ard the edge of the rock cliff. My friends, I knowed I was on the
right track. I dropped flat on my belly and retched a hand under the
cliff. I touched the little one's bare foot! Then with both hands I
dragged her out. This child"--he lifted a pious countenance--"could
a-been devoured by wild varmints--a catamount or wolf. There's plenty of
such in these woods. But the water witch got there ahead of the
varmints!"

The mother began to sob and wail, "Bless the good old water witch!" and
the joyful father gave the diviner the only greenback he had and said he
was only sorry he didn't have a hundred to give him.

After that more than one sought out the water witch. Even offered him
silver to teach them his powers.

"It's not good to tell all you know, then others would know as much as
you do," said Noah Buckley of Pizen Gulch, who knew that to keep his
powers a water witch has to keep secrets too.

MARRYING ON HORSEBACK

Millie Eckers, with her arms around his waist, rode behind Robert Burns
toward the county seat one spring morning to get married. But before
they got there along came Joe Fultz, a justice of the peace, to whom
they told their intent. Joe said the middle of the road on horseback was
as good a place as any for a pair to be spliced, so then and there he
had them join right hands. When they were pronounced man and wife Robert
handed Joe a frayed greenback in exchange for the signed certificate of
marriage. Joe Eckers always carried a supply of blank documents in his
saddlebags to meet any emergency that might arise within his bailiwick.
The justice of the peace pocketed his fee, wished Mister and Mistress
Burns a long and happy married life, and rode away, and Robert turned
his mare's nose back toward Little Goose Creek from whence they had
come.

Some said, soon as they heard about Millie and Robert being married on
horseback right in the middle of the road, that no good would come of
it. As for the preacher he said right out that while the justice of the
peace was within his rights, he had observed in his long ministry that
couples so wed were sure to meet with misfortune--married on horseback
and without the blessing of an Apostle of the Book.

Scarcely had Millie and Robert settled down to housekeeping than things
began to go wrong.

One morning when the dew was still on the grass Millie went out to milk.
"Bossy had roamed away off ferninst the thicket," she told Robert