nesome 'thout
anybody but _you_."

"No, my dear; the room is always full."

"Full, grandma?"

"Yes; full of _memories_."

The children looked about; but they only two sunny windows; a table with
books on it, and a pair of gold fishes; a bed with snowy coverlet and
very high pillows; a green and white carpet; a mahogany bureau and
washing-stand; and then the bright fireplace, with a marble mantel, and a
pair of gilt bellows hanging on a brass nail.

It was a very neat and cheerful room; but they could not understand why
there should be any more memories in it than there were in any other part
of the house.

"We old people live very much in the past," said grandma Read. "Prudence,
if thee'll pick up this stitch for me, I will tell thee what I was
thinking of when thee and Alice came in."

So saying, she held out the little red mitten she was knitting, and at
the same time took the spectacles off her nose and offered them to
Prudy. Prudy laughed.

"Why, grandma! my eyes are as good as can be. I don't wear glasses."

"So thee doesn't, child, surely. I am a little absent-minded, thinking of
old mother Knowles."

"Grandma, please wait a minute," said Prudy, after she had picked up the
stitch. "If you are going to tell a story, I want to get my work and
bring it in here. I'm in a hurry about that scarf for mamma."

"It is nothing very remarkable," said Mrs. Read, as the children seated
themselves, one on each side of her, Prudy with her crocheting of
violet and white worsted, and Dotty with nothing at all to do but play
with the tongs.

"Mrs. Knowles was a very large, fleshy woman, who lived near my father's
house when I was a little girl. Some people were very much afraid of
her, and thought her a witch. Her sister's husband, Mr. Palmer, got very
angry with her, and declared she bewitched his cattle."

"Did she, grandma?" asked Dotty.

"No, indeed, my dear; and couldn't have done it if she had tried."

"Then 'twas very _unpertinent_ for him to say so!"

"He was a lazy man, and did not take proper care of his animals.
Sometimes he came over and talked with my mother about his trials with
his wicked sister-in-law. He said he often went to the barn in the
morning, and found his poor cattle had walked up to the top of the
scaffold; and how could they do that unless they were bewitched?"

"Did they truly do it? I know what the scaffold is; it is a high place
where you look for hen's eggs."

"Yes; I believe