"The way Ah' see it is this..." Peggy Powler confided in the bewildered trader, "...someone -or thing, as set that trap for
some bugger. Why...? we don't know yet, but it takes great ju-ju te' pull off such a feat". The lonely road that the couple
stood on seemed to urge Bartholomew Drigg to revisit his decision, but he said nothing. With vacant features, he merely
nodded like he understood.
The little Witch twisted her own face in contemplation and then grinned like a cat with the cream. "We need te' do some
experimentin' " she said and patted Bart's arm in fellowship. "Let's find out what's goin' on, eh?" she whispered and set
her feet back towards the dying campfire.
Where Calder's Way swerved a little and the unpaved lane led off to Salvation Row, Peggy stood just at the edge where
the track began. Drigg was a couple of yards behind her as he trudged towards whatever scheme the sorceress had in
mind, but his doldrums fled when he saw the woman fidgeting under her poncho and revealing areas of her body that he
believed inappropriate.
"Ma'am... I, er..." he began to say, but stopped when he saw Peggy produce a weird contraption from beneath her only item
of clothing. "Eh yer bugger, Ah' forgot Ah' still had this..." she announced gaily and waved Bartholomew to come and see.
At first, Driggs believed it was a rudimentary telescope. He'd seen one once -and actually had a look through it when he was
invited to Babbicombe's village fair. Well, not invited officially, but during one of his mobile sales-presentations he had dared
to accompany two young ladies who seemed genuinely interested in his wares and during his walking-spiel, found himself at
the festival.
For reasons never fully answered, the two damsels had vanished during his intake of the surroundings and so Bartholomew
thought a little perusal of the displays might conjure-up possible selling opportunities. The ever-bullish seller of fine nostrums
recalled that the mounted spyglass was amazing and when positioned it in certain way, he could view a far-off meadow where
two people... Mr Driggs had thanked the owner of the gadget and went back spotting for likely customers.
Now looking at the small item the little Witch was messing about with, Driggs remembered that particular piece of apparatus
at the fairground was a couple of feet long and made of polished metal, the one Peggy held was black and of a substance
he couldn't recognise.
Being only about six inches long and a couple of inches wide. The peddler of potions felt that maybe the poor woman had
been tricked into purchasing the tube and when she bent into an L-shape, he was sure she'd been conned. "It doesn't work
like that" Bartholomew remarked without any tone of authority and then looked puzzled when Peggy peered into the glass
aperture.
"There yer' are yer' buggers!" the little Witch exclaimed and showing a knowing-smile, held the device out for Driggs to
examine. "Take a gander" she murmured as he peeked into lens. Ignoring asking his first question of where his companion
had been storing the contorted mini-telescope on her person, he observed a sight that caught his breath.
Everything seemed warped, the cottages had disappeared and the track where the campfire stood comprised of a glowing
hue similar to a young lemon. Where the houses had been, large ornate lantern-like objects sat billowing an eldritch-green
smoke out of their chimneys.
What he saw next caused him to snatch away his scrutiny and stare at the little Witch beside him. "Great Jupiter! something's
walking about out there!" he hissed and ignored Peggy's hand gesture to keep his voice down. "It's... I don't know what it is!"
he added and began to pant with alarm.
The Last Witch of Underhill gently took the oddly-shaped apparatus from the salesman and gazed again at the figure busy
checking the large metallic-looking glowing lamps and tittered to herself. "That -my dear Bart, is a Dust Hob and it's been a
long time since Ah've seen one..." she softly imparted to the trembling retailer.
"... Now, Ah' wonder who he's workin' for?" she hissed between gritted teeth and stowing the device back under her garment,
led the befuddled costermonger away from the scene. Bartholomew Drigg allowed his smaller associate to steer him without
any discouragement on his part.
...................................................
With the familiar hedgerows of Calder's Way concealing their parley, the two visitors of Salvation Row sat on a slight rise of
ground nearly half a league from where the false village was situated. Peggy Powler knew that if she was crack this particular
conundrum, it would be best not to be distracted by Driggs wanting to have another look-see through her special Spook-Scope.
"It just doesn't make any sense..." Bartholomew said again "...that vision can't be for us, how would anyone know we'd come
this way?" he spluttered and helped himself to a swig of water from the canteen that Peggy had kindly produced from her
satchel. He was still a bit pale around the gills -as the Witch would say, but his hands weren't shaking as much as before.
Peggy stared straight at the man who -yesterday, thought the word worked in one way and had always ran that way, and now
had taken his first tentative steps on learning what the sorceress had accepted for a long time. "Tell me why you came to
Salvation Row..." she asked and added "...and tell me truthfully why".
some bugger. Why...? we don't know yet, but it takes great ju-ju te' pull off such a feat". The lonely road that the couple
stood on seemed to urge Bartholomew Drigg to revisit his decision, but he said nothing. With vacant features, he merely
nodded like he understood.
The little Witch twisted her own face in contemplation and then grinned like a cat with the cream. "We need te' do some
experimentin' " she said and patted Bart's arm in fellowship. "Let's find out what's goin' on, eh?" she whispered and set
her feet back towards the dying campfire.
Where Calder's Way swerved a little and the unpaved lane led off to Salvation Row, Peggy stood just at the edge where
the track began. Drigg was a couple of yards behind her as he trudged towards whatever scheme the sorceress had in
mind, but his doldrums fled when he saw the woman fidgeting under her poncho and revealing areas of her body that he
believed inappropriate.
"Ma'am... I, er..." he began to say, but stopped when he saw Peggy produce a weird contraption from beneath her only item
of clothing. "Eh yer bugger, Ah' forgot Ah' still had this..." she announced gaily and waved Bartholomew to come and see.
At first, Driggs believed it was a rudimentary telescope. He'd seen one once -and actually had a look through it when he was
invited to Babbicombe's village fair. Well, not invited officially, but during one of his mobile sales-presentations he had dared
to accompany two young ladies who seemed genuinely interested in his wares and during his walking-spiel, found himself at
the festival.
For reasons never fully answered, the two damsels had vanished during his intake of the surroundings and so Bartholomew
thought a little perusal of the displays might conjure-up possible selling opportunities. The ever-bullish seller of fine nostrums
recalled that the mounted spyglass was amazing and when positioned it in certain way, he could view a far-off meadow where
two people... Mr Driggs had thanked the owner of the gadget and went back spotting for likely customers.
Now looking at the small item the little Witch was messing about with, Driggs remembered that particular piece of apparatus
at the fairground was a couple of feet long and made of polished metal, the one Peggy held was black and of a substance
he couldn't recognise.
Being only about six inches long and a couple of inches wide. The peddler of potions felt that maybe the poor woman had
been tricked into purchasing the tube and when she bent into an L-shape, he was sure she'd been conned. "It doesn't work
like that" Bartholomew remarked without any tone of authority and then looked puzzled when Peggy peered into the glass
aperture.
"There yer' are yer' buggers!" the little Witch exclaimed and showing a knowing-smile, held the device out for Driggs to
examine. "Take a gander" she murmured as he peeked into lens. Ignoring asking his first question of where his companion
had been storing the contorted mini-telescope on her person, he observed a sight that caught his breath.
Everything seemed warped, the cottages had disappeared and the track where the campfire stood comprised of a glowing
hue similar to a young lemon. Where the houses had been, large ornate lantern-like objects sat billowing an eldritch-green
smoke out of their chimneys.
What he saw next caused him to snatch away his scrutiny and stare at the little Witch beside him. "Great Jupiter! something's
walking about out there!" he hissed and ignored Peggy's hand gesture to keep his voice down. "It's... I don't know what it is!"
he added and began to pant with alarm.
The Last Witch of Underhill gently took the oddly-shaped apparatus from the salesman and gazed again at the figure busy
checking the large metallic-looking glowing lamps and tittered to herself. "That -my dear Bart, is a Dust Hob and it's been a
long time since Ah've seen one..." she softly imparted to the trembling retailer.
"... Now, Ah' wonder who he's workin' for?" she hissed between gritted teeth and stowing the device back under her garment,
led the befuddled costermonger away from the scene. Bartholomew Drigg allowed his smaller associate to steer him without
any discouragement on his part.
...................................................
With the familiar hedgerows of Calder's Way concealing their parley, the two visitors of Salvation Row sat on a slight rise of
ground nearly half a league from where the false village was situated. Peggy Powler knew that if she was crack this particular
conundrum, it would be best not to be distracted by Driggs wanting to have another look-see through her special Spook-Scope.
"It just doesn't make any sense..." Bartholomew said again "...that vision can't be for us, how would anyone know we'd come
this way?" he spluttered and helped himself to a swig of water from the canteen that Peggy had kindly produced from her
satchel. He was still a bit pale around the gills -as the Witch would say, but his hands weren't shaking as much as before.
Peggy stared straight at the man who -yesterday, thought the word worked in one way and had always ran that way, and now
had taken his first tentative steps on learning what the sorceress had accepted for a long time. "Tell me why you came to
Salvation Row..." she asked and added "...and tell me truthfully why".
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.