Enclosure and hiding ia the
deep shadow Coming to q tai, weep
ing-willow which hung lis branches
mOurnfuliy over the sail. John Paused
an1 laid down hi f~lnle f..r uss knatx