Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-12-23
MAD MOLLY.

Her cabin is close by lonely lane
that all its length of miles has not
half dozen human habitationS upon
ii; for a good Irish mile each side
there is nothing but the loneliness OF
winter fields. Just opposite the
broken gate leading to her door bit
OF road goes between enormously high
hedges to the high road-a high road
very innocent of traffic, be it said,
though occasionally a snorting steam
tram puffs along it. Presently the
road winds from its placid level
sweep at the foot of the mountains
and climbs steep shelf of the hill
into valley, and disappears through
a gorge into the next county. That
bye-lane is the eerieSt place l know.
BY Mad Molly's cabin stands tall
stone pine, that in the cleaning
10 KS like a mill chimney. Where
the lane and the road meet there is a
three-cornered bit of grass, and stand
ing out of it tall telegraph pole,
with an irresistible suggestion OF a
gibbet The place is marshy and
looking down at it of an evening
from the higher ground a stranger
will not be persuaded that the solid
floor Of mist below is not stretch of
water. The marsh vapors make the
Strangest effects l have walked
there of an autumn evening with my
heart in my mouth and needing all
my will not to keep looking appre-
hensively over my shoulder. I have
always companiOnship; sometimes
human and canine; more often canine
only. But one could desire no whole
somer company than fox terrier,
irreverently free from morbidness,
and ST Bernard, very scrupulous
as to his duties Of guardianship. By
myself, nothing would induce me to
walk that way-not though it were
the goldenest evening summer ever
saw-not even in the unwinking
moonlight
The first evening / knew Mad Moll
had taken possession of her own cabin
my experience was eerie enough, or
rather it was vicarIous experience.
/ had friend with me, a girl
cramped by the life of cities and ever
eager to stretch her limbs or widen
her country sensations The sun had
gone down scarlet in an orange sky.
As we walked along the white smoke
Of the mist Logan to exhale from the
fields, yellow with old stubble. On
one side Of the way the fields were
clear. On the other side the mists
presently covered them impenetrably
1t was as if the fairies were hiding
their mysteries from mortal eyes. A
wisp Of the mist floated across our
path; breathS Of it came tangling
about our feet as we walked. The
telegraph pole was full OF the voices
of the wind; for minute we did not
detect where was the mysterious
singing. By the roadside the marShy
land emptied its waters into ditch
so deep and wide that it was a mini
AZURE pond; under its bushes some
disturbance had set up ghostly sue
tion, a sound of ebb and flow.
shivered a little as the cabin
stood up across the neglected path
way. 1t looked what they called it,
haunted. 1t stands on little hill
a fairy rath, that no wise human be-
ing would desecrate by his or her in.
trusion. The good people did not
manifest themselves there prettily
and pleasantly in the only case / know
where they made their presence felt
It was not an occasion, indeed, for
fairy cavalcades or dances. 1t proved,
too, that though they have no souls,
poor little folk, they are yet friends
of God. 1t was in a bygone dune.
The fields were lush with overrich
grasses; and, like the field Of the
cloth of gold. with buttercups and
cowslips Every hedgerow was milky
way Of hawthorn. The cows bad lust
come out of the cit and were brows-
ing in exquisite cantentnent amid
the silver dewS and the delicious
drifts OF grass They we're in charge
OF half a dozen fellows as reckless
and daring as so many Texan cow
boys 1t was their first night to
sleep in the haunted house on the
fairy rath. They were playing cards,
though; if the had been out of doors,
under the large golden moon, they
might have heard the silver flutes of
the fairies There was one old rep
rebate of their number who boosted
that he feared not God or the devil
He was iH Dad luck at the cards
aud his profanity grew till it dis
/. pleased even his wild com AIDES. They
were all clustered. with their heated
faces. about the table with its one
taIlow candle. Some who were not
playing said afterwaId that there
was an ominous wind about the
house full of m aiming and Railing,
and that shadows fitted by the small
window. shadows which had no cor
responding substance. Then the