Part 21 (1/2)
”What are they doing to you, child?” Amy cried
”Goin' to drown the witch! Goin' to drown the witch!” shrieked the rabble in the rear ”Spotted Snake! Spotted Snake!”
”It's little Henrietta!” screa and quick, reached over the gunwale of the canoe and seized upon the crooked figure She bore it inboard, knocking off the old bonnet to reveal Henrietta's freckled little face The cloak and the hu away on the current
”For pity's sake, Henrietta!” gasped Jessie
”Yes'm,” said the child co to see you in this--this shape,” hesitated Jessie
Ahter She could not speak for a minute Jessie demanded:
”Who are those awful children, Henrietta?”
”Part Foleys, some McGuires, tansons, the Costeklo twins, and Montmorency Shannon,” was the literal reply
”What were they trying to do to you?”
”Drown me,” said Henrietta coe to get away I'm cute, I am But once they most nearly burned me, and Mrs Foley stopped _that_ So now they mostly try to drown the witch”
”'The witch'?” murmured the amazed Jessie
”Yep That's me Spotted Snake, the witch That's cause I'ame”
”I should say it was,” ain ”I don't see how you can, Amy,” Jessie complained ”I think it is really terrible”
”I don't mind it,” said Henrietta complacently ”It keeps 'em busy and out from under their mothers' feet”
”But they shriek and yell so”
”That don't hurt 'em And there's plenty of outdoors here to yell in
Where we moved from in town, folks complained of the Foleys because they town”
As Areat introduction to Henrietta's hoood deal of influence with the children, ordered two of the boys to watch the canoe and allow nobody to touch it Then she proudly led the way to one of the largest and certainly the town
Mrs Foley, however, was a cheerful disappointy” person, but her calico wrapper was fairly clean; and although she sat down and took up her youngest to rock to sleep while she talked (being too busy a woirls from Roselawn rather favorably
”That child is the best young one in the world,” Mrs Foley confessed, referring to ”Spotted Snake, the Witch” ”Soood bit, and if ever a child earned her keep, Hen earns hers”
Jessie asked about the ood and capable girl Was out at service when Hen'swith Bertha, or she surely would have come here to see Hen before this”