Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-09-28
THE WITCH OF YELL


er of some forty odd years, with fresh
color and a thick coil OF raven black hair
half hidden by her headgear, bright blue
handkerchief spotted with white. l gave
her good -morning and asked herlt she would
give me a glass of water and hammock OF
oatcake, as l had been walking for some
hours and was both hungry and thirsty.
And welcome she said with the pref
" Shetland courtesy. 'it you be from Ire
land, mistress
II am Irish" / said 'but wouldn' you
give an oatcake to an Englishwoman, my
friend9 MOI as she shook her head res
olutely. "And how is that"'
"No food of my baking Will pass Scots
or southron lips she said, harshly sit
We down pointing to her own stool;
''ye're fair tired out. mistress
/ laughed family as l accepted the seat.
al have been trying to walk away from
myself, ] said land though I've tramp
ed through a whole forenoon / haven.
done it vet.
"Ahn' she said. smiling a little, only
with her lips, for her eyes kept their steady
sadness. 1T a far way you have TO 90,
mistress: and you must walk by night
stead o. day. ! on re married, glanclng
down at my ungloved hands. "Have We
ever borne a child'' ! looked down at
nv black dress and nodded silently. The
woman drew in her breath sharply as if
she were hurt al heart "Ay. she said,
$50 have : and lost it too. Poor lass
and TO nv intense astOulshment she stOOp-
ed and kissed me once and again. "How
old was he'' she went on Cravely, taking
no heed at the wonder III my face. milne
was man grown, but yours must ha' been
but a BARN: We have the look OF BARN
yourself.
Have T. ! said with dreary laugh.
can old BARN. / afraid. My boy was
seven years old
LAY: and your mans alive Do l know
your man? And what for does he let you
come here to dree your weird alone
"My man knows it's the kindest thing
he could do ! said "And l think, per
haps, you know him. l added little
proudly. "Nearly every one in the islands
knows Hector Mackenneth.'
LAY do they; he's a man :" the Witch
said emphatically, as she came out OF the
cottage with plate of bannOcks and a big
cup OF milk And there's never a soul
in the islands but he has done kind turn
or spoken a kind word to-even TO me"
"Why even to YOU" l asked "My
husband has a great respect Tor you; he
told me you were the wisest woman in the
islands, Lief '
Ibid he, now? And l his brother S
wife, the Witch said musingly.
l started "Whose wife? Not Ronald
MacKenneth' S, Ronald that died in Eng
land2'
THAT same Ronald" she said quietly.
"He died in the South | know. and some
brought the news TO Mackenneth himself
But he lies buried away III the South.
heard say. DO We know where, Mistress
Machenneth''
"No; / wish / could tell you, poor soul, 90
l said pitifuly. 81 wish could help you. 80
"My Donny Ronald she said. looking
out to the blue tumbling waves Of the
Sound, her eyes grave and sad and her
voice very low. Its little We thought of
me, but on the day we were handfasted and
the day We lay a-dying" Then she bent
down little and looked sharply into my
face.
'Did ever any one in the islands say TO
We that we Two were not man and wife,
Did ever MacKenneth himself
"Never Mackenneth, / said honestly.
"Others have, though" She looked
sharply at me again; then caught my
hand in hers, and dragged me up from my
seat. Come wi me, you wife of the Mac
Kenneth, and I'll show you what hand
fasting means to a woman
/ drew my cloak round me with my free
hand, and we went slowly together over
the scattered rocks and sand, and down a
little grassy slope, till we stood in front of
an upright stone with a round hole in It's
centre.
There said the Witch, still holding
my hand fast in hers, there's where we
were married, my man and l. See We here,
Eleanor MacKenneth, do you love your man,
or liked ye your first lad Dest''
l cried in my heart to the dead and gone
Oscar to forgive me, and then l looked the
woman fairly in the eyes, and answered
her: ~ love MacKenneth best
"Where were ye married? In kirk OF
course
in kirk yes. We were married in q
London church. j said 1.-THE church Of
ST. Stephen
"Kirk-Stephen, ay2 Well, this is Kirk
Odin, where thousands have been made
man and wife in their day. Goyou nearer
TO the stone, wife of MacKenneth, and you
shall be married there too, if you're no
afraid2'
"Do look afraid9" l said with a smile
and she smiled back at me.
"Put your hand-clOsed So through tn,
hole in the stone l oOeyed with som,
difficulty. fOI the hole was unevenly cut
and its edges were jagged. "NOw,' sale
the Witch, open your hand, and hold it so
and now say after me
hesiJated moment, and then repeated
after her in the name of the One-Eyed
the name of Odin, l hold thee and hav,
thee through this life, and that life anC
all life 10 follow. ! call thee and keel
thee, my hand for the witness, my lips 70
thy kissing, my strength for thy weakness
my tears for thy sorrow, my breast for tn,
head when thou boune thee 10 sleeping
my life for thy calling" Then she stop
ped and looked vaguely al me and beyOn,
me, and ] finished the oath with word
that rose in my mind, though / had neve
heard them before
"My life Tor thy calling, my death TO
thy living Hear, Thor, and hear, Odin
and Hector MacKenneth. Then ! drew
my hand out from the hole and turned u
the Witch: but the next minute / saw tina
her thoughts were not with Inc or will
this material world at all, and / went soft