Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-11-08

dams was long since past, nut said
readily enough that would do rs she
wished, being in fact glad enough Of q
gallop in the moonlight, with the pros.
pect of meeting Mary. So in few
minutes was in the saddle and rid
ing toward jamestown. The night was
very bright with the moon, and there
was great mist rising from the
marshy lands, and such strangely pale
and luminous developments In the dis
tances of the meadows, marshaling
and advancing and retreating like COM
panies of specters and lingering as II
for consultation on the borders of the
woods, with floating draperies caught
in the boughs thereof, that one might
have considered danger from others
than Indians.
And indeed I often caught the note
Of an owl, and once one fitted past my
face and my horse SHE'D at the evil
bird, which is thought by the ignorant
to be but feathered cat and Of Ill
omen, and indeed is considered by many
who are wise to have presaged III Of
tentimes. as in the cases of the deaths
OF the Emperors Valentinian and Com
modus.
Be that as 1t may, I. having a pistol
with me, shot at the bird and. though
was as good shot as any there
about, missed, and away it flew. with
q great boot as Of laughter, which l
am ready to swear I heard multiplied
in IL t.'lce as II the bird were Joined by
IL whole company. and my horse SHE'D
again and would have bOlted had not
held him tightly.
Now, this which am about to re-
late am ready to swear did truly
happen, though it may well be doubt
ed. l had come within short dis
tance of jamestown when l reached
two houses of a small size, not far
apart, not much removed from the
fashion of the negro cabins, but in
habited by English folk. In the one
dwelt man who had been transport
ed for a grievous crime, whether just
" or not l cannot say, but his visage
was such as to condemn him. and he
was often in his cups and had spent
many days In the stocks and had made
frequent acquaintance with the whip
ping post, and with him dwelt his
wife. an old dame with tongue which
had once earned her the ducking stool
In England.
As passed this house saw over
the door great bunch Of dill and
vervain and white thorn, which Is held
to keep away witches from the thresh'
old If gathered upon May day. And
knew well the reason, for not many
rods distant was the hut where dwelt
one Margery Key, an ancient woman.
who had been verify tied crosswise
and thrown in a pond for witchcraft
and been weighed against the church
Bible, and had her body searched for
witch marks and the thatch or her
house burned. l know not why she
had not come to the stake withal. but
instead she had fled to Virginia, where
witches, being not so common, were
treated with more leniency. 1t may
have been that she had escaped the
usual fate of those Of her kind by
being considered by some white
witch and one who worked good III
stead of Ill il approached rightly,
though many considered that they
who approached white witch for the
purpose of profiting by her advice or
warning were Of equal guilt and that
It all led in the end to mischief.
Be that as it may, this old dame
Margery Key dwelt there alone in her
little hut so overthatched and grown
by vines and scarce showing the shaS-
gy slant of it's roof above the bush IS
that it resembled more the hole or
some timid and wary animal than
human habitatiOn. And II any visit
ed her for consultation it was by night
and secrecy. and no one ever caught
sight Of her except now and then the
nodding white frill of her cap In the
green gloom OF window or the pain
full bend of her old back as she gath
cred sticks for her fire in the woods
about. How she lived none knew.
A little garden patch she had, and
hive or two Of bees. and red cow,
which many affirmed to have the eye
of demon, and there were those who
said that her familiars stole bread for
her from the plantation larders, and
that often a prime ham was missed
and cut Of venison, with no eXpla-
nation; but who can say? Without
doubt there are strange things In the
earth, but we are all so in the midst
of them and even part OF their work
ipgs that we can have no outside foot
hold to take fair sight thereof. Verify
man might us well strive to lift him.
self by his boot straps over stile.
But this much will say, that, as was
riding along, cogitating something deep
ly in my mind as to the best disposal
Of the powder and the shot which Mary
Cavendish had ordered from England,
|, coming ABREAST Vi MalSei. iNe'
house. saw of a sudden a white cat.
which many affirmed to be her fam!l'
lar, spring from her door like Il whlte
arrow of speed and off down wool
path, and my horse reared and plunged
and then. with my holding him OF no
avail, though had strong hand on
the bride. was after her with such
a mad flight that had hard work to
keep the saddle.
Pelimell through the wood we went.
ducking my head before the mad lash
Of the branches and feeling the dew
therefrom in my face like drive OF
rain. until we came to cleared space
then a great spread Of tobacco fields,
overlapping silver white in the moon-
light, and hamlet of negro cabins. and
then Major Robert Beverly's house.
standing mass Of shadow except FOR
one moonlit wall, for all the family
were gone to the governors ball.
The hootinS owl
eS:<S-