Bisbee daily review., 1903-01-31
THE TASK OF FLAX

' beautiful and good stepdaughter that she hated and wanted to get rid Of bst she didn't know how in the world she could get rid of her, so she went and asked the hen wife's advice.
 The hen wife says: "I'll tell you how you can get rid of her. There's an old church below, and no one ever yer spent the night in it and came out of il alive You order your stepdaughter to go and sit up in it all night. working flax, and she'll surely be dead in the morning"
 Home the mother went, and she or 6ered her stepdaughter to get ready and go off that night to work task of fax in the old church, and for fear that she might escape whatever should hap pen to her in the church during the night she put very great task of fax before her that fifty women couldn't do in one night and threatened to have her life in the morning if she did not have it done.
 The poor girl took her wheel and all with her that night and went off to the church and sat down and began her work.
 But she wasn't long sitting at her work when she heard great noise. and in there came great, wild looking ghost, and he sat down on the seat be side her and said that he wanted his feet washed and his hair combed, for they hadn't been washed or it hadn't been combed for TOO years.
 "Oh, then. poor fellow" she says, "I'm sorry for you, and I'll surely help you all l can"
 So she laid her flax aside. and she washed his feet and combed his hair very, very nicely indeed.
 And when she had finished the ghost said: Tn TOO years I've never met as good girl as you. Can I do anything for yOu?'
 Well" said she. I've a stepmother who isn't good to me and has put be fore me this night a task that fifty women couldn't do, but l don't know whether or not you can help sne. I've all that flax you see there to work and have woven into cloth before morning
 'Sit down at your ease there.' says the ghost. says he, and I'll soon do this task for you"
 Sc he took breaker that was seven miles long and broke the fax; be then took a scratching handle seven miles long and a block seven miles wide and scutched it: he then took a clOve that was seven miles long and clOved iJ, and he took hackler that was seven miles long and hackled it. and wheel that was seven miles high and spun #, and q reel that was seven miles round and reeled it, and loom that was seven miles wide and woye it into cloth.
 And when he had all this done he gave her a comb that every time she should put it into her hair would cont q bag of gold dust out of it.
 In tine morning early, when the moth CT came to the church to see if she was dead. she was astonished to find her there alive and well, with all of her task done and all the fax made into cloth, and to see her with this comb. combing a bag of gold dust out of Ter hair.
 She asked her how she had worked all the fax and how she had come by the comb, and she told the stepmother that a ghost came and worked the fax for her and presented her with the comb.
 When the stepmother heard and saw this, she said she would give her own daughter a chance in the church that night. so that she might get such val uable comb too So on the next night she sent her own daughter to the church with a task of fax.
 The daughter hadn't been long sit- ting at her work when the wild big ghost came in and sat down beside her and asked her to wash his feet and comb his hair. for it hadn't been done for TOO years before.
 But she told him that she was no sculliOn to wash his feet or comb his hair and that she would be very sorry to do it. and the ghost struck her down with his hand. and she was dead.
 When the mother came before day had dawned in the morning to find 1T she had done her work and got the golden comb. the ghost was there wait ing for her and struck her down win his hand and left her dead beside her daughter.
 But the good girl who had been kind 10 him thrived and prospered from that day. and it wasn't long till she married
 f.rl iYfs and lived happy ever after.