Year: 1871

Cn-a road leading from Dover ovcl


Rochester Hill, to a spot known in
those days as Witch-Trot, a man by
the name of Silas Herd had built a
cabin i'll the midst of small clearing
and set himself down with his family
to rough 1t, as apioneer in the wilder.
ness,


Their nearest neiEhbors were good
two miles distant; and the road to
them and the settlements at Dover,
which is now good. were then little
more than patch through the forest,
to guide those to and from who had
occasion to pass that way.


His :amily consisted, beside himslf.
of wife and two children, and his
grandmother, an old woman of nearly
| eighty years of age, whose own chill
dren, one alter another, had left her,
until she had none but her grand chill
-dran to look tofor support.


One afternoon, Silas Herd started
on visit to the settlement below, say
ing that he would be back by night
fall. He had some business there
which needed his attention, and he
thought he might as we'll attend to it
then as at any other time. Before set
ting out, he warned his wife not to g0
out of the cabin or allow the chill
drcn to do so, on account of the In
dians, and then departed.


The afternoon wore away but slow
ly to the inmates of the cabin, till at
last came sunset. The children, who
had been playing about the cabin, now
tired of their sport, came in and seat
ed themselves on the floor at her feet.
The work about the ca oin had all been
done up; AM as. it was not yet
time to prepare the evening meal, she
bethought herself of what she should
do.


SHE suddenly remembered that her
husband had said something about q
rent in his frock, which he Lad ex-
changed for another, and hung upon
a wooden peg in one corner of the
cabin. Now was the time for her to
make it whole before he would. want
TO wear it again and rising from her
seat she went to the spot where it
hung. and reached up. her hand to
take ii down. As she did so, three
drops OF fresh blood fell from it upon
her hand. A cry escaped her lips,
and she turned rs pale as death.


wv hat is it, Susan?' asked the old
lady from her corner


The frighten6d woman turned to
her and showed her three drops of
fresh blood that lay on her hand.


Itsa a warning, Susan! said the old
lady, solemnly. Eve known such
things to happen before at Salem
a man once went out hunting in the
forest, and his wife had just such a
warning as this. He never came back
alive: The Indisns killed and scalped
him and the people thought that he
had died the very moment when the
drops fell on her hand


And you would have me think that
harm has come 10 Silas?' she asked
in tone of terror. q. ss
Il don't know, but 1 am aFraid it is
a warning said the old lady, with q
solemn shake of her head.


be L do not believe it! l will not be,
lieve it!' cried Susan = the blood
came on ny hand in some natural way.
Perhaps the cat caught mouse over
head, and blood dropped through the
cracks of the floor ..'-


The cat has been lying there on my
bed asleep for more than an. hour
said the old lady, determined to make
things as bad as she could. I'm sure
1 hope it ain't, but I'm afraid it is a
warning to u.s. us.'----------.


With trembling nervousness did the
young wifesexamine the garment she
held in her hand; but there was no
sign of blood upon il as far as she
could see. Then size went up to the
loft above and sought ior u cause, but
found none. There was no signs Of
anything ike blood upon the boards
or beams above the spot where the
garment had hung; and so. she de-
scended again TO the floor of the cab
in, and reported to the dame the result
of her search. |
e, its warning, 1 tell you child she
said in solemn tone. oh, why did
Silas leave the cabin to-day 5'


why, indeed?' moaned Susan
Still l can not believe that harm has
come to him.


Snsan seated herself at her work
again but her trembling fingers would
not allop her 10 make much progress.