Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 15, No. 88, April, 1875Various
History
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 15, No. 88, April, 1875
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
Two or three others followed with a similar result. Then came Mercy, the
housemaid, and as her trembling fingers poured the liquid forth, behold
the powder changed and turned to black! The commotion was indescribable,
and Mercy was about to have a nervous fit when Dr. Rutherford, fixing
his eyes on her, said in a tone of command, "Be quiet--be perfectly
quiet, and in two hours I will destroy the spell. Go over there and sit
down."
She tottered to a seat under one of the trees.
One or two more took their turn, among them Mammy, but the powders
remained white. I had entreated Edward not to pronounce her 'witched,
because she was so old and I loved her so: I could not bear that she
should be frightened. You should have seen her when she found that she
was safe. The stiff old limbs became supple and the terrified
countenance full of joy, and the dear ridiculous old thing threw her
arms up in the air, and laughed and cried, and shouted, and praised God,
and knocked off her turban, and burst open her apron-strings, and
refused to be quieted till the doctor ordered her to be removed from the
scene of action. The idea of retiring to the seclusion of her cabin
while all this was going on was simply preposterous, and Mammy at once
exhibited the soothing effect of the suggestion; so the play proceeded.
More white powders. Then Apollo's turned black, and, poor fellow! when
it did so, he might have been a god or a demon, or anything else you
never saw, for his face looked little like that of a human being, giving
you the impression only of wildly-rolling eyeballs, and great white
teeth glistening in a ghastly, feeble, almost idiotic grin.
Edward went up to him and laid his hand on his shoulder: "That's all
right, my boy. We'll have you straight in no time, and you will be the
best man at the shucking to-morrow night."
More white powders. Then came Wash, great big Wash; and when his powder
changed, what do you suppose he did? Well, he just fainted outright.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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