The Newtown bee., 1900-12-14

1nV1e1Ol0 1A0QS ana cAItl60 Wlt0 QWet but resolute force to the roadslde ss easily as dozen strong men con1d have done 1t.
 A few moments later another startling circumstance was forced upon the stten- tion of the astounded onlookers. The coffin was elowly but steadily making its way through the snow, back along the way they had come, as if 1t would fain return to the old house on the hill whence 1t had just been brought. Even the most resolute minds HOW realized how futile would be any further attempts to carry out course of action antag. onistic to the expressed wishes of Han. nah Cranna. Though passed from earth her influence, in powerful, if intangible, form yet remained. The strange incl. dents of the past hour were discussed and theorizad upon, ad inflnitum, in low, awed tones, but no acceptable explana- tion was forthcoming. The ultimate unanimous concensus of opinion was that to further go counter to the post. humous will of this mysterious woman would be to invite, perhaps, some terrible and cAlamitous disaster. It was, there- fore, eventually decided to return with the body to the house and to start again from thence at an hour before sunset, I carrying the remains of the witch a she had dictated, thus fulfilling in every detail her last instructions a to the man. ner and time of her finsl disposition. The return was accordingly made with- out incident and at the appointed time, the co borne by six strong men, the march to the grave was again beguu, ,and concluded without suspicion of any thing extraordinary taking place. Just as all that was mortal of Hannah Cranns was lowerd to it's last earthly resting place the last fugitive rays of the winte sun, just disappearing from view be lev the western horizon, lit up brilliantly for an instant the little group gathered at the grave, then rapidly receded, faded. and the next instant were gone. A deep sigb of relief from every breast evidenced the relaxation from the nervous tension which the curious events of the day had engendered. Then the people quietly returned to their homes revolving In their minds problems which, had they but known 1t, the philosophers of all the ages have been unable to solve or in tho slightest measure to understand.
 Scarcely, that night, had the good people of lthe village closed their eyel in needed sleep, for they had remained up to m hour that was past all prece- dent for Stepney, discussing. pro and con, Hannah Cranns, her life, her singu- lar characterization, her death, when the cry of fire rang out upon the still night air. In moment almost, every man, woman and) child in tho village were upon the street ip various stages of dis. habille. In . small town fra will make any circus way back number in point of popular interest. When it was learned that Hannah's house was burning there was intense excitement and astonish- ment. It was we'll known that no one in the neighborhood for miles around would dare even appro oach the house after night fall. At first 1t was thought it might be tho work of tramps, but the heavy snow fall of the night before precluded the possibility of any of this gentry travel- ing about. In fact, had one appeared in the place he must have been seen by someone. There had been no fire In the house since it's owners death, as every body knew. It was pnaccountable, to say the least. Several were of the opinion, and many others coinclded vi h them, that Hannah Cranna, though sup posedly no more, had herselt returned and ignited the structure. She was cer- tainly capable of 1t, they argued. This theory was probably correct, as there are authentic accounts of her being seer, after her death. We shall speak of them later.
 TO BE CoNT1HUED IN MKT WEEK s ISSUE.