Other Worlds by KATHY Read Free Book Online

account for the strange happenings in the Bell household must focus on her, as victim or as perpetrator—and rest assured, she did not escape suspicion. What was she like, this queen of the dell?
    Medical men may point out that Betsy was a child blossoming into womanhood, and therefore liable to be afflicted by female complaints common to that stage in life. But she was no swooning, civilized young lady. She was a healthy country girl, and something of a tomboy. "She knew all the trees, poplars, oaks, gums, maples, and all the others; she enjoyed the budding of the trees in the spring and loved their red and golden hues in the fall. She gathered the wild flowers and knew all the birds in the woodland."
    This rhapsodic description was written half a century later by one of Betsy's partisans, in a period when flowery hyperbole was fashionable. It doesn't say much. Contemporary descriptions are more specific. Betsy was an excellent horsewoman. She could shoot a gun and hitch mules to a plow or wagon. "A stout girl," one of her brothers said approvingly. He was referring to her state of health, not to her figure; other witnesses describe her as blonde and lithesome, with a beautiful shape, a perfect complexion, and rosy lips, not to mention the blue eyes. She also possessed "good sense, a cheery disposition, and a perfect character."
    More hyperbole! More revealing are Betsy's reminiscences when, as an old lady of eighty, she talked with her brother's grandson about her childhood days.
    Memories of pleasure endure longer than memories of pain. Betsy's tales of her girlhood have an air of sunlit innocence that even the recurrent presence of the Spirit did not darken. Mr. and Mrs. Bell were not strict parents. They encouraged the young peo pl e in all sorts of harmless pleasures—picnics in the wood, fishing in the river, parties, horseback riding, evenings with friends. The Spirit enjoyed these activities, too. It seldom missed a party.
    Sleigh riding was a popular winter sport. The vehicles were actually called slides, and were designed for farm work, the runners being cut from trees that had a natural curve. When mounted under a platform and carefully polished, they served to, haul produce from the fields to the barns. In winter the rough vehicles made fine sleighs.
    One sleigh ride proved a bit unusual. Betsy had invited a group of friends, both boys and girls, to spend the day, and after the usual hearty dinner, which was served at noontime, they decided to hitch up the sleigh and go for a ride. Bundled in coats and scarves and wool caps, the girls piled onto the slide while the boys went to get the horses. Suddenly a voice cried out, "Hold tight when we get to the corners," and off went the sleigh, sans horses. It went around the house three times, taking the corners so fast that the runners slipped and skidded and the girls squealed with mingled delight and fear.
    The Spirit's presence proved helpful to the young people on several of their expeditions. It would advise them how to cast a line when they were fishing, and once it pulled an adventurous youth out of a pocket of quicksand. It also saved Betsy from death or serious injury on one occasion.
    Betsy had gone for a ride with Richard and some of their friends, following the river to a bend where there were some magnificent poplar trees. Here they were caught by a sudden summer storm, but were unable to take shelter under the trees, for the high winds tore leaves and branches and even huge limbs away, and the youngsters were in danger of being struck. In an agitated voice the Spirit urged them to cross the river, where they would be safer, but the frightened horses refused to enter the water.
    "You little fools," the Spirit cried. "Hold tight now and say nothing to the horses."
    Calmed and led by invisible hands, the animals made the crossing. Later Betsy found the path they had left littered with great branches and fallen trees.
    A curious and, I think, noteworthy