The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-01-12
was changing slowly into the purple
hues OF twilight The illusory bright
ness had vanished Sybil' s dream was
CHOPTER XII.
Witches, Cave,

sly mar Son Of the Gives, ran a dark
ravine. SO wild and lonesome in it's
wooded depths as to defy the most
venturesome speaker of the pictur-
esaue from exploring it's recesses.
A little stream braWling through a
rocky channel, made the spot musical
with it's clamor; but beside the gurgle
and splash of the waters, the MARBLE
OF the wild bird that could trin unbrok>
en- melodies from it's sequestereds nest,
and the hum Of a thousand lower cred
lures Of the wood, no sound was heard
in the darksone hollow, that seemed a
! bit of Natures rebellion against the
tanning hand Of man. 81 4
And yet the hand of man had thrust
itself even there. In the darkest cen
ter of the ravine, where the tangled
vines and sturdy underground made
approach almost impossible-at a spot
Where the little streanlet. widening
into a tiny crystal lake, seemed to
! sleep for a moment ere it hurried. on to
meet the sweeping riyer-was a
strange structure, half-natural. half
artificial. known by the ominous title
of the witches Cave.
The cave itself was deep but mar
row assure. the bed, perhaps, of some
long-dry streamlet, and was popularity
supposed to stretch, by its many rami-
flcatiODs. for miles beneath the surface
of the surrounding hills. j.
Just at it's opening was built a rude
hut, of rough-heWn logs, so overgrown
with vines and MOSES as to be scarce
~ distinguishable from the work Of
nature around it.
1t was twilight Of the second even
ing after SYPHILIS swoon. and an old
woman sat beside the few embers on
which she was preparing her evening
meal-so old, and dry and withered a
creature that it was impossible to de-
fine her race or color.
Her skin was Of a sort of ashen-gray, ,
and scanned and wrinkled almost Out
of human likeness; her cheeks and lips
had long ago fallen in around her
toothless gums; her grizzled eyebrows
met above the two sunkem sockets,
within which there burned, with a
strange, unnatural fire, pair of fierce
black eyes.
She wore a coarse, though clean, cot
ton dress of a blush color, and the few
gray locks 4 that escaped from the
snowy turban on her head were stiff
and straight.
tAs she sat stirring the mixture on
her fire. with a forked stick, and Groom
ing to herself some queer old rhyme,
she might have easily passed for one
of those 'sweird women who, cursed
with unnatural power, live and die
outcasts from their kind.
All around seemed to carry out the
ideas suggested by her appearance.
The: *only furniture in the hut were 4
couple Of rude stools, a huge, fiat
stone, that might have either for altar
Or table. and the mats that were doubt.
less intended for the old woman's bed.
Strange skins Of all descriptions
hung from the rafters-snakes'- andliz
.Eafsr S6 Ne aas s9arrels and deerg;
bundles of herbs were drying in every
corner; while, most remarkable Of all.
from the center of the rough ceiling
hung a huge stalactite, that caught the
red glimmer Of the fire and flung it
back over the room in sort Of lurid
glow.
Suddenly the old woman lifted her
head, with the quick, startled move
ment of a wild creature of the wood.
She had heard: a step, though the light
football. that scarce rustled the fallen
leaf. could be distinguished by no 9th
er ears.
I For moment she listened, then. nod
din" her head several times, began
stirring the porridge again.
"It is her-ha, halt is her." NUT
| tered the ill-omened old being, with q
| disccrdant laugh. "Shed like to keep
away from old Rizrah if she could,
but she can't. The spell is on her. in
her blood. and in her bones and in her
heart. 1t was born in her. and it was
bred in her. and she can't get away
from it with all her book-learning and
her knowledge. She has to come back
to old Rizpah at last" ...
Even as she spoke, slight form
Swallowed the threshold-a young girl
with a soft, white mantle flung over
her muslin dress. and the CaUuchi1
hood drawn over head and shoulders
entered the hut, and, f1inging away the
temporary disguise, displayed the pale
exquisite features and floating hair OF
Sybil Wraye.
''Rizrah, u.s. father here?' she asked
breatElessly.
There was no answer. The old wo-
man continued her low grooming, as
E.though> sheseould not hear.
"Ripah,' repeated Sybil, in a louder
vcice-'Rizpah! can you not hea]
n,e?'
Il hear you," was the quiet rejoin
! der. "Lcok around you. Can you SCI
him here? RizDah has no parlor o.
drawing room, wherein honored guests
can watt ~ -..,l .--s-s.
"Ah, YOU are cross this evening!
i said Sybil in gentle Toice. care vol
suffering, RiZpah?' ,. -,
! cat eighty one is always suffering,
/ was the reply; 'sbut no more than com
mon-no more than co1nmOm.' z
4 ST have been sick myself-a little
said Sybil. sinking down on the deer
skin mat before the fire. They CAV,
me medicine that made me forget my
self and it frightened me. / wa
7 afraid that I might have said some
thing that-that-B papa is safe
You are sure he is safe, Rizpah 2"
! 'Safe enough was the old woman
!. answer ssWhy do you fear for him
child? Have I not read his fate
: thousand times in the silent stars, il
the running waters, in the whispering