n if ever
there was one, and she _was_ bewitched. And would it have said in the
Bible--'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,' if there had not been
any?"

"They were telling stories at Madam Royall's one day. And sometime Uncle
Winthrop is going to take us all to Marblehead, where Mammy Redd lived.
Eudora said this:

"'Old Mammy Redd
Of Marblehead
Sweet milk could turn
To mold in churn.'

And Uncle Winthrop has a big book about them."

"He had better take you to Salem. That was the very hot-bed of it all,"
said Warren.

Doris came around to Aunt Priscilla. "Did your grandmother really see a
witch?" she asked in a serious tone.

"Well, perhaps she didn't exactly _see_ it. But she was living at Salem
and had a queer neighbor. One day they had some words, and when
grandmother went to churn her milk turned all moldy and spoiled the
butter. Grandmother didn't even dare feed it to the pigs. So it went on
several times. Then another neighbor said to her, 'The next time it
happens you just throw a dipper-full over the back log.' And so
grandmother did. It made an awful smell and smoke. Then she washed out
her churn and put it away. She was barely through when someone came
running in, and said, 'Have you any sweet oil, Mrs. Parker? Hetty Lane
set herself afire cleaning the cinders out of her oven, and she's
dreadfully burned. Come right over.' Grandmother was a little afraid,
but she went, and, sure enough, it had happened just the moment she
threw the milk in the fire. One side of her was burned, and one hand.
And although the neighbors suspected her, they were all very kind to her
while she was ill. But grandmother had no more trouble after that, and
it was said Hetty Lane never bewitched anybody again."

"It's something like the kelpies and brownies Barby used to tell about
that were in England long time ago," said Doris, big-eyed. "They hid
tools and ate up the food and spoiled the milk and the bread, turning it
to stone. They went away--perhaps someone burned them up."

Aunt Priscilla gave her sniff. To be compared with such childish stuff!

"It was very curious," said Mrs. Leverett. "I have always been glad I
was not alive at that time. Sometimes unaccountable things happen."

"Did you ever see a truly witch yourself, Aunt Priscilla?" asked the
child.

"No, I never did," she answered honestly.

"Then I guess they did go with the fairies and kelpies. Could I tell
your story over sometime?