Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-02-01

pointed SHOES ana peaked naC SUOOO
at her elbow.
"You have wasted all our tea," said
! the little woman in a croaking voice.
"What are you going to do about it?''
81 don't know" faltered Kitty.
''I'm very sorry I touched it.''
"Being sorry will do no good" re-
piled the little woman. eff you can
bring us some more tea, we may for
give you.''
ooh, I'll do that with pleasure!"
cried Kitty s'Let me run into the
house and ask Bridget to fill the tea
pot for me-"
The little woman laughed again
''Bridget's tea is good for nothing"
said she. ''You may never guess how
to make tea for the Witches, SO I
must tell you how. Take the teapot,
and blow it slowly nine times. Then
clap the cover on as quickly as you
cam"
Kitty obeyed, and while she blew
into the teapot, the little woman
stood beside her, swaying backward
and forward, and singing:
'sOdors that stream from mortals tea,
From hyson and toolong and good bohea;
From the lacquered jar of the Mandarin,
From Delft and Wedgewood and porcelain,
Over the mountains and over the sea,
Come fill the pot for the witches tea
eNow set the teapot in the ashes to
simmer" she said, as Kitty put on
the lid, "and now speak to the COM
pany." So saying, she took some
knitting from her pocket, and seated
herself in a chair beside the fire,
where, all at once, as if they had
sprung out of the ashes, four other
little woman sat in a row, all oddly
dressed, and all knitting. Their need
les clicked and flew, but they paid no
attention to their work. They stared
at Kitty until she would have given
anything to run away. At length,
with one voice, they cried, "Welcome
to Witchland!'
''Thank you,' said Kittie, losing her
fear of them. t'Then the rhyme is
true, after all.''
eyes, the rhyme is true,' replied
the witches.
''Do you ride on broomsticks?" ask
ed Kitty timidly.
The witches laughed. eve have
better steeds to ride,' said they.
"Come and take tea with u.s." she
thanked them heartily, and followed
them into the cave, where six chairs
and round table suddenly appeared.
MI IL
Kitty the seat nearest the fire. Then
tiny china tea cups and saucerS made
their appearance on the table, and
the teapot lifted itself from the fire,
and poured out the tea very deity,
afterwards whisking back to it's place
among the ashes, and bubbling with
all it's might.
The witches chatted cheerfully,
while they drank numberless cups of
tea, which the small teapot poured
out for them without seeming to be
exhausted. Kitty was too much as
tonished to talk. At length the witch
es stopped drinking tea, and looked
at their guest.
tEYou haven't asked our names,'
said one of them. 'EPerhaps you
think it isn't polite to ask them, so [
will repeat them to you. My name is
Remover, and the others are called
Rainbearer, Red-leaf and Bloom.
Now, what are you thinking of?''
t'That your names are very pretty"
answered Kitty.
Prettier than we are. Yes; SO they
are. But we are pretty, too, when we
wear our proper form. We are go
ing to look into our cups now, and
when we have all looked, you may
look into yours, and see us as we are.
It is Rainbearer's turn first"
Rainbearer looked as if she had
been dried through and through, AID
smoked afterwards, but her voice was
deep and mellow. She peeped into
her cup.
Everybody is complaining of me-"
she said. ''Where I have been at
work farmers are grumbling about
the wet weather and wishing for sun
shine, and wondering whether it is
ever going to stop raining. But in
the far west, everything is dropping
for want of rain, and the miners are
longing to see clouds gather above
the hills. Yes, Gomez" cried Rain
bearer. She put down her cup and
vanished, but for some minutes the
air was full of sounds like the rush of
rivers and murmurs of rain
81 am Song-bringer, said queer
little witch, who looked SO unlikely to
bring music out of anything, that Kit
tY almost LAUGHED at the name AS