Evening star., 1909-06-27

&. ! !: ] -
~
was bit frightened, because of k0SN
her great gifts. Charity Badge &MMNI
certainly did know terrible lot ~
more than everyday folk, which "a
was natural in the daughter of WNIA =
white witch; but she weren't ~ 7
witch herself neither black nor -
white and she often said to /~/
me, 'Tis only my way OF putting ~
two and two together that makes w.
the difference between and k%T@N
the other women roundabout %"
these parts
Walna was poor little bit of place up the Waa
brook Valley, and when Charity died it all went t
pieces for there was none to take it again. Tramp
slept there till the roof fell in and then the hawk
and owls took it over But fifty year agone she flour
shed and did pretty well there way and another
though twas more by the people that visited her TO
her wisdom than anything she made out of the tum
bledown farm. More cow or two, she never ha
no cattle, and the last sheep to Walna went to pa
for Farmer Badges coffin.
was maiden then and worked for Mrs. Badge
SO coined to lot about her and marked he
manner of life Half the things she did was though
to be miracles by the Postbrdge people; yet if yo
the workings of EN- from inside, you found that
after all, they only built conmonsense. Still
I'll grant you that commonsense itself is miracle
Tis only in million ever shows it. and tha
ones pretty to be
Charity thin brown creature, birdlike in he
ways, with quick movements, quick hands, ant
quick eyes. She never had no chIlder, and neve
wanted one. In fact, she was pretty we'll alone il
the world after her husband died. There was 10
no use for them, them for her.
A ND now I'll tell the story of Sarah White
= and Mary Tuckett and Peter Hacker the
master Of Bellaford
Sarah was a lone creature up fifty year old
and she along to Mrs. Badge one fine day
with proper peck of troubles She crept down
the path to Walna from Merripit Hill, like snail
with backache, and weren't in at all
for merriment; yet the first thing she heard as
she come in was laughter, and the first thing she
rnffy Nor Trtol oloff CIT
Badges kitchen table, swinging her legs and
eating bits of rhubarb out of pie my
mistress was trying to make.
Mary was beauty and a bit too fond of No.
!, like most OF that sort.
Its too bad she said to the newcomer;
"ban't it too bad Mrs White7 Here's Charity
we'll known for the cleverest woman pom Darty-
moor, won't tell me my fortune or look in her
crystal for me, though be offering her two
shilling piece to do So
You go along!" said Charity Don't you
waste more OF my time and let your fortune
take of itself. 1t dont want Wise Woman
to tell the fortune of such lazy good for naught
as you.
Then Mary went off laughing and poor Mrs
White began her woes. Il could have told that
woman something would have changed her
laughter to tears, she began But time
enough for that Can you list to me for an hour, \
Charity? I'm in cruel trouble look where l
will and if there's anyway out I'll be very glad
to pay good money to know it
Let me put the paste pom this here pie, then
Ill hear what you We got to grumble at,
answers the Wise Woman; and five minutes
later she sat down and folded her hands and shut
her eyes and heard what Sarah had got to tell
XIHEN my husband was alive, he worked
w for Peter Hackers father at Bellaford
and lived in a little cottage new-take field
a mile from Bellaford Farm. Old Hacker often
said to my husband that when he'd paid rent
for fifty year for the cottage he'd let him have it
for his Twas common knowledge that he
intended to do it. But now with my husband
dead in his grave,-and he died just six months
after he'd paid his fiftieth year of rent, poor
sou!-Peter Hacker have told that the
cottage ban't to be mine at all, and that tits al