The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-29

"Ain't this little ont heauty She'll
go closer TO tbs WIND than anything her
size in Nautucket. /big enough. too.
fCr me. My Gov. ror.hss pre'emptied her
for the whole fleet. See we're past the
breakwater already. Luff her bit,
Capn. That's right. "Of course l
aidn't believe in 'em when | came here.
City boys never do, the first summer. No
witches in mine, thank you, l told 'en.
Thought it was the biggest cock and
bull story l ever heard Of. Gov v'nor ditto.
Goes in hsavy Tor science and that sort
OF thing. the Rov'no does and I'd about
decided he didn't believe in much OF any
thinR-oxcept the laws of nature. The
gov was great on the laws of nature.
Used TO be. Wish YOU could have seen
him, though. the day we went out and
saw the hoodoo. Worst broken-up man
you ever set eyes on. Blue In the fhce,
and couldn't talK straight hardly. You
SEQ the laws of nature somehow didnt
work.
Speaking OF blue, amt this the peach
OF day for bluefishy Keep your course,
Cap'n Peak. She's running right enough,
and we've smelt spray before. That
witch business No, 1t didn't woirg me
the way IL did the guv'nor. l WASH
bothering about the laws or nature my
seif. But by the Lord Harry, il aid beat
ali tho funny business any body ever heard
uf Spooky That's no name for IL. Glad
4 saw the thing; but you'll. take III to
I'm mighty respectful TO witches now
adays. Best not To monkey with them.
And that's just where Farmer ellison
missed his bearings. Took the wrolg
tack and steered right into that bOuuoo
with his eyes wide open. But ellison was
ono OF those cross grained cads that live
Iretty much by themselves, aud soak up
too much hard cider and quarrel with
all their neighbors. Used TO come out
with u double Darreled shotgun To drive
us boys off his cranberry marsh. 30 he
hadn't any more sense, than Co pick a
quarrel with regular ont and out old
fashioned witch.
She was a thoroughbred in the witch
business. was old Granny Fouinob. Fart
Injun, thev said. Sho was long and thin
anu warped and hobbIed About With two
canes; looked pretty much like dis
mnntled skeleton with old sailcloth
shrunk over it. Her hair-what she bad
left-sbowed strenky white and tawny;
her nose was "a sort of bowsprit affair;
and the eyes under tboes wilted lids OF
Aers looked like snake 5 when he's she'd
ding his skin. Wasn't she a good one
TO let aloneY The crows never came
within forty rods of her; and most folks
that knew her were sbyer than the crows.
I've heard em say she hadn't any
shadow. " she hadn't she made up for
II all right, later on.
'She lived way over in Monomoy, in
little black hen coop of house. like
these you see at Sconset-same sort they
say the folks used to haul about with
oxen, two or three miles at "a squirt when
they weren't satisfied with the site. IL
stood on a rise of ground; and for all 10
was so small, IL had on top one of those
odd-lookiug observation pla forms-w
the women used ito climb up and watuh
the sea when the boats didn't get in on
schedule time and things began to grow
worrisome. Most had railing round
'em. but this one hadn't. ana the stairs
that lea up Co it were steep and narrow
as u ladder. L got glimpse Inside the
day we lugged her home.
That house must have been older than
Ben Franklin. 1t stood out in the
middle of the field-there wasn't road
anywhere near; but 10 had It's little door
yard just the same. shut in with board
fcnue and full or lilacs and things. Some
OF the plants had n queer smell and didD t
seem to grow anywhere else. 1heyre all
dead now, except some Scotch heather that
spread through the scrubs Noticed a
patch of that yesterday, way over by
HuInmock Pond.
when the fish wouldn't bite and the
chimneys wouldn't draw, and the bread
wouldn't rise, and the babies had tan.
truBs and would squall, everybody said
IL was Granny Quinch's uoings. Folks
said she made little clay babies anu
named 'em and stuck pins in EN- and
cast spells that way. When the wind
was bad you pretty generally saw her
hanging out on that observatory of hers;
and they all agreed sho was witchinR
tho weather. And when the little OLD
narrow gauge. penny-ante railway to
Sconset was partly washed away along
the south Shore one winter, some of 'em
said that was witch work, too; though
the sea Is caving in the sand all the time
along there.
NO Granny wasn't popular, and
that's right; but people were too dead
afraid of her to do thing Once. after u
spell of bad fishing. some fellows went
out and smashed in her windows-uueer
little panes about as big as your hand
and two Of 'em were drowned that same
season. Then they let her alone mostly !;
and II she asked 'em for anything she
didn't ask twice.
II SEQ Cap'n Peck is getting the lines
ready. You take this side Swing the
hook round your head. this way, and
throw 10 out fer as you can. so.
''Msll, Granny Quinch owned n few
acres OF no-account land about her house.
and her poor rag OF IA farm joined on to
Gilson's Close To the line she had ono
of those unpleasant little family grave
yards. with rusty iron pickles round It,,
and three or four gray, Staging lead
stones, with cheru bs and weeping will
lows and such old fashioned stuff. One
bad a rhyme. 1t read:
'JOBONE QUINCH.
Born March 3 lT7l
Died November i3, 1929.
AS am now
So thou shalt be.
Prepare thy soul
To follow me
That was her father, they said-drown-
ed years ago. right here on the Rip and
washed ashore over yonder.
Amt it jolly the way we 20 sliding
thpga /
always rough here-but so much the bet
ter for blueiish. ss...sf.
"Gilson didn't like that chunk Of Gem
etery right under his bedroom windows
and don't blame him. He went to tho
Town Committee and tried to have il
moved, but couldn't get anything done.
Then he insisted the graveyard was rea. ly
on his land, ami he and Granny get into
one Of those everlasting boundary line
squabbles. Finally he came to Nantucket
village To get old Ribbin TO prove the
survey. so kibbln got out his Jacob atf
and compass; and rs i knew a thing or
two about survey ing-passed exams. IN
trig. the spring before--and they wanted