Today in Salem: A buzz of energy has everyone talking about the beggar Sarah Good, her daring escape from house arrest, and how the servant Elizabeth Hubbard could possibly have known about it.
After yesterday’s hearing, Sarah Good and her baby had been sent to her constable relative’s house and put under guard. But she’d made a quick escape, racing out so quickly that she’d left her shoes and stockings behind. She didn’t last long, though. It was frigidly cold, her feet were bare (and so were her legs), and she was nursing a baby. So she went back to her relative and begged, this time for shelter.
Then, last night, before anyone knew of Sarah’s escape, wide-eyed neighbors had watched Elizabeth wince and jerk away as Sarah’s specter inflicted terrible pains on her. “She’s right there!” Elizabeth had cried. “On the table! Right in front of you!” The specter had bare feet, Elizabeth said, and her legs were bare, too. And one breast.
How could Elizabeth have known? The neighbors agree: She must be able to see into the Invisible World. And specters must look exactly like the people they belong to. What else could explain it?
Now the magistrates are taking no chances. No more staying at a relative’s house. A guard is taking Sarah to jail 10 miles away, where she cannot escape. That doesn’t stop her from trying, though. Even holding her 10-week-old baby, she slides off the guard’s horse and tries to run, three times. She curses and kicks and spits, but the guard wrestles her and the baby back onto the horse every time.