The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-04-20

certain DFdHcn Oh tne MoiSS, INV
spelled Morse, family. which first dwelt
in Newbury. The writer has only
changed the record somewhat from the
old style OF expression so that is might
be more ineligible.
Goodman Moss was my grandfather.
lie was saying almost every day that
] was Vile rogue and should come
10 no good. L soon got so hardened
that j used 10 think 1 did not want 10
come TO any good, for IL seemed TO me
that, however righteous i might get
To be, no person would ever give me the
credit, on account OF the bad name
which had been given TO me. III was
even so bad that, when any neighbors
came i'm they would ask my grand
mother. How IL the vile rogue | felt
sure this enraged her and made her
have pity on me, but thought she was
in such fear OF her husband that she
only shook her head and answered that
she and her good man prayed for Asa
shur every day. but the Lord had not
yet seen tit ~ haar-those- petitions.
She used often TO look sadly at me
and shake her head and say:
Poor motherless boy. or foor
fatherless boy!"
once she put her hand on my hair and
did stoop down and kiss my forehead.
A warm drop splashed on my face.
was greatly moved. / ran out into the
large barn and put myself on the hay.
where / wept for a long time, ana i
made many good resolves that L wouli
never be wicked any more. But when
my grandfather would bid me do a
piece of work and would point To a
strip of oxhide that hung up on the
kitchen wall ready To be used if did
not serve him faithful, then the devil
would seem To take possession ana
something would burn inside me. felt,
| was sure, as they said the imps felt.
l often heard the preacher tell on the
holy sabbath how those creatures had
n dreadful enjoyment OF evil deeds.
| used TO wish that the goodman
would not point TO the oxhide, for the
motion kindled such fire i'm my bosom.
My grandmother never seemed TO see
when he did that. | came TO notice at
last that whenever the hide was laid on
10 me she hastened quickly out into the
fields IL was as IL she went for fagots
for she bore load when she returned.
But / never cried out when the lash
fen. though my heart was as hard as
iron md as hot az the melted lead
wherewith | used To make bullets for
my grandfather's musket had
great longing to oyt that musket at
some Of the game 4 saw In the wood
back OF our house. Though was turned
seventeen years OF age l was always
forbid.
| fretted myself that I was so small
for my years, but l could find no way
by which to make myself to grow. The
time was 10 come when l was 10 thank
God that | had not grown like other
youth but lit was a sore trial 10 me
then. used TO read the Bible whenev-
er / could thinking Ii might teS' me
how to grow, but when / came TO the
place where IL says we cannot add one
cubt to- our stature, then i gave up
reading entirely, save when i was COM
manded to do so.
We lived on the edge OF NewbGry
town. i'm Massachusetts. We were very
far from any other house and three
miles from the meetng-house. My
grand parents used 10 ride there every
Sabbath on the fat brown mare. |
walked beside them. They never went
beyond a foot's pace, not thinking IL
seemly on the holy day. l often
wished they would trot on SO that |
might turn aside and look at tracks
on the snow in winter or birds nests in
summer. My grandmother sat with
her arm about her husband. She would
sometimes smile gently at me, and then
l would be greatly cheered, without
knowing why.
After we had gone a space we would
and afoot, all going To the meeting
house. There was little talk passed be-
tween them. only grave mods
/ remember one Sabbath day as plain
ly as y an earthquake had happened.
But there is not much to tell about It.
The people we saw on the road had
strange looks on their faces. They
gazed sharply as If suspecting each
other Of some sin.
There was tall house i'm Newbury
with "A long porch running back. That
day when we went by that house L
heard my grandmother saying a pray
or To herself and she averted her head
so she should not see the building.
This set me all agog with curiosity;
but there was no one | could question
until we came into the yard of the
meeting house. where | met boy
named Israel Shoks. We skunk behind
a wall long enough for me TO ask him
what was the matter. He pulled a
terrible long face and said witches
had been thick as midges all over the
old colony, and how they had come to
our town He told me that-el4--tetllll
house on the road back a ways was
witch house. He himself had seen
with his own eyes n woman with blue
fire all round her sail right down the
chimney Hearing this tale my unbc-
lief and rage were so great that IL / had
Dttn Digger 4 SIlouil nave MT MN nn
the head. | did tell him that "A liar
would go into burning birthstone
whereat he laughed at me- and said H.
knew of "a few tricks that were as goo1
as any witch could play. And he told
me of one that struck me 50 | thought
I would try IL some day. especially "a
! saw that, II every queer thing We're
to be laid 20 q strange cause. I should
run little risk OF being found out.
Though Israel was n wicked boy, fear
me ! was nearly as wicked as he.
While We were talking 7 heard nv
crandfather's voice calling "Asshur."
in n terrible way. The color must have
gone from my face as I started. for Is
racl Knocked az me and said he would
not he such n coward. and as for him,
ho was afraid " nobody
! was silly enough To- believe him. but
Beware Of 0intments For CsiaHh That
Contain Mercury.