The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-02

taken AS Haffa stood listening intently
LOT the breaking of twigs under the deer's
Feet he was profoundly surprised to hear
the notes of song in a clear. feminine
voice. The sounds seemed 20 come from
the direction of ledge of rocks. about
two rods away.
1t was a weird strange song, much like
the chant of a requiem, but the voice was
SO sweet that the hunter could do naught
out stand and listen. Literally at a loss
to explain the strange affair and half
frightened at having heard the uncanny
song. Haffa at first was impelled to hurry
away. Peering in the direction of the
rocky ledge he could discern a gray streak
OF smoke curling up between the trees
and he then concluded that a party of
campers must be tbunked" there during
their hunting expedition. Making his way
through an almost impenetrable thicket
of laurel and ground hemlock that hem
med in small stream between himself
and the ledge of rocks Haffa was treated
to greater surprise than was the song
when it broke upon his ears.
There, under a projecting rock that
formed roof, alongside a small fire, stood
woman whose diSheveled hair and tat
tered gown gave her the appearance of a
bag. She was evidently roasting something
over the fire, for every now and then she
poked the embers with stick, as though
She was a woman of about forty years,
quite tall and masculine in build with a
face wholly UMPIRE ossessing-eve repul-
sive.
The woman had drawn heavy sticks and
stood them together against the shelving
rock, forming a sort of rude, hovel-like
structure, for the covering of which she
used strips Of bark. All the while she
was cooking over the smoking embers she
kept humming that weird, old tune, much
like the song a witch might sing over her
pot of herbs.
She was bare-headed, her matted, coarse
hair hanging in dishevelled rolls over her
back and shoulders. Her gown was torn
in strings about the breast and shoulders
and at the bottom it hung in rags about
her stockingless feet. The shoes she wore
were evidently mems shoes-heavy and
coarse, and showed the effects of much
wear and tear over the rocks and noun
tains A
Hidden as he was, back of a clump of
ground hemlocks, Haffa had an DISTRACTED
view of the hideous creature, and he
watched her fully twenty minutes. Sudden
ly, in shifting positions, his foot slipped,
and coming in contact with a half-rotten
stick, snapped the Dough in twain. Quick
as a flash the woman Strengthened up,
ceased her humming and scanned the
woods about her. Haffa says she looked
more like a WIG BEAST tnan human DelnS
as she stood giaring into space, her great,
piercing black eyes shifting from side to
side, and her attitude one of intense ex-
element and strain.
Haffa gave a low whistle. The woman,
evidently having grown suspicious, began
moving about, and shading her eyes with
her hands, looked into the recesses of
the forest. Haffa then Strengthened up
and advanced toward the creature, but
the sight of him sent her screaming down
the hillside like one possessed of devils
She was out of sight in minute, not
even stopping long enough to see whether
she was being pursued.
Haffa examined the rude shelter against
the rocks That the woman had slept
there was unmistakable, for the bed of
hemlock boughs showed the impress OF
her body. Three potatoes in the wood
ashes at the freside showed what the
woman had been cooking. Her abode
beneath the rocks gave evidence of hav-
ing been used for some time, as the
brushes were trampled and dead. 4
slightly-worn path led Off in the direction
that the woman had taken, but after fol-
lowing this rod. or two it ended abrupt
ly at the bank Of the stream. Here was
found a cup-shaped vessel made of birch
bark, and which had evidently been used
by the woman as a drinking-cup.