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

Worst funk ever 1 was in.
- But when the hour came | started
ana as i reached the top OF the bridge !
saw Granny, along way of, waiting by
the grave, waving her arms In the
moonlight. After all, that WAS better
than having 10 wait for her thero alone.
She had the big olew of black throad by
her: 10 hung on old .Jobone's tombstone
Ike blot Sho made one end fast 10
the stake hibbin had drivn down in the
middle OF the graveyard, ana then we
began TO trao3 back the lines Of Gilson's
survey. | went ahead ana she followed.
letting the thread reel OIL her arm as she
orawied along. AS fast as l found the
stakes she came NJ ana gave the thread
twist round each one. mumbling all the
WI lie. Iujun stuff, l fancy.
1--WE didn't go very fast. but in about
an hour and n half we got back Co the
grave, aud the black thread was stretched
like strand of spiders web all around
Gilsop's farm; IL lay behind Us In the
moonlight like the sharp shadow OF a wire
under an electric light.
She was standing by the stake with
the END OF the clow in her hand; was
just inside the circle Get out OF that,
Larry Applethorpe, she cried, suddenly;
and rs she spoke she stoopeh. l Shot
ucross the line like a frightened dog;
clond went over the moon; knew somt-
thing had happened, l didn't know what.
screamed Granny. Go quick, ana get 10
bed Rum
II ran. / ran oil the way round TO our
cottage on Brant Point, ana tumbled into
bed and pulled tho sheet over my head,
ana lay In cold sweat After little the
crazy feeling wors off, hut L couldn
sleep; l thrashed about like whale on
shoai and my head was boiling like
Granny's kettle. By the time the first
CLINT Of honest daylight began TO make
things look like themselves again, cur
iosity had the best of it; so | slipped out
through the window, dropped down from
the yeranda roof ana headed for Mouo-
moy. Kowed straight across the harbor
this time In an old Swampscot doIy,
beaohed her and ran up the hill
When came IN sight OF ellison 5 farm
well, what brought me up standing
was that l didn't come in sight OF IL aJ
al There was GTannys cottage all right,
and hor yard, and her potato match, and
hUr half of tho graveyard. but everything
inside her black boouoo lin5 had simply
dropI ed out-or it looked that way. Gill
SONS farm was as dark as midnight in a
coal mine.
II ran down till l camo near the edge
then j went slow. You could sec right
across to the further side, but you couldn't
see any thing on the farm except sort
OF shadow where the house and barn
loomod up. The place didn't look exactly
like u pit nor exactly like pool-though
above it was a sort of haze reaching away
up into rhs sky--like what they call tha
sun drawing water. was afraid to step
over the hrink-it dropped of so sheer
ana looked so sbsky-so / got a long pole
and prodded And then | fairly shouted.
l was so astoDished. For the pole hit SOLID
ground: Gilson's faro was there, just the
same rs always, only you couldn't see
bit Of it 10 make dead sure, / cfawleu
=. "A nod mi
That took nerve. let me tell you for IL
seemed IKE the verge OF a precipice.
Well, sir. | could feel the turf and stoues
and ei rth, and 1 could see my hand grip
ping tlem, but j otudn't teo thing
that / was touching. Within the old
witohs circle all the light lat fell from
heaven was quencheu like snow lakes
that fall on black water.
Think the wind Is filling, Cap'ny
Make the harbor IL you possibly can.
We don't want any lying out becalmed
here In sight OF home and dinnei.
well, l didn't stop to investigate any
further Just then l hustled tack 20 the
village anu gave the alarm. Pretty soon
all Nantucket was out in the fields, star
ing at the big black Eolu that wasn't
hole at all-eyary man and woman in the
gang explaining M itteTs TO everybody
else; all except me that really knew Int
tie about the business, but Kept mighty
mum. and my gov nor, who saw that his
laws of nature were beat-lust literally
beat ont of siRht-and couldn't find word
of excuse fer 'em, He was the cleyerest
man there, and the worst ratified. You
sea- he knew the thing was simply impos-
sible; and there IL WAS right in front Of
him life size and present. tense. The rest
mostly called It witchGraft and let IL go
at that. | lot it go ut that myself; II
you know "a things so, what's the good
Of arguing!
We'll, the boodoo stayed right there,
and the crowds that went To see it swelled
every day. &c was the biggest thing in
Nantucket while il lasted; drew more
visitors than all tee other attractions
Jumped together. The hotel men We're
beginning 20 advertise 10 anu they d have
given Granny pension If thev could have
found her. But they couldn't find her
1 don't doubt she was in there some
where, spooking about in the dark, Llack
as tire rest OF it. ellison had vanished,
| too, but snynody could guess where no
! was, the way he'd been going on since the
/ row ut the grave, Ii was likely to take
| him week or SO 20 discover that any
! thing particular had happened. There
| was no evidence that he wasn't in his
| house soaking. and II he was nobouy
! cared to bother him.
Ana still the peope kept coming. More
! would have come tnGn uid II so many
| haan' & sizeu up the newspaper reports as
I "a idkb SeES1llon. III laCb nOSl vi lht
| papers treated tine matter in bazy, hesi-
! tating way, even after their reporters
! had Deen on the ground. and many didn'
! d6r5 print half the truth. Even so, all
! the fields around the hoodoo were trodden
! bare as "a common, and the owners were
| getting ready To put up fences and charge
! admission; oil bat granny, who was miss
! ing the opportunity of her iife-it she was
alive. Finally the town committee mad
| 20 set watchmen TO prutect her property
they d have carried her house of piece
meal, and they were Deignnng TO chip
| the feadstoDes.
"Slow sailing. isn't IL? We're barely
| drifting now, but never mind; Wei
make it vet in time for dinner.
Before the end nf the week some
scientific chaps came down TO investigate
Ihoy were nervy sort too, and walked
| right into tho middle Of this hoOdoC
| without CULVER. After they came out
they said that whom man was in there
he could see the sun and the sky and the
! light shining OH mis- body but he couldn'
see the ground ms was walking on, moi
/ 4. H. -