Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-26

mount and come. Laurie had beer
heiress II years. mind you. So Alex
ander laid his arm around his wifes
neck and said:
"Over this door threshold shall YOU
not stir tonight, and l have said and
have sworn IL. Seek not to know
why or wherefore. But, Lord. send
us Thy blessed Moonlight"
The wife looked for a moment In
her husbands eyes and desisted from
further entreaty.
Again the clatter OF horses hoof,
was heard, and the muttered impre,
cations of the rider on the churlisk
treatment he had received. Alexan
der's wife besought an explanation
but none would Alexander give. ri
IL written she said, wives obey
your husbands" But even so, the
wife vowed, II she had a tongue in
her head, ere morning she would
know the reason. So they resumed
family worship.
Came the voice OF Alexander Ma,
charg in prayer, and ardently did he
beseech to be preserved from the
wiles of the fends, and the snares OF
Satin-"from witches, ghosts, COB
Inns, elves, fairies, spunkies ant
water-kelpies: from the specter shall
lop OF Solway; from spirits visibls
and invisible; from the haunted
ships and their unearthly tenants.
from maritime spirits that plot
against godly men, and fall in love
with their wives
NAY. but His presence be nea,
u.s." said his wife in a low tone Of
dismay. God guide my husbands
wits-I never heard such a prayer
from human lips before. But, my
man. Lords sake, rise; what fearful
blight is this? Barn and stable r1ust
be in a blaze and our animals will
be scorched with flame"
And a flood of light, but not SC
gross as a common fire. which
ascended to heaven and filled all the
court before the house, amply JUST
fled the good wife's suspicious But
to the terrors of fire, Alexander wal
as immovable as he was to the
imaginary groans of the barren wife
Of Laurie; and he held his wife, and
threatened the weight Of his right
hand-and it was a heavy one-tQ
all who ventured abroad or even un,
bolted the door. The neighing and
prancing of horses. and the believing
of cows, augmented the horrors Of the
| night; and to any one who only heard
the din, it seemed that the whole
| homestead was in a blaze. and horses
and cattle perishing in the flame.
All wiles, common and extraor
binary, were put in practice to en-
| tice the honest farmer and his wife
| to open the door; and when the like
success attended every new strata
| gem, silence for little while en-.
sued. and a long. loud and shrillins
laugh wound up the dramatic efforts
of the night. In the morning, wher
Macharg went to the door, he found
standing against one of the plaster,
a piece of black ship oak, rudely fash.
Toned into something like human form,
and which skillful people declared
would have been clothed with seem.
ing flesh and blood. and palmed upon
him by elfin adroitness for his wife
had he admitted his nightly visitants
A group of wise men and womer
sat upon the woman of timber. and
she was finally ordered to be devoured
by fire, and that in the open air. A
fire was soon made, and into it the
elfin sculpture was tossed from tht
prongs of two pairs of pitchforks
The blaze that arose was awful to be,
hold. and hissings. and burstings. and
loud cracklings, and strange noise,
were heard in the midst of the flame
and when the whole sank into ashes
drinking cup of some precious metal
was found. And this cup, fashioned
no doubt, by elf1n skill, but rendered
harmless by the publication with fire,
the sons and daughters of Alexan der
Macharg and his wife drink out of ia
this very day. Bless all bold men.
say l, and obedient wives,