The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-24
THE EVENING STORY
Rewitched.

one bright summer morning more |
than two hundred years ago, a ship |
from England anchored of shore at 2. /
settlement in Massachusetts. To the
people of the place the arrival of any |
thing or any person was a subject Of |
excitement and they all went down |
70 see what the vessel brought them !
To their great joy besides stores there
nad come number of people TO cast
their fortunes with them. The watch |
efs on snore stood gaping under their |
DTCaQ Dr1mmed puritan hats while a
ships boat unloaded the emigrants.
among them a young girl, who from
the moment her foot touched the land
made herself as much at home as if
she had been born there She had not
been landed five minutes before her
shoes and stockings were off and she
was Wading in the shadows, splash
ing the water, laughing and otherwise
dlsporting herself. The grim faces on
With the capering maiden.
Iell me, said Hezekiah Stonehedge
to the captain of the ship, who is that
madcap who is disgracing herself by
showing her bare ankles to our young
men %
She calls herself Abigail Rogers
TO which of the families does she
beIong?"
ITO none of them"
God help us!" exclaimed Hezekiah
Stonehedge, throwing UP his hands in
pious horror.
At that moment Abigail Rogers back
was turned to the shore while she wad-
ed out toward a place where a small bit
of sand rose above the surface. AS the
water deepened she raised her skirts
accordingly. Then it grew more shallow
and she stood on the little island, clap
ping her hands in great glee. She
| splashed her white feet in the water,
| hunted for shells-indeed found more
to do in the narrow compass than many
would have found on all the coast.
Though all eyes from the shore were
! fixed upon her, she paid no attention to
/ her observers and when she had tired
started landward. But while she had
| been sporting the tide had risen, and
after she had advanced till the water
became so deep that she could raise her
skirts no further she stopped and cast
/ her eyes to the shore as if looking for
/ help. Sweeping the line of scowling
| faces, she at last fixed on Hugh Sal
| tOnstall, a stalwart young fellow, who
| had been looking on with the others.
The moment he received the maiden's
! glance he strobe into the water and
carried her in his arms to the shore.
That was quite sufficient to stamp her
as a witch. Hezekiah Stonehedge took
the captain of the ship into his house
and wrote down all the information
1 he had to impart concerning Abigail
/ Rogers. No one knew how she had
| got aboard his vessel, for she had not
appeared till the morning after the ship
| had sailed. She had beWitched the
sailors, who when she fixed her eyes on
them could not be made to perform
their duties properly This Stonehedge
considered all the proof needed.
/ When the young man set the girl
| down on the sand every person who
saw what they considered his enthral-
! ment turned and went up toward the
settlement, fleeing lest they should
themselves come under the spell. Abb
| gail wondered what had sent them
/ away in such a hurry. Young Hugh
endeaVored to make her aware of the
why" he asked, did you put your
self in such jeopardy
| 1.-THE good God made me happy" she
! replied, land I must be happy"
How did you come to sail for these
shores p,
my uncle sent ne abroad in charge
of a sailor who hid me,
| ''Why did he do that?"
| It don't know
Come with me to the house in which
| I live. There are women there, and
I'll see if I can persuade them TO pro-
The Young man believed that before
/ the day was spent she would be jailed
| and as soon as tried burned at the stake.
/ He walked beside her to a cabin. Heze-
| kiah Stonehedge and others stood atar
watching him. On reaching the cabin
| every woman but one fled. She, GOOD
] D1OIleTlY soul, uOlI4il5 all AS5AASSe- -
| the others, took the girl to her heart
| and gave her refreshment. Just peIore
dark Hezekiah Stonehedge came, FOL
| lowed by two others to assist him, to
/ demand the body of the witch. Hugh
| SaItonstall met him at the door.
/ 1.-The witch is not here" said the
| Young man. "An hour ago we put her
! nv the chimney to rest. Suddenly there
was a gust of wind, and she vanished
| Rushing out of the cabin, glanced at
/ the sky. She was not there; but. look
! ing below. I saw here going down to
| the water with a sieve she had taken
! from the chimney piece. When she
reached the verge she launched the
sieve. got into it and sailed away
s'She has bewitched you" said stone
hedge not knowing whether the young
man lied or told the truth, and he
searched the place. He found nothing,
| for Abigail was hidden in the clock.
| That night Saltonstan took the girl
| in his boat to the ship and prevailed on
/ t17e caDtain to take her back to Eng
/ land. Her protector went with her ana
upon investigation uncovered a plot TO
/ get rid of her that another might Sc
| cure a fortune she had inherited Her
uncle had bribed a sailor to take her
aboard the ship, and after her depart
ure she had been personated at nome by
| girl Of her own age.
! Saltonstan succeeded in restoring the
property to the girl he had befr1ended
and furnishing the man who had sought
/ to defraud her The young man had
| been. in modern parlance, beWltched.
F. A. mitchell.
.--.~,1-,,> nan sDzYa