Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/571

 Folk- Lore Scrap-Book. 223

waked as usual in a few minutes. During this attack also, as soon as the members of the household recovered from the fright, and collected their thoughts to kneel and pray, she soon became quiet, and the demons left her. It may sound only amusing written down ; but I assure you to see the evil face and actions, and hear the evil spirits as they in turn use a human being to say and do what they will, the face and voice changing with the speaker — to have indisputable, visible, and audible evidence before one that demons are in one's house, tormenting and using at their will one of us, who but a half hour ago was laughing and talking with the rest, is a fearful experience that is apt to shake even pretty strong rierves.

" The next attack was on the evening of the eighth, when suddenly While happily engaged with knitting, she began laughing a fearful laugh and her features changed, becoming distorted into a resemblance to foxes She called out and beckoned as to some one at a distance with great de light, saying, ' Oh, come ! I'mso glad you 've come ! ' ' Yes, I 've come ! breathlessly, as if she had been running ; and then the evil spirits who per sonated foxes had a fine time together, laughing and talking and joking One said : ' I know where there are some nice offerings in Bakan, eggs and fish and rice. Let's go and get them,' and off they went apparently. 1 Don't talk so loud ; they '11 hear us.' ' Oh, here they are. Put them in your sleeve.' 'We must cook them. You go and buy some oshitaji [soy] and I '11 make the fire. Put on your hat' and go through the graveyard, arid hide it under your hat.' ' How well it burns ! Now it 's boiling. Ah, you 've come back, and now it will soon be done.' ' Yes, oh how good it tastes ! How jolly this is ! ' . . . ' Well, let 's go home and we '11 come again.' Saying which, she bounded out of the room as if about to leave the house. We brought her back to the dark room, and then she became possessed by a demon personating her dead mother's spirit. First she said several times ' Gomen nasai!' as if a visitor at the door; then, 'I am the mother of the girl you call O Kane. Her name is O Tsugi. I have come 100 r/from Amakusa. She was treated so badly that I entered into her, and went with her to Kumamoto and to Hiroshima and back again ; but now she is so well cared for here I will leave never to possess her again. But you must give me an offering of a bunch of rice-balls — enough to last for three days on the journey back. It will take a good many, for I have many maidservants (koshimoto) for whom I find it hard to provide food. Then you must put them in a bundle on my back. It will not do just to give them to me.' No one replying to her repeated request, she angrily exclaimed : ' The master of this house is deaf in his ears ; he won't listen. I tell you I shall not leave unless you give me a rice-ball. Do you hear ? If you do that, I will leave never to come again.' The girl could hardly be hungry, for she had just eaten a hearty supper. It must have been a half hour that she kept repeating this demand, at last pounding the floor, and shouting it out in a voice that we heard clear out on the street. At this time I returned from prayer meeting. God had been preparing my heart for months, showing me the personality and presence of evil spirits about us and impressing deeply on my mind his promise to his disciples that

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