Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-11-03
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
By HARDWOOD BRIEFLY. ,
:. -Copyright, 1925 Z
T DAN JURDIE, wife of Clement

1 OSAA> wiz ~ SANA.SAA
u Jurdie, of Rossington, was &C
cused of being a witch. She was after
wards heard to say she would be even
with William Dolfin and William Vain
wright for having slandered her char
acter. Within IA days Dolfin had an OK
fall sick, then a steer, then a cow.
Joan Jurdie was made to appear be-
fore Mayor Childers and other justices
at D. to answer for these and other
works of darkness. Joan denied every
charge, and eventually she was al
lowed to escape the dire legal penalty
of witchcraft, although for long time
she was given a wide berth by the vii
layers of Rossington.
1t seems that William Dolfn's
daughter, Marian, had no fear of the
village witch. Quite unknown to her
parents she visited the ancient body
often, not with intention of deriving
any benefit from her craft or of de-
priving her of the same, but rather
from the good motive of befriending
one in years who was surrounded by
enemies. In fact, Marian Dolfn nursed
Joan during two consecutive nights,
when, neither for love nor money, no
body else would have lifted hand to
save her from dishonored grave. On
this and other occasions William Dol
fin knew nothing different than that
she was asleep in her own good bed,
with the room door bolted inside to
keep out the very familiar form of the
witch, who, in fact had become a second
mother to her. Joan, of course, was
not prepossessing of appearance, and
Marian was not absolutely certain
that she was the doer of good deeds,
but she never allowed anything to
tyrannize over her senses of duty.
Conscience seemed to tell her that she
must be the neglected old souls COM
forter, and all would turn out right in
the end. Marian dared not be seen go
ing there by daylight, so she went
stealthily under cover of night, and,
contrary to what everybody else in
the village could have believed, always
found Joan sitting placidly at home,
without even the companion of black
cat or a white hare.
Mother Jurdie, are you as bad as
they make you out to ?" questioned
Marian Dolfn. naively. ...-.
Did her only comforter lack conf
dence in her? Mother Jurdie looked
sadly put out by this thought. NAY.
Marian" said she, a little plaintively,
you cannot think I am, surely?"
"But," pursued the girl, there must
be some reason for their suspec ting
you of witchery.''
'''You are right, my dear. It is be-
cause I look like witch, and because
since I came here many things have
happened to go. wrong, and because /
do not associate with other folk nor
do as they do"
'Your looks you cannot alter, moth
er. But did you never do anything
really wrong?'
"Of course | did, and, to my knowl-.
edge, one thing only. I did it for thy.
sake, Marian; all for thy sake
For my sake. How now?''
''Well, I threatened old Corney that
if he did not leave me all his money
I would bewitch him. He said, in his
fears and trembles, I might have it
when he had done with it, If I would
only allow him to live out his time in
peace. AS: We know. he is long ago
dead and buried. foresaw that the
child Marian Dolfn would be my only
friend and daughter in the years to
come, so in this way found the means
to provide for her.
20, Mother Jurdie," exclaimed the
surprised girl, "if my father knew, he
would swear you had practiced some
witchery in order to raw me to you
y Would he? AT any rate,
Marian, I have thee safe enough now,