32 WITH THE WOODLANDERS. 



tion, has some strange fascination for them. I 

 was the involuntary listener to a conversation that 

 ran as follows : 



" What's that ye say ? Old Bitters dyin' ? " 



" Ay, he is dyin' hard : he can't go his journey 

 yet ; an', mark my words, he wunt be 'lowed to 

 start on it afore he gives up them 'ere black books 

 o' his. I knows who they wus reckined tu pass tu, 

 when old Bitters passed away. But if he can't go 

 afore them 'ere desprit wicked things is burnt, 

 t'other wunt hev 'em." Then lowering his voice, 

 he added : " I've heerd that queer nggers in red 

 and black are in them 'ere books, an' signs o' 

 planets. If you 'members, he warn't never soci- 

 able like ; an' he muttered tu himself at times. 

 But it ain't fur me to judge him nohow. If he 

 goes afore mornin', we shall know them 'ere things 

 is burnt. I wouldn't handle one on 'em myself for 

 a fortin." 



The poor fellow did pass away in the night, and 

 the next morning it was whispered all over the 

 hamlet that "Old Bitters' black books was burnt 

 to tinder." 



All this may read strangely in this nineteenth 



