The Monticellonian., 1902-12-18
A Night Ride with Witches

TT HERE was lull in the conversa- ton. and then the thin man who was afraid to go home at Il ght after certain hour said:
 Fl see by the papers that they be- lieve in witches down in West Nir- ginia."
 That's nothing" abruptly declared the Missouri colonel; "so do l."
 "Straight?' said the man who lived at the club Get out"
 The thin man shivered and the others laughed.
 straight" said the colonel, that's the word for it. If any man on earth has right to believe in witches l have"
 Did you ever see witch" inter rogated the little fat stock broker.
 Did l ever see witch ?" replied the colonel, disdanfully. Dozens of them. That's not all; I've kept company with them"
 "IIere. herel" broke in the clubman.
 "Whv," continued the colonel "when I was a lad on my daddy's farm witches were thick everywhere. They were in the house nearly every night, especial Iv fl the night was windy and dark, and sometimes they cut up high jinks. We boys often woke np on cold nights shivering and sneezing to find every last thread of the cover off on the floor. Many time the witches ate every pie in the cupboard and all the cake and jelly. l remember once 1 got pair of new trousers and I was so proud couldn't stand still in them. We'll. sir. l wore them one day, and when l took them off that night l carefully hung theu on the back of s chair by my bed. When l went 60 >put them on the next morning they were snagged and ripped. Awitch had worn them.
 "The witches would ride the horses and cows and even the hogs. It was common thing to get up in the morn ing and find the horses tired and hun grv and their tails muddy. We could tell when they'd been ridden from the witch stirrups in their mane. Ere auently the cows would be so tired theY couldn't give milk, and more than once I was kept awake all night by the hogs squealng and trying to get away from the witches.
 At last they got so bothersome had @ turn detective and make study of them. Once our cows stopped giv- ing milk. Ne turned them in the clover field and fed them bran and re- sorted to all known tricks to keep mileh COW in good humor, but not a drop could we get. They were be- witched.
 "One day I followed the cows to the pasture and it turned out just as expected. Directly an old woman came along, and as soon as 1 saw her darted behind tree She stopped in front of the cows and, taking cut piece of broken blue bottle glass. looked at them through it. all the time mumbling to herself.
 "I followed the old bag home. and. waiting for a good chance, l slipped in on her unexpectedly and made the sign of the cross. which renders a witch powerless while you are in it's pres ence l hit the nail on the head that time In the corner of her ricketv old shanty hung a long towel from which milk was dripping. dripping tantly into big chnrn beneath. That was where our milk was going.
 "I rushed at the old woman and marked a cross on her with the fore finger of my left hand. which broke the spell on our cows. Then ran out of the door and up the road. Looking back l saw her pulling her hair and jumping up and down in a rage That night our cows gave nearly two gal Ions of milk each"
 "The colonel's either had too much or not enough" interrupted the stock broker.
 That's nothing" resumed the colo mel; "once l was in love with a girl who was witch. She was as pretty as peach-soft brown eyes, dimpes, budding lips, and all that. l was out hunt! one day and spied a pretty young lawn with horns that looked like gold. shot at 1t and shot at it and shot at it. and each time it would leap away and then look at me as though laughing. knew it was a witch, so L, went home and nodded a silver bullet (ont of a silver dollar I took from mothers walleD, the only kind of bullet that will kill witch When returned the fawH was gone That evening went to spark the little giri with the brown eyes; what do you