eyes. She never missed anything going on
around her, and talk was she knew most things before they
happened.
The large man's faded, blue shirt she
wore billowed out at her middle. It was cinched down by a wide
black belt. The shirt tail draped over her broad, brown skirted
hips. The long, brown skirt stopped in folds at the toes of her
scuffed, high top, men's work shoes.
“ Afternoon, boys. What can
I do fer ya?” Genon pushed her hat back from her forehead, exposing
a long, wisp of wiry, brown, tinged with gray, hair that fell along
her cheek.
The boys laid their fishing poles down
in the yard and approached the porch.
“ Jest passen by and
thought we'd say howdy,” Lue replied nervously. He sat down on the
far edge of the porch, letting his legs dangle off the porch. He
wanted to keep some distance between Genon and himself. The other
boys followed his lead. They looked off down the hollow to avoid
looking at the spooky, medicine woman.
“ Unhuh.” Genon tapped her
right shoe against the porch floor, producing a rhythmic sound to
go along with the motion of rocking slowly back and
forth.
Miss Mitts, ya ever tried to get rid
of a haunt? Clearing his throat, Lue began as casually as he could,
pretending to concentrate on a squirrel running from branch to
branch in the ancient oak tree shading the porch.
“ Ya got a haunt ya want
rid of?” Genon looked piercingly down her nose at Lue.
“ We might have,” said Lue,
guardedly.
“ Who might this haunt be,
pray tell?” Genon asked, looking intently down her nose at
them.
“ Doak Woods thinks it’s
Haunt Dawson,” admitted Tom, gulping down a lump in his
throat.
“ He's in yer barn again, I
take it?” The midwife studied each of the boys for a
reaction.
Startled, Lou asked, “How did you know
that?” All of them twisted around on the porch to stare at the old
medicine woman.
“ I got my ways.” Genon
cackled, showing her tobacco stained teeth which slanted inward
from years of holding a corncob pipe. “Haunt Dawson is harmless
enough as haunts go. He'll go away sooner or later. He always
does.”
“ Yep, but he always comes
back the way we hear it. The noise is maken us all right skittish.
Cain't we get rid him so we don't have to listen to that hammeren
ever again?” Lue wanted to know.
“ Ya can try I reckon, but
y'all would have to mind jest what I say or it won't
work.”
“ All right, what do we
have to do?” Asked Lue, eagerly.
“ First ya have to hide in
the barn in the dead of the night, so to speak.” Genon put her hand
over her mouth. “ hee, hee” She sobered up and said, “Afore Brother
Dawson shows up, of course. I'll give ya some of my haunt scaren
off potion. Ya have to do and say what I tell ya to and jest hope
he leaves. Hee, hee.”
“ Jest hope he leaves? What
happens if he don't?” Sid exclaimed.
“ Then ya better skedaddle
if ya can. Hee, hee,” cackled Genon before she went through the
cabin door.
In a couple minutes, she was back,
carrying a small, black bag closed with a draw string and a brown,
paper bundle. “Here ya go. This bundle is bones. Place em on the
window sills and in the barn doorway.”
“ What kind of bones are
these?” Sid asked, slowly holding his hand out for the
package.
“ Ya don't want to know
that, Sonny. Jest take em.” The old woman chuckled coarsely,
thrusting the bundle in Sid's wavering hand. She reaching into her
shirt pocket. She pulled out four gray, fuzzy objects. “Here. Each
of ya take one of these fer luck. Theys hind feet offen rabbits I
caught in cemeteries,” she explained, handing one to each of the
boys. “Fer luck, carry em feet in yer pocket at all times. Now this
here black bag is the haunt potion. When Haunt Dawson appears, ya
open the bag and throw the powder on him and say exactly what I
tell you. Hear?”
Too awestruck to speak, the boys
nodded they understood.
“ All righty.” Genon
settled down in her rocker again. Relaxing back in the
around her, and talk was she knew most things before they
happened.
The large man's faded, blue shirt she
wore billowed out at her middle. It was cinched down by a wide
black belt. The shirt tail draped over her broad, brown skirted
hips. The long, brown skirt stopped in folds at the toes of her
scuffed, high top, men's work shoes.
“ Afternoon, boys. What can
I do fer ya?” Genon pushed her hat back from her forehead, exposing
a long, wisp of wiry, brown, tinged with gray, hair that fell along
her cheek.
The boys laid their fishing poles down
in the yard and approached the porch.
“ Jest passen by and
thought we'd say howdy,” Lue replied nervously. He sat down on the
far edge of the porch, letting his legs dangle off the porch. He
wanted to keep some distance between Genon and himself. The other
boys followed his lead. They looked off down the hollow to avoid
looking at the spooky, medicine woman.
“ Unhuh.” Genon tapped her
right shoe against the porch floor, producing a rhythmic sound to
go along with the motion of rocking slowly back and
forth.
Miss Mitts, ya ever tried to get rid
of a haunt? Clearing his throat, Lue began as casually as he could,
pretending to concentrate on a squirrel running from branch to
branch in the ancient oak tree shading the porch.
“ Ya got a haunt ya want
rid of?” Genon looked piercingly down her nose at Lue.
“ We might have,” said Lue,
guardedly.
“ Who might this haunt be,
pray tell?” Genon asked, looking intently down her nose at
them.
“ Doak Woods thinks it’s
Haunt Dawson,” admitted Tom, gulping down a lump in his
throat.
“ He's in yer barn again, I
take it?” The midwife studied each of the boys for a
reaction.
Startled, Lou asked, “How did you know
that?” All of them twisted around on the porch to stare at the old
medicine woman.
“ I got my ways.” Genon
cackled, showing her tobacco stained teeth which slanted inward
from years of holding a corncob pipe. “Haunt Dawson is harmless
enough as haunts go. He'll go away sooner or later. He always
does.”
“ Yep, but he always comes
back the way we hear it. The noise is maken us all right skittish.
Cain't we get rid him so we don't have to listen to that hammeren
ever again?” Lue wanted to know.
“ Ya can try I reckon, but
y'all would have to mind jest what I say or it won't
work.”
“ All right, what do we
have to do?” Asked Lue, eagerly.
“ First ya have to hide in
the barn in the dead of the night, so to speak.” Genon put her hand
over her mouth. “ hee, hee” She sobered up and said, “Afore Brother
Dawson shows up, of course. I'll give ya some of my haunt scaren
off potion. Ya have to do and say what I tell ya to and jest hope
he leaves. Hee, hee.”
“ Jest hope he leaves? What
happens if he don't?” Sid exclaimed.
“ Then ya better skedaddle
if ya can. Hee, hee,” cackled Genon before she went through the
cabin door.
In a couple minutes, she was back,
carrying a small, black bag closed with a draw string and a brown,
paper bundle. “Here ya go. This bundle is bones. Place em on the
window sills and in the barn doorway.”
“ What kind of bones are
these?” Sid asked, slowly holding his hand out for the
package.
“ Ya don't want to know
that, Sonny. Jest take em.” The old woman chuckled coarsely,
thrusting the bundle in Sid's wavering hand. She reaching into her
shirt pocket. She pulled out four gray, fuzzy objects. “Here. Each
of ya take one of these fer luck. Theys hind feet offen rabbits I
caught in cemeteries,” she explained, handing one to each of the
boys. “Fer luck, carry em feet in yer pocket at all times. Now this
here black bag is the haunt potion. When Haunt Dawson appears, ya
open the bag and throw the powder on him and say exactly what I
tell you. Hear?”
Too awestruck to speak, the boys
nodded they understood.
“ All righty.” Genon
settled down in her rocker again. Relaxing back in the
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