1938-07-01 — Page 5

CHINA MAIL

FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT. JULY

THEN she was first married:

W to Jim, Edna bought her-

self a witch bowl.

"What for?" he asked,

and laughed. A good-looking fellow was Jim Martin, too good-looking some folks said, and laughed at Edna and told her that she would be having trouble with him. "

"To keep witches out she said, and told him the curious legend of the great blue bowl which she kept standing on the side by the door. Witch bowls must be near the door. Usually they hang from the ceiling, but in the little keep- er's cottage that was Jim's and Edna's the ceiling was not suit- able. Many a time they had tried to hang it up in its blue scintillat- ing spun glass, but somehow they could never do so. So they stood it on the side. In the old days, it is said that the witch bowl was full of bits of coloured wool, and that if a witch came to your house, the first thing she met was

the bowl, whose bright colour attract- ing her, she then investigated further, and became so occupied in untwisting the bits of wool that she never got further than your threshold.

"But there aren't any witches these days," said Jim, and laugh- ed at Edna's queer ideas.

"Maybe not, but we'll have our witch bowl just the same," she told him.

1

So the witch bowl stood there, and many folks admired it and asked where she had bought it, and then laughed at her for the curious superstition.

But Edna was a wilful little person and she went her own way. She also had noticed how good-looking was Jim; she had known that all the village lasses had had their eyes on him, and that she herself had attracted him, she did not quite know how, save that she loved him dearly, and love often wins love. "I want. to keep my man;' she told her- self, and it was for the man she loved that she kept the witch bowl by her door.

Life dealt strangely by Edna. There came that night when there was a terrible storm. It was a gale of early Spring, doing dam- age to the rising crops, and dis- turbing the pheasants and t the partridges that Jim had in his

care.

It raged about the lonely cot tage when the twilight came, and the wind tore at the long arms of the budding trees.

som,

"This'll be the end of the blos-

said Jim. For many folks. in that district lived by their fruit

and it meant disas- ter to some, the blossom being not yet set.

Then they heard the rap at the door. It came queerly,

a lull: The wail of then silence and the rap, 'the wind crying again like a lost soul about the house.

"It can't be nobody," said Edna quickly..

But Jim got up. body seeking shelte and went across to the

wanted to cry

stop, something

Maybe some

said, She

warned

she could not dear to the door, he made step and put out a Hando himself. He touched with the witch bowl on

1938

THE WITCH BOWL

did not know what happened, but. the thing must have been stand, ing badly; it lurched to the side, rolled down and crashed. There it lay in a thousand scin- tillating pieces on the floor. She could have screamed. And at that very moment. Jim opened the door, and she saw the stormy world without, and the girl standing there. The girl with the dark, gipsylike eyes, and the dark hair wet with rain and like silk twisted about her head. The girl with the strange look that seemed to go right through you, and the curious presence, and the storm raging about her, while a broken witch bowl lay before her feet 'inside.

Edna felt her heart miss beat; the gale made such a noise. that she could not hear what Jim and she said; she could only see

Short Story

the ruthless beauty of that dark face, and the inscrutable light in the eyes which she did not under- stand. Then she had come into the room, she was stepping across the shattered pieces of the witch bowl and coming towards the fire. · Little pools of rain fell from her clothes. Edna stood up and star- ed at her. Curious that she felt no compassion for anyone so storm- beaten or so beautiful. Curious

that she felt her own happiness was being menaced in a way she did not understand.

"She wants shelter," said Jim, "soaked through, she is. She needs warmer clothing."

.

"Oh, I'm all right" said the girl," "I'm all right.

If I may just sit by your fire a moment?” and she hardly gave Edna another look; her eyes were all for Jim Bold eyes they were, dark and full of lustre, saying things that her lips did not dare to frame.

"Sit down," said Edna quietly, and her voice had become a trifle jerky.

The girl sat down; she took off her wet shoes and stockings and· set them to dry in a corner of the grate. She sat there, her frock steaming about the hem, and her small white feet on the rug. was beautifully made; she quiet dignified, but her eyes said things that had neither of those qualities.

She was

They talked to her. She told

They wanted someone. with the coWS.

“Yes,” she said, "that sort of work I understand." then as though by impulse, "Per- haps you could put in a word for me?"

It might have been jealousy, but. Edna felt the desire to scream out; "No, no, you know nothing of her, how can you put in a word for her?" To her surprise, Jim, who was usually so cautious, said, "Why, of course. I'll go and see-Mr. Davis about it in the mor ning."

Edna turned her eyes to the shattered witch bowl. Was it foolishness to think that a witch. had got into the house? A lovely- looking witch, it is true, but one who meant to play havoc here.

"Where are you sleeping the night?" asked Jim." Edna could

By Ursula Bloom

not find words. The conversation

seemed to be merely between these two.

dialogue

"I haven't anywhere to go, though I could find a barn," "she said, and all the while those dark eyes of hers said things, wicked things.

"There's that sofa in the cor- ner," he said, and indicated It

"But your wife would mind ?” She turned those dark eyes to Edna. Edna wanted to say that she did mind, but somehow she could not. She did not know what came over her, but she sat there helplessly tongue-tied and shamed. She did not know what to do next.

"Then that's settled," said Jim not waiting for her assent.

1

It seemed to Edna that she was helpless. She could do nothing about it, and all the while she was thinking of the witch bowl. which had been bro- ken. It seemed that the witch. had got in, and already the place. was being turned upside down by her. Unwillingly she fetched a blanket for the sofa. Later up in her own room she had not the heart to tell her husband what she thought about it, all su was frightened, rather desperately

SOLVED

frightened. She did

know

was going to happen next,

If anyone had told her, thia mor- ning that a strangé girl, with furtive dark eyes could be sleeping in the living room to-night, she would not have believed them.

Next morning when she got down t the girl still slept. Shi

attempt to help get the

nade

meal, or cook it. She lay there watching Edna with roving, dark eyes above the blanket. Once she said, You don't like me, do you?" and laughed as though to herself.

But when Jim came down, she They talked to-

was

gall smto get on famous-

ly. In the end, he took her up to see Mr. Davis at the farm.

Left alone, Edna hardly knew what to do next: Surely it could

that Jim, good-looking Jim, was thinking lovingly of this -Bir]

Surely she would, go- as suddenly as she had come? Per- haps Mr. Davis had not got a job for her, and then she would have to leave the village. Anyway she should not stay here in this co tage.

Edna made up her mind to that straight away.

of

At midday Jim came back. He

Mr.

was gay and boisterus, and full news. The girl-her name was Myrtle Clare--had got the job, and he had found her rooms at the lodge which led to Davis' farm. -She would be happy there and content. She had gone round the yard and seem- ed to have a peculiar gift with animals. She had told them ste once had had a snake for a friend? she could manage snakes,Al together Jim had formed the idea that Myrtle was curious.

“She's a witch" said Edna bro- kenly

"Oh, come now, that's being silly. Just because you're jealous. She's an uncommonly good loo girl,” and again he laughed.

After that the whole village got gossiping.“

Jim was Losing his head. was for ever out when before he had been in. He could talk of little else save the girl with the. roving dark eyes, and the queer lights in them. Sometimes she would come home with him. "and whenever she was here sitting at the hearthside, Edna. found... “she was peculiarly powerless to say. anything. It was all very well but nagging would not help her. The more she said to Jim, the more obstinate he became. He was like

(Continued on

IS THE PROBLEM OF HOW TO TRAVEL LIGHT

them that she had been trained FOR MODERN TRAVELLING VISIT OUR LUGGAGE DEPT. with the care of animals and had

a strange power over them She had come to this part of the world. because she believed that they wanted help at the farm. Ther was a big dairy herd there, and she had done a lot of dairy She was looking for a job,

it was an urgent necessity she should get. All the eyes' sought those of Jim,

1st FLOOR

Wardrobe Trunksets

Wardrobe Suite Cases

Cabin Trunks

Suit Cases

looking, Jim and did tache Cases

Find another glance,

He told her that he knewithere

as a job going on the farm but

never thought:

had

would employ

fat Cases

From

50.00

32.50

27.50

10

6.50

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