ueer things that they
saw, and I do suppose it was that way then. They do act as if they were
bewitched."

We know this misfortune now as epilepsy, but medical science in the
earlier century did not understand that, nor incipient insanity.

"It was very strange," said Eunice rather awesomely. "And Mr. Parris
was a minister and a good man, yet it broke out in his family."

"But he had them slaves, and in their own land black people do awful
things to each other. But it was strange; again, after his wife was
accused, Governor Phipps ordered there should be no more punished and
all set free, and then the thing stopped."

"And it wasn't real witchcraft?" said Cynthia.

"Well, I wouldn't undertake to say. There were witches in Bible times
and they kept themselves mighty close, for they were not to be allowed
to live. And Saul had a hard time getting anything out of the witch of
Endor, you know, Miss Eunice."

Eunice nodded. They were trenching on forbidden ground.

"My grandmother believed in them and she was a good God-fearing woman,
too. You see what made it worse for Salem was their sending so many here
for trial from the places round. Grandfather lived way up above
Topsfield, had a farm there and 'twas woods all around. No one troubled
them then, but afterward--well, they'd cleared the woods and built a
road and new houses were put up around, for some people were glad enough
to get out of Salem. There was a woman named Martha Goodno, who had been
in prison, and people were shy of her. Grandmother had two cows, and
folks turned them out in the woods then. One of them went in Martha's
garden, but she spied her out and drove her off before much damage was
done. The fence had been broken down and she laid it to the cow, but
people said it had been down for days. Well, something got the matter
with the cow. She gave good rich milk and mother saved it for butter.
But when she churned there came queer streaks in it that looked like
blood. She doctored the cow, although it seemed well enough. One day a
neighbor was in and the same thing happened. 'Throw some in the fire,'
said the neighbor, 'and if you hear of any one being burned you'll know
who is the witch.' So grandmother threw two dippers full in the fire and
she said it made an awful smell. The rest she dumped out of doors, she
wouldn't feed it to the pigs. About an hour afterward another neighbor
came in. Grandmother made a salve that was splendid for burns and cut