“‘Why,’ sez I; ‘because yoo are a bad woman.’
“‘You had better give me som,’ sez she agen; ‘for if you won’t it ’ul be the worse for yoo.’
“‘What will yoo do, Mary?’ sez I.
“‘I’ll mark yore cattle,’ sez she, ‘and I’ll leave the mark there too, for your hard-heartedness.’
“‘Then,’ replied I, ‘I won’t give yoo milk. Yoo’ll witch my things, will yoo? Do thy worst Moll,’ sez I, ‘for I dunna fear thee.’
“‘Then,’ sez she, ‘may yur milk never turn into butter, may yur cows cease to give yoo milk, and may yoo find some of yur beasts in the black quarry before another week’s gone, and may the curse of Mary of the Black Dingle ever follow yoo and yours.’
“The old hag, when she finished her curse, turned upon her heel, and in a moment afterwards my daughter and me saw her going through the gate in the form of a large black monkey. After she left, we continued to churn away with all our might and main, but the butter wouldna come, and since that day the cows have refused to give us any milk.”
“But what about the pony, Mrs. Lloyd?”
“Oh, I had almost forgotten to tell yoo about that. Well, last night, as Lloyd was coming whome from the fields, he saw a black monkey on the back of the pony. The brute was urging the poor creature forward by sticking her devilish claws in the pony’s side. And will yoo believe it—God ha’ mercy upon us! for we live in strange times,—the monkey drove the pony straight for the quarry. Lloyd saw her fall over the rock, and running up to the edge of the quarry, saw the poor creature dashed to atoms at the bottom, and Moll standing by grinning. But p’raps yoo wunna believe the truth of my story, but it is as true as I’m a Christian woman.”
“Indeed, Mrs. Lloyd,” replied Mr. Jones with great firmness, “I don’t believe that Mary McGee, or any mortal, possesses the power which you evidently believe she does possess. Heaven has not delegated to sinful mortal, nor even to any of His creatures, power to inflict injury affecting life or limb upon any of the creatures He has made, and by whose power and goodness they are sustained.”