THE MYSTERIOUS OLD WOMAN.

In the remote part of Dellingham, at the foot of a high hill, stood an obscure hut. It was inhabited by one old in wickedness and age, and this retired spot was well adapted to her miserable existence; the tall oaks and knotty pines, the briary bush and twining grape, wove into each other, and shut her from the curiosity of the world, which her fame had aroused.

She was known as the haggard old woman of the forest, and her looks created a trembling fear, as her features were scanned. She was tall, erect, and bony; the flesh of her hands had fallen away, and the yellow skin hung loose upon them; her piercing black eyes sunk deep in their sockets, and her blasted hair fell carelessly before them, concealing her pale emaciated face.

But her strength had not forsaken her; the gripe of her hand was powerful, and she increased it by continued labour;-she walked in the midnight storm, and grappled with the traveller who should refuse his purse: a mas

sy iron chest in a corner of her room, was the receptacle of her gain, and no one had ever known the immense amount she accumulated.

A dreary spot was this of the old woman's; the rabbit and wren deserted the place, and it was only the more foul and hated animals that remained; the reptile crept by, hissing in his path; the owl built her nest in the ruins of an old mansion, and her hoot went forth as a spell; with the old woman, the wolf and the fox had become familiar; but save hers, a face was seldom ever seen: there was something that caused a chill to creep through the frame at the mention of the haggard old woman of the forest.

She was a blot upon the surface of creation, and her heart seemed not of this world; a wide river moved its current a few steps from her door, and served to wash her hands from many a deep crime. There was one man, bold and daring, who had heard of this mysterious being, and his curiosity nerved his courage, and prompted him to enter her dwelling, discover the contents of the iron chest, and drag her wickedness before the world. It was a dark night that the courageous Fleming determined to reach her abode. He chose a

comrade of true nerve, to assist him in this hazardous enterprise; for the old woman kept an enormous dog, who guarded her door when she was away, and his masterly strength had subdued many. They took a small boat, for the better security of their purpose, and rowed down the river; the oars just dipped in the water, for the current carried them along.

The old woman was sitting beneath a tree, near the river, and by the stillness of the night, she heard the sound of the water dripping from the oars. She turned her ear, and listened, and she was not deceived. She watched their movements, and saw them stop in front of her hut. Only one approached her dwelling, with a lamp and a musket: it was Fleming-he supposed she would be off as usual in the evening, and her dog would be left as an antagonist; he stood for a moment, in the deepest silence, till at length he made a low rap at the door, and paused for the event of it. A loud and terrible growl from the dog was the reply.

Fleming now convinced that the old woman was not in, ventured round to a small window, and found it half open. He placed his lamp upon a shelving of the rock, and raised his

musket for a shot at the fierce and monstrous dog; he saw him chained to a ring in the floor, his large fiery eyes rolling, and his feet bloody with the exertions to break from his prison, and grasp the intruder.

There was no time to be lost. He rested his gun upon the window, and took true aim. The old woman, who had been watching his movements, stole softly from her hiding place, and crept slily up behind him. The comrade of Fleming had remained in the boat, to give the signal of escape at danger, but at this critical moment he dare not move, or warn him; he waited with almost breathless expectation to hear the report of the gun, and then he would rush on, and scare the old woman. But it was too late; she had already seized her victim in her bony arms, and held him fast. In the affright of the moment, the gun went off. It had the desired effect. the poor dog gave one long groan, while. Fleming and the old woman rolled down the rocks together. Both had unusual strength, and now exerted it. It was a hard conflict for a time, but the old woman grasped his throat, and got him to the edge of the river. She meant to plunge him in, as she had others, but by an accident

al slip of the foot, she fell over the bank, into the river, and Fleming and the old woman sunk together.

The lightning flashed vividly, and the comrade of Fleming was struck senseless. The current swept the boat from the shore, and it floated down to the village of Dellingham. ́Ever after, the mystery of the hut sounded abroad, and no one ventured to go to it again.

The noble dog that had been killed by Fleming, laid as a prey for the eagle, the wolf and the worm.

The adders passed and repassed the door; the wolf barked, and the eagle screamed at the intrusion of each other; at last, the satisfied reptiles crept off one by one; some to their deep holes in the rocks, and others lay coiled, basking in the sun. The gloomy and desolated hut which remained the habitation of the old woman for threescore years, finally mouldered and decayed, and became the shelter for the animals of the forest of Dellingham.