The McCook tribune., 1892-07-22
THE WITCH WAS SAVED.

| To-Day. ElSpeth; there Is too much of
heat in her han and her h,nd is too
heavy TO pleas me we'll" said DR.
Endicott anXiuusly as he YEARLY
picked up his soft, broad hat
Master, you ca mot mnan---'
Hush! Not word to tho child.
but keep her close to the house and
In the warm sunshine. Above all she
NUT suffer no alarm or suspicion of
my fear And the doctor strod @
away with hurried footsteps but a
fearful heart.
For many days the fever had ragged
in Sa EN- town. The tr cken inhabi-
tants thought little OF giving it filter
name, for day by day heads dropped
eyes grew wild in deIirium. hearts
cold in death. and loved forms were
laid In the shady church yard where
row after row OF unsodded mounds
mutely told the terrors OF the plague.
Thin and worn under the strain Of
sleepless nights and toilsome days;
faithfully going the round of duty. un-
wearied. thoughtless Of self with
tender hand and sympathetic word.
Tightening the sutferings of rich and
poor DR.. Endicott with something
very like chill of despair. thought
of the flushed ace and dropping head
of his little Margaret his one darling.
his Daisy. And his memory travelled
back to the sweet May morning. some
seven years ago. when upon his door
step he had found a tiny baby girl,
with faded little white field daisy
clutched tight in her chubby hand.
Into his heart and his empty home he
had taken the little stranger and the
henae was empty no longer. for baby
smiles and baby kisses lisping words
and the patter of little feet awoke
sweet echoes in the long oaken cor
ridors driving away the shadows of
loneliness And now. the fever! He
hastened on.
Scarcely less troubled was old Els
peth who had given the child all she
had known of mothers care. But
Elspeth had foolish tongue and
lived in Salem town in days when
superstitions were many and horrible;
when fires burned for witches and no
one was safe from the attacks of the
terrible town council, and when she
bade the child stay near the house.
forgetfuI of the doctors command,
she said:
STRAY not from the garden. dearie,
or the witch woman will find thee
and give thee the fever. and make
the blood in thy veins burn hot as the
fires on Witch's Hill"
The morning wore away. Little
Daisy tried to play with her kitten,
but some way her head seemed very
dizzy and strange. She commenced
to make a ball of her namesake
flowers but their little white faces
appeared to nod and sway as she
tried to pluck them. Her hands re-
fused to do her bidding; she was very.
very hot and oh. SO thirsty! The
tired head fell forward On the grass
and the eyelids closed in feverish
sleep.
Suddenly in her dreams she cried
out: ''Oh. Elspeth. Elspeth, | am
afraid" and "a sob gathered in. her
throat. But Elspeth was nodding
over her knitting and did not hear
At the cry the gate was opened and
a strange looking woman, who with
bent head paced the walk outside the
high garden wall entered quickly
and bending with outstretched arms
beside the sleeping child murmured,
with streaming tears: MY baby. my
baby"
At the sound Daisys eyes opened
heavily and gazed straight into those
above her. For a moment only.
Then with terror the child tore her
hand from the OBTAINING grasp of the
woman, and scream after scream
awoke the echoes of the quiet garden.
The witch! the witch! 1 am burn
ing; she has given me the fever"
From every side people came rum
ming Elspeth. the neighbors. the
passersby but for a moment all feared
to approach the pair under the apple
tree. Little Daisy crouched on the
grass; the fever-look they all knew so
well in her face: and the woman-she
stood back against the tree. her knees
trembling. her eyes wild with terror.
her dark hair with threads of silver
interviewer. blown loose and dis
heveled. Truly a strange figure.
Then Elspeth. grown brave for the
child's sake gathered Daisy in her
arms. and the town constable, bolder
than his fellows with rough hands
seized the terrified woman and dragged
her away at the head of a yelling
mob.
Burn the witch!n
She is the one who has brought
the fever to our town; burn her and
the fever with her!''
Horrible cries these to one who was
friendless and had seen more than
one fire burn on Witch's Hill.
Hurrying home when once the
alarm had reached him. the doctor
listened with grave eyes to the
nurses tail as with bits of ice and
cooling drinks he soothed the feverish
throat of his darling. who lay tossing
in delirium and crying out about the
witch. And the shadows darkened
on the Doctors face as the night wore
on, for well he knew the uncontrolla-
BILE force of the people when such