The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-09-01

: them through the lens of small sp.
: glass. Of all the countless spectres
that night. I recognized but one. Fl
was a stalwart figure, towering hes
and shoulders above all the rest, arrays
: in . splendid military costume, an
) standing. in the centre of brilliar
throng of officers: need scarcely ad,
that this was General Winfield Scot
The next morning, Monday, the OIL
I felt some better, Notwithstanding tt
sleepless horrors of the night. 1 ros,
dressed myself, and, after partakiDg @
some food and walking, deemed myse
We enough to go to work and So, cor
trary to the wisdom of my watchful an
faithful wife, rambled over my news
papers, aud read and wrote nearly al
the day long. In the afternoon. the pc
culiar novelty of the optical illusions il
nv case assumed more distinctive form
and made q greater impression upon m,
memory All before had been confused
and rather indistiLct, thought all wer,
remembered. Bnt where before wer,
mingled and jumped up masses, now ap
peared spectres siugly,. and in clear re
lief, sharply defined. IL.
After dinner on Monday 1 had beer
writing and reading for several hours
when, suddenly, n looking out of ono
of the windows of my sitting room, i
saw standing under cherry tree within
the yard at the side of my house a ne
gro barber, with whom, had scraped
an acquaintance ia the 60 Irse offrequent
occasions to avail myself of his profess
ioUal skill in shaving. He was arrayed
in blue dress coat, with remarkably
bright brass buttons, dark pants, aud
cloth cap. AS I looked up. our eyes
met, and l distinctly heard him say, as
he partially lifted his cap from his head i,
Good afternoon, Mr--.' returned
the compliment with bow, aud the ex-
clamatioD, How do you do, s. ?"
This attracted the atteHtion of the
watching one at my side and she askedme
what 1 meant. Why said L, Il was
simply acknowledging the courtesy of
S. of who p Why of S
- Where is hep There un-
der the cherry tree, looking up O.
street. He spoke to me, and replied
That's all. But do wonder what he is
doing there. He must be watching for
somebody ALI the arguments of my
wife were unavailing to convince me that
the barber was not there. 1 pointed
him out to her afterwards directly under
my window, standing between the build
ing and the shutter of the window. All
l could discover was the outline of his
figure and the shining top of his glazed
cap. My wife pointed out to me the
of man being able to CON-
press himself into so narrow o space
But, to me, it was all possible, all right,
all natural. Therefore pitied her ig
norance of natural laws, and straightway
the barber vanished. But the reader
will find anon that he returned again.
Early in the evening of that eventful
lay, several ladies dropped in to make
4 neighborly call, and all congratulated |
me on my recovery. What a recovery. |
[ tailed aud laughed with them, and
ielt quite cheerful. Thought ! should |
De able, In the morning, to go to my of |
ice and resume my labors. Soon after
lark l had occasion t" pass thro' bed
with a lamp, in order to gain
lccess to my kitchen, where was pail
If cold water. was athirst and w.nt- /
ID TO drink. On my wa thrc- the
l noticed TIL. =, me mating on
ne coor ae,c~imed to be gorgeous tapes
.ry carpet, every figure of which glowed
With all the matchless brilliancy of the
,ostliest gems-diamonds, rubies, emer
Ids, pearls, sc. I felt assured that I
lad been sick, and had been using MY
,yes too steadily before 1 had recovered
efficient physical strength. Satisfied
With this solution of the phenomena,
passed on to the kitchen, aud then and
here my great torment fell upon me
With crushing weight. No sooner had
ntered the apartment than | saw a boy,
# about twelve or fourteen years of age,
Iart across it. His step was noiselcss.
lie was dressed in a complete suit of
ray clothes, with gray cap on his
Iead, and CATERS of the same color on
lis feet. saw all this at a glance, and
much. l spoke to him, and
sked him what he wanted. There was
10 reply. Thinking he had come to es-
ort ono of the ladies home, and had
'een frolicking with my son, I followed
Ip my interrogations, but without sue
ess. 1 stepped toward him, and he
larted into a pantry. Thinking it all
cry strange indeed, called to my wife,
nd she came out from the sitting room,
through short hall, to ascertain what
, wanted As she approached, 1 was
to see another urchin, though
mailer, also dressed in gray, following
u behind her, in an attitude of suppl
alton. l told my wife there was
'eighbor's boy in the pantry, and that
le acted very strangely. She went into
he room, and I followed. at first
aw him crouched down in one corner,
tut noticed that, while he prescribed his
ilver-gray color, yet he had shrhnk to
he shape and dimensions of good sized
4pple. My wife instantly turned, with
countenance deathly pale with alright,
md said to me, There is no one here
The announcement fell into my heart
ike lump of cold lead. I felt that
vas the victim of optical illusions. 1
lad read much and often about these
painful phenomenas. All that 1 had
,ver read or heard on the subject surged |
n upon wy, mind like food, and stood
,ut an instant startlipgly clear, as it is
,aid, do the incidents of mans whole |
ife in the moment of deadly peril.
A clammy sweat broke out all over
ne; my heart palpitated violently; my
knees knocked together; my temples
shrobbed as il they would burst asunder,
and it seemed to me it would be relief
if they would. But / soon recovered
myself. My wife left the room, mo-