Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-09
THE WITCH HARE

81
Seein twas my avn CERT gran'faithei
what fust heard the story from the very
lips of Gammer Bassett, theer bant nu
partickler call for disbelievin it, as !
can see.
We'll, Gammer BaSsett wis comm
home from the Tavistock market. awver
Whitchurch down. when what should
her hear but the tantara of horn.
bowed 50 clear as Il bell, an the bay of
hounds in full cry, Then theer suddenly
strcaked along somethin gray, wi fright
| ened eyes an sides all wet with sweat.
An the beast jumped up pom top of Il
stone wall, right long side Mother Bas-
sett. where she rode her pony. They
had pannieFs in them days, the ways hein
too rough most places for anything wi
wheels. So a sudden thought takes the
. aud woman. III, be gormcd if she didn I
pop out her hand an catch the hare for
I hare it was. She catched un by the
ears an popped un in the pannier, an the
beast peared TO know as twas her awnly
! chance o salvation an bided SO quiet as
Il tame cat. while gammer she pushed
! on her pony no doubt had a fine
thought of Il jugged hare come Sunday.
Twas eyenin time by all accounts
an lonesome part the road when the
horn went again, an afOre she knawed
| it the auld woman seed CERT pack o
! black hounds come a-tearin out the gran
/ ite pom Pew Tor, as she passed near by
| on her way home. Black as the bottom
of bog they was. wi ruby red eyes an
| thin tails as trembled like whips O. fire.
| Course she knawed them for devils
| hounds, as anybody might, an, sure
enough, theer coined a coal black chap
arter 'em, an he sat upon a horse wi'out
no head, an the dame seed as his left
foot We're cloven in the stirrup. Devil
or not, he weern't smart enough 10 knaw
she'd foXed un an had the game hid in
her pannier. for he coined up in & very
gcntlemanly way an axed if she'd
CHANGED to see Il hare pon the way.
Dame, shiveI'in for fear. reckoned as
weern't no CERT harm to give the father
o. lies wan in his avn coin. so her ups
an sez herd seen nothin O. the sort at all.
An the devil thanked her so civil as need
be an blawed his horn an was gone wi
his dogs an his varmint of horse afore
she'd time tn cross her bosom or say a
prayer.
Then, thinkin guide deal pom such
strange thing, Gammer Bassett went
along till she seed the lights O Meri-
vale, where she lived.
Presently the moon rose awver the
moor edgge, whereupon CHANGED 'mazin
thing; for no sooner had the light failed
in the pannier where thicky hare was
than up coined the lid. an, instead of the
hare, theer rose out a butivul gal-so
bowerly maid as ever you see-all
dressed in white, wi gold band across
the forehead o her, an her hair corn
color under the moon, an her eyes, so
gammer said to my rt-grandfaither.
brighter'n the evenin star.
Mother Bassett seed as twas enchant-
ments an set herself to her prayers all
she knawed; but the white lady spoke in
a pleasant fashion o. voice, an this is
what she said: Aud woman. fear not
when | tell you l be a spirit not O. this
airth. For many thousand years / have
been doomed to pay for IL crime done in
my youth, an have had to fly awver the
moor, from Whitchurch to Cranmere
pool. in the shape of hare. while the
father o evil an his archangels, in
form o hounds, hunted me- But it was
decreed that if ever | could let them pass
me 10y an see their tails vanish in
the darkness my punishment should
cease. Today, by your help, this end has
been reached, an now / shall repair to
the hea vrnly mansions. But think not
that l lie ungrateful. I owe you many
thanks for your friendly help, an as it
is in my power to grant them, AK o. me
three favors an be sure that shall grant
them. Speak"
Course the young white lady spirit
didn't talk in my common way-for her
used the most butival words as ever
dame had heard-but that was the sense
of what she said. An ould woman she
scratched her ear an thoughted, an
thoughted. an wished her might have
had more time to consider such a CERT |
matter. But she was full O. mother wit
by all accounts. an soon had her wishes
ready.
''Savin your presence" she sez, 'if |
you'm in earnest an not havin joke wi |
me. I'll AK these three thinggs-fust be |
pleased to let my hens lay twice so many
eggs as any other body's.'
The white lady nodded
Second, I'll thank e to let my cows |
yield twice so much milk as any other |
body's cows"
The white lady NODDED again.
Third, as you'll kindly give me a |
sharper tongue in my dealin's wi my |
auld man; for it's which he should WI |
us most times. an / allus have the worst |
on it,
The white lady said:
''Henceforth you shall always get the
better of your good man with your
tongue. And one word more. You have
outwitted the devil, Gammer Bassett,
and he is one who never forgives an in
jury. Therefore be cautious, and look
to it You give him no chance or opportu-
nifty to be even with you. Farewellw
Then the maiden vanished like a moor
mist fore breath o. wind, an Gammer
trudged home.
Fust word she heard on getting theer
was hard wan from her husband for
bein so late; but she'd got a harder
ready for him. an from that day ever
to the wan when Gammer
buried the old bid, he found he'd met his
match an more'n his match in her
tongue. Never was heard such razor
words to Merivale afore. An same wi
the fowls and the milk cows. The
ghost, or whatever twas, kept her word
by Gammer, an the eggs she got an the
'mazin showers O. milk her cows giyed
was wonder O. the countryside for
years an years.
That's the tale just as my gert-gran'-
father told my father, an / can't see as
got any call not to b'lieve it,
for never none feared lie worse'n my
CERT gran father An as to repeatin
such a thing, 'tweern't in the nature Of
the man to do it.-Black and White
Evidence of Ability.