There was a beautiful young woman, the daughter of a witch. When the old witch died her husband wanted to burn up her bundles of witch poisons, because he was a Christian, but the beautiful daughter said, “Father, let us keep this bundle; you never can tell what might happen if we should destroy it.” So she hid the bundle.
Now, there was a handsome young fellow living in the neighborhood and he came to the house once or twice to see her father. The young woman determined to get this young man so she made witch medicine and put it in his cider when he visited the house the next time. It was night and when the young man went out to go home she went out the back door and followed him. Pretty soon she coughed and he looked around. Then she called him and he asked her what she wanted. She asked him to sit down on a log by the road. They stayed there quite a while. After a while the girl said, “Why don’t we two get married?” The young fellow replied, “What is the use?” Then he went home.
Now he had just secretly married another girl from Cold Spring and he went to her house. Pretty soon she said, “You have been somewhere. You have been visiting some other woman.” She then scolded him.
He felt very bad for he loved his bride, but he felt that he could not help having made the mistake of calling on the man who was his friend. He never thought about the girl because he did not like her. He therefore made up his mind that he had been witched.
He felt very bad the next day and wanted some more cider, but the man who had it lived a long way past his friend’s house. Nevertheless he tried to go past the house to the one further on, but all the while he felt something pulling him back. In a moment he yielded and returned to the house, where the beautiful young woman let him in at the back door. He drank some cider, and called for more. This was the young woman’s chance and she put in a double portion of love powder. His mind changed quickly and he began to sing love songs. After a while the girl said to her father, “We two are going to get married.” The father didn’t know what to say. He should have been glad, because the young fellow helped him draw wood in winter. But he had heard that his friend had another woman. He therefore said nothing, but looked worried.
After a while the young man went out again and as before the young woman followed him and they sat down on the same log as the previous night. It was dark and the girl kissed him and held onto him. After a while he said, “I am going home, I really don’t love you. I am married to Fidelia.”
At this the young girl became very angry and said, “You had better leave her and come to live with me. If you don’t I will bewitch you and make you sorry.”
“How can you witch me?” asked the young fellow.
“I never will tell you,” said she, “but I will make you so sorry that you will wish you were dead.”
The young fellow then left her and went home to his own wife. As before she scolded him roundly and accused him of unfaithfulness, but he said nothing. He was a good provider and worked hard.