Year: 1867

the old women, and many and strange
reports went forth concerning the young
maid. Some said she might be seen
dancing alone in the moonlight, with her
black cat, his eyes flashing FIRE, sitting on
her shoulder, and that horrible shrieks
and means might be heard in the old mill
every night as the clock struck twelve.


These reports gaining ground, the old
woman wao seemed to have first instigat-
ed them, held meeting in great horror
and indignation, and declared, after talk
ing everything over, that the maid of the
mill must be a witch, and Immediately
began to make preparations to have her
seized and tried as such. The village
was in suppressed excitement, and a GER
tain evening was secretly appointed on
which to bring the supposed witch to
trial In the meantime, no one was more
Jealous in bis efforts to bring the witch to
punishment than the fair haired stranger,
Who seemed to have lost all affection for
his former sweetheart. -


At sunset Of the appointed day the
maiden was seen walking calmly in her
garden, her cat at her side, and evidently
ignorant of the fate in store for her. A
few hours later crowd had assembled at
the old mill, and no one seemed more
desirous of making himself useful than
the young stranger. As the crowd press
ed silently around the door, the school
master seized ladder, and telling the
others to try the door, declared he would
mount to the up per wlndo himself if
they could not effect an entrance in the
usual way, and hurried to the other side
of the house.


The frantic crowd assaulted the door,
but there was no resistance from within
The battered frame soon fell backwards,
and the mob rushed in In vain they
searched room after room. The bird had
flown, no maiden was to be seen, only the
miller inquired grufHy what they wanted
When asked where his daue hter was, he
refused to speak, but when told that she
could nowhere be found, though he was
silent, it was noticed that he trembled
from head to foot It was singular cir
clmstance Of the affair that no more was
seen from that time forth of the young
schoolua ter, and it was therefore inferred
that he had been spirited away by the be-
witching witch of the mill, VIXEN in the
act Of climbing to her window by the lad
der, with which he was last seen In
deed, it was reported by an old p2ddler
who was walking to the village On the
eventful night, that two figures robed IN
white, and riding on broomst;cks flew
swiftly past him near the entrance Of the
village, and it was supposed by most of
the villagers that in this way the miller's
daughter escaped from the punishment
she deserved


1t has been asserted by some # the IN
credulous, that the fair haired stranger
was in love with the maid of the mill
and falling to gain the consent of her
parent to their union, had gladly taken
this opportunity of eoping with the black
eyed maiden; and it has moreover been
said by an old man of Elfsdale, who gen
orally spent his time in wandering from
one place to another in search of adven-
ture, that he had stopped in the course
OF his travels at a comfortable house,
where he had discovered the maid Of the
mill herself, surrounded by four or five
tow-headed little ones, who were the
very images of the fair haired schoolmas-
ter. But no one paid much attention to
the stories of wandering Dick, and every
one seemed inclined to believe the old
peddler. ... .s-.


Soon after his daughters disappearance
the old miller died, and as his child was
still supposed to hold revels in the deser-
ted rooms, with all the witches Of her ac-
quaintance. and to dance down the ricke-
ty stairs on broomstick, throughout the
long dark nights, not one cared to pur-
chase the old place, and it soon came to
be stunned and neglected by every one.


The old mill still stands, and only the
tall grass peers through the broad
cracks in the floor, and the mice and spid,
ers rear their young undisturbed by mor-
tai man.