Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-06-10

| fortified passengers. But was 80 uttorly
ignorant Of everything that / took this tre-
mcndous stop without asking what tho NOR
row would bring.
marvel now that carried that little bag
with me. l suppose the sense Of going on
Journey made me do 1t.
II was not until noon. when ] had boughta
roll at little shop on the roadside, aud was
eating Il with an apple that / had climbed n
fence and tree to pick TINT oven made up
my mind that would be hermltess.
| / had read Of herinits and know that thoy
dwelt in caves. As for hermltesses j know
Of one. Tho sentence In which she was do
Bcribed occurred TO my memory as though the
book lay open In my hands. seemed TO SEQ
those words before mo:
"Of course l would not leave tho bleak
mountain hotel without visiting the cele-
brated hermitess. She dwells in sort OF
cave to which wooden iean-to has been
added and tolls fortunes at request. She told
mine. was glad to hear That wns one day
| TO ba very rich; that gentleman's heart was
toward me, was not 10 interesting. She &c
copied fifty cents and retired with grunt
which socmcd TO be one OF Interpretation.
at is said that she throws stones at visitors
who come merely for curiosity and do not
offer fco that an unhappy love affair drove
hor to this solitude thirty years ago, and that
sho was then u benuty. At present she is
certainly most unpropossessing."
81 suppose that is why she lived in cave"
| commented, and TO DO hermltess seemed
u hitting why TO dispose Of myself. Only
would not tell amy ones fortune, and l would
throw stones at any one who camo near mo.
When 1 had eaton my lunch, and begged
] little boy, who was lllling q pail mt the public
pump In tho village street, TO give me drink
Of water. | continued my journey but found
| that was rather tired, and whonut last came
| to a lonely bit OF road, and saw u pretty wood
land lying at its side, l took u little footpath
that ran into It, and soon stood upon "A low
hnlock studded with trees and with bod Of
moss hero and there, as soft as ever was
Persian carpet On one OF these / stretched
myself.
had often been sura that saw iairies in
tho grass, and know that little yellow
gnomes lived IN the rocks, for / had read OF
that In tho tailored volume OF fhiry tales,
which loved best Of all my books.
When looked into tho wator l saw tho
neckon there. pcepIng at me, laughing, beck
onIug. and va6 suro there was "trol" under
tho bridge like the ono that cried "Who Is
thoroYn when she heard above her the trab-
trnb-trab OF the sheep going into tho noun
tains to get fat.
When | oponod my eyes, uttor darkness
prevailed. For moment ] forgot wberc
was, and felt for tho coverings, which
wished TO draw about me.
Their absence, and tho GOODNESS OF tho
rocks and tho dry sponginess Of tho moss,
recalled my memory. l was stfI, and my
limbs achcd. and sat up with u shivor
II was strangely silent aud awosome, but
felt no fear, and | began TO wonder II they
wero all out with torches and hulloes, crying
my name along tho roads. beating tho woods
for me as they had done within my memory
whom noighbor's little boy was lost. II this
wero 30, ] wished could convoy to my poor
uncle tho information that his unpreposscss-
ing nieco wns perfectly safe and we'll and had
gone away OF her own FREQ will, 80 that he
might go home and 60 to bod, for he was
sure to have that frghtiul neuralgia again
after any extra exertlon. Oh no doubt they
were making us much nss over my disap-
poarancc az II they really cared what became
OF mo. laughed bitterly Perhaps my
uncle did caro- little. lilo had loved his
sister.
hal no doubt that my pursuers wero on
my trail and asked myself whether my
safest plan woro TO lie still or take 10 flight.
decided on tho former course Tho next
Instant ovory fairy tale had ever heard
seemed to arise before me, for looked upon
an object such as It soomcd to mo could only
DO part OF tho mysterious world in which
afVna and ,.ahIIna piay vol THAR fupfa
The creature was about two feet high, and
was drosacd In rod frocS and wore queer
} liulo bonnet covered with gilt braid. II
seemed to DO carrying lantcrn, md II
7 stopped as II hobhlod along. It had tho as
: pect Of a wicked fairy, bat ita face was
strangely dolciul, and It made whimperlng
noise at intervals. And now perceived that
u chain was fastened to a belt about It's waist
( and that the lantern was tied to its mock. II
4 WIS monkey. dressed much as organ
+ grinders dress tho little creatures who oc-
D company them, and the end of tho chain was
= clutchod in tho hand OF an old black woman
saw the hand perfectly and remarked thai
I tho ilngors wcro covered with rings.
! Instead OF being ut all alarmed, / burs
d into laugh. 60 ahood r. / cried, mthci
! HISTORICALLY, "you can't hurt me, Pm bligh,ct
a alreRdyw
chucklc was the response TO my speech
y The old woman camo ncars, and l saw tina
Q her face rcsombled that Of the monkey, ant
that she wore rod bandanna turban whicl
: completely covered hcr WOOL and gowr
y made OF such chintE as old-tnshionod house
o wives used for crtains-a thin materln
u with glaze upon It, and always In immons,
Il patterns. This was covered with pcaeocki
i with Wide spread tails. and between cael
. peacock was large, red cabbage roso an,
n three green leaves. The ground was blue
a Tho lantern, on a level with the old woman
l. kneos as the monkey chung to her gown 70
protection, revealed all this to me-
h "pat a wench spoakin'Yh tho old crea,ur
l said, whom her mefrlmont permitted hor
l II say, reckon you spend do night in
d funny place. III, 'scuse me, miss, my eyes I
Q, mighty bad desc days. youis awhito younI
N lady, miss. 'Scuse mo. sartin. is ashainc O
t myself, speakin like dat to white folks
N Didn SEQ You before"
ID "Il excuse you" said I.
10 "'Scuse mo again, miss" said tho woman
n WBut hncrh,,o "a NVhIfa ,,nttns. lads, Nh. -,