"Here, stop, you-you-what d'ye call yourselfyou Wild Nell," cried the Doctor, beckoning to her; "how am I to get my saddle-bags up to the 'Devil's Crag ?-rightly named too, for such inhabitants," he added, in a low tone. "Give 'em to me," shortly answered the child. "You; why, they're twice as heavy as you are. I should expect to see you riding through the air on a broomstick, with 'em dangling on behind, if I should give 'em to you. I must carry 'em myself, I s'pose; there's no riding up to that infernal place;" and, with a half-groan, the Doctor brought out the leather bags, and carefully laid them by the side of the porch, while he returned for his hat. Quick as thought, the child seized the precious deposit, and was far beyond his reach ere the Doctor was aware of her intentions. "Gim-i-ni!" he exclaimed, puffing along after her, if that little sprite an't some kin to the 'old boy,' then he haint got any in this world, certain; every one o' them vials 'll be smashed, before she's done with it, and then what am I to do? that's all my stock in trade. Now, vhere's the little imp? Gim-i-ni! if she an't top o' that rock! O my saddle-bags!" Toiling up the steep and rugged path which led to the vild spot commonly known as the "Devil's Crag," was no easy task for the portly Doctor. He had accomplished it but once before in his life, when, some years ounger, he went with a party of friends to consult the genii of the mountain, through their oracle, Crazy Es ther Cram. He began almost to fear that this was some trick of evil spirits to entice him among them, and wondered that he had so readily followed his strange little guide, without further questioning. There was no looking back, though, for his invaluable saddle-bags must be saved from their infernal clutches; so on he pushed in nervous haste, catching now and then a glance of his property, as it swung lightly on the arm of the weird child, but always beyond the sound of his voice. "Gim i-ni!" at length he exclaimed, coming to a full stop, "I don't believe I'll go a step further. I might have known it was a tom-fool's errand; just as if any body could have got up here on a horse. My old nag would have blowed before he'd gone ten rods. Just let me catch that little imp again, and I guess there won't be much flesh and bones left on her, that is, if she's made of such stuff. Gim-i-ni! but there is a horse somewhere about,” he added, as a low neigh fell on his ear; "I'll find out now, certain ;" and, redoubling his efforts, the good Doctor soon found himself upon an open, cleared spot, about half-way up the mountain, in the midst of which stood the cabin of the fortune-teller, Esther Cram. Near the entrance grazed a beautiful black colt, whose half-intelligent eye was often directed toward the open door, as if in expectation of some familiar greeting. "So you've come at last," croaked a raven voice, from one of the apertures of the hut; "why didn't you turn back, man of courage! afraid of losing your miserable "THERE, as the homeless woman sits alone, When the moon lights her watch-tower in the clouds." THE room seemed peopled with demons, hobgobli and spectres of every hue and shape, so vividly Esther Cram transcribed them upon the walls of dwelling. From the berries and roots of the forest, had decocted the unearthly dye with which these hi ous monsters were daubed. One end of the apartm was screened from view, by a curtain covered with t trophies of her battles with animal and reptile li Mingled with the skins of the bear, panther, wolf, a smaller animals, were the bright spots of the rattlesnak the crawling form of the lizard, and the coil of t adder. With fantastic taste, she had looped around t curtain a fringe made of the rattles of her creeping fo so that, when slightly moved, the whole hut seemed f of deadly reptiles. This it was which called forth t exclamation of the Doctor, as he stood inside the e trance to this frightful place. The hard, bony face, th THE WITCH'S HOME. 19 piercing black eyes of the crone herself, as she moved aside the curtain and beckoned him to approach, did not serve to render less hideous the demoniacal scene. "Gim-i-ni!" he reiterated, rubbing his eyes with amazement, "what sort of an infernal pit have I got into now!-rattlesnakes, beasts, and devils! I don't know which is worst. Well, old beldame, what do you want of me up here, and where's my saddle-bags ?" "There's for ye," said a voice beside him, and plumping them down at his feet, Wild Nell hastily retreated to her usual hiding-place among the rafters, where she could watch all that was going on. The striking resemblance between these strange inmates of this stranger abode, stamped at once their relationship, though Esther Cram's black eye twinkled with a cunning not yet grown into that of the child. "Spry as a cat," said the Doctor, looking up after the latter, “I shouldn't think she'd got much of Job Cram's blood in her." "Who talks of Job Cram ?" cried the fortune-teller, coming forward, and shaking her long, crooked finger at him; "the name of the dead dwells not upon cowards' tongues. Come in, come in, we've work for you here." "I'd quite as lief sit down here, if you've no objections," replied the Doctor, drawing a stool near the open door; "now, what is it you want of me? It's getting late, you see, and, ugh! I'd much rather be at my house than here this time o' night; so say on, quick." |