Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-09-27

down little grassy slope, I'LL We STOOD
in front of an upright stone with
round hole in its center.
There" said the witch, still hold
ing my hand fast in hers, there's
where we were married-my man and l.
See ye here, Eleanor MacKenneth, do
you love your man, or liked ye your
first lad best?"
cried In my heart TO the dead and
gone Oscar to forgive me, and then /
looked the woman fairly in the eyes and
answered her, 81 love MacKenneth
best 4"
"where were ye married? In kirk, of
course?"
"In kirk, yes. We were married in
London church." said; "the Church
of st. Stephen"
Kirk Stephen, aye? Well this is
Kirk Odin, where thousands have been
made man and wife in their day. &c
you nearer to the stone, wife of Mac
Kenneth, and you shall be married
here.too, if you're mo- afraid. "
''Do l look afraid?" / said, with o
smile, and she smiled back at me.
"Put your hand-closed so-through
the hole in the stone" obeyed with
some difficulty, for the hole was un-
evenly cut, and its edges were jagged.
Now" said the witch, ''open your
hand and hold it so, and now say ate.
mel
/ hesitated q moment and then re-
peated after her. ''In the name of the
One Eyed, the name Of Odin, hold
thee and have thee through this life,
and that life, and all lives to follow. I
call thee and keep thee, my hand for
the witness, my lips for thy kissing,
my strength for thy weakness, my tears
for thy sorrow, my breast for thy head
when thou boune thee to sleeping, my
life for thy Calling Then she stop
ped and looked vaguely at me and be-
yond me, and 1 finished the oath with
words that rose in my mind, though l
had never heard them before:
"My life for thy calling, my death
for thy living. Hear, Thor and hear
Odin and Hector MacKenneth. Then I
drew my hand out from the hole and
turned to the witch, but the next min
ute I saw that her thoughts were not
with me or with this material world at
all, and 1 went softly away, leaving her
standing with her back to the sea and
her eyes fixed on the great stone, listen
ing intently and vainly, with her hand
against her ear.
So saw her the next time l passed
her neat cottage. She had been gather
ing some herbs, and now she stood lis
tening again, with the herbs held tight
ly to her breast. This time I stopped tc
speak to her. "Lief MacKenneth,
said quietly, "are you not going to give
your sister the morn's greeting?"
She gave me quick, wild, wonder
ing look, and her eyes filed with sud
den sunshine. "God bless you for the
MacKenneth, z" she said earnestly, sane
for the sisterhood. But you must not
stop with me today"
"Why?" said. "We are not going
to have storm, Lief. "
care we no?'' she laughed. woman
dear, you're no Zetlander. There'll b.
a storm on US inside Of an hour, and
black wind strong enough to blow tn
heart out o. your breast, orr
cor the dead out of their graves"
said, with meaning, and her face light
ed up again.
Maybe" she muttered, "maybe
Now go home, you wife of MacKennetl
and dream O. your man and the BARN
to be. Oh, aye, as drew back, flushing
hotly. "I'm not witch for nothing
and can see their shadows round you
Eleanor MacKenneth, two, three AM
four. Now'-she turned and caught m.
hands in hers and kissed me on lips an
cheek and forehead with eager, clos
kisses. "There, now, go home, Eleano
woman, and shut the storm out. Whe
do you go to your own home, soon?"
Next week." answered. II tol
Hector to expect me on Thursday. p"
"Aye, and q fine, calm journey
you, dear heart But I'll see you again
Go now, and goodby, woman dear"
I heard very little of the storm tha
night, for 1 slept as soundly as chile
and when, toward morning, I began
dream my dreams were pleasant enough
though they were all of Lief. The las
dream of all was the one which mad
the deepest impression on me. 1t was {
Lief again, but as I had never seen hel
Young and with wonderful shy glaC
: = ness in her eyes, she stood at the doc
of her cottage in the driving rain, wit
her hand fast in the hands Of a ma
with fair hair and bold blue eyes,
: younger edition of my own husband.
l saw them kiss each other, and then
woke.
Ronald has come back to her, ;"
said to myself as 1 rubbed my drows
l eyes, and somehow I was not in tt
least surprised or grieved when mir
hostess came in later on in the mornir
to tell me that the storm had wrecke
half score of houses and had blow
the witch's cabin out to sea. Nothir
was ever heard of the witch herself, bl
, after a little while my husband and
had pine wood cross put up close
: the stone of Odin, and on it we wro
: the two names, Lief and Ronald. AL
in the small church of Kirk Harol
where Lief was christened, we put up
!, ,, tablet to the glory of God and in lovir
! memory of Ronald MacKenneth al
Lief, his wife, Macmillan s Magazjn
I A Queer Copper Mine.
"There are many kinds Of mines al
o numerous inventions for saving p1
g cious METALS" said Professor L.