The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1860-12-04
From Blackwood's Magaz
MY PENNY DIP.

straugled mo with its noXous oior, the iluiC
sputterod, burned blue, aud went out. | an
, afraid Of the dark; that ghoslly hackncs'
. which makes ones eyes ache with IT'S want %
Iight; that paIprhi' gloon which seems L
beat Ike roo nlul of palpltatlpns o. tha hear
around you, above YOU, about you,ev where
that visible nothing. which holds the tables
the chars the portraits YOU are familiar with
yet hilos them in its black veil from You
view; that empty funcs1 through which you
thrust out Your cropping ar >, then shrink
back oppressed with presence You can nol,
thor hear SEQ, nor feel.
'MiIly,' SAID 10 my httc mail, run s1mo-
whcr qnl get me light
She ran to the grocerS wifi, and came bscl,
with penny dip in brass canAlcs,ick.
As she placed it on my tbole, went out AMI
shut the door, the little 10y in hronzs on my
mantle rai,el his hammer and struck the iig
urc Of time twelve ringing blows upon the
heart II was r,ilnigh.
1'h" candle burned clnariy. csL'n'd the
old volume Of German legends was roading,
AMI as laid my fngrr ona paragraph, and
paused tc ponder on the possibility Of spirits
returning to cath to wrcak vengeance on
foes, OF work veal To friends. heard deep
sigh at my elbow.
turned mrl h"hli IT," ghost ofmy granl-
mother
ku her from her resemblance T., her
portrait. She wore the same white cap with
1 its wide border plated round her face-tha
Same prim dress with which bad grown fa-
miar in the picture.
She died twonty years ago | was named
for her.
drew up the rocking chair for tho ghost.
She sat down in it. a pillow could not have
sank there more noiselessly than She did She
kept her hands in the same position on her
breast that somebody tiel them twenty years
ago.
She fixed nor keen black eyes upon mo
beautiful eyes, which had always admired in
the portrait. None Of her de eendants hal
slch eyes.
Il could not cone, she said, in deep sepnl-
chral tones, 'in gas light. Ghosts and gas
light are at war always. AS for kerosene oil.
we groan in spirit at its use. How mortal
noises can, night after night, nliale the odor
it emits, is wonder. 1t is worse than brim
stone. We have put cur cold lips under your
chimneys, and blown our ghostly breaths into
the flame: We havs seen the chimneys
blacken with smoke, and apartments filled with
disgusting fragrance. People only said the
lamp is in Il draught. They moved it and
bore with it. We shall have TO yield. Ker
oseno is n modern discovery. Ghosts are old
fashioned. To be out of date is 10 be out of
mind. Your taow candle pleases me. We
ghosts like the Of other days around us. We
always, in the body, burned tallow caadles.'
The fine eyes of my grandmother gazod a.
my penny dip steadtastIy for moment. She
seemed to see visions anl dream dreams.
MY dear, she said, you are tn, first of the
family that has returned to candles since the
innovation fgas. You arc indebted to your
dip for my presence. How hollow l would
have looked under n l-Anr--how blood
less, how white! As it Is, think | am look
ing very natural, am l not
She glanced up at her portrait and waited
my reply.
"A little pale, grandmother, said; 'but
tell me, dear madam, if your pursuits in tho
other worlds are of such nature that thew |
admit Of your returning to this at any time 2
'By no means. l am permitted to appear
in this sphere but seldom. My influence |
can make felt oftener. / have not been seen
before since my coffin lid was closed. All
come to tell you thsro arose a yell in Pande- |
monium. | looked in to SEQ whence it came. |
| found the great chamber assigned TO little
children, aud which is always fall of little
ones Of all sizes and ages, the scene of great
Infants were crawling into cor
ners; three year old tolllers were toitering
out Of the way. Older ones were hastily find
ing seats, and all faces wore Il listening ex.
preston. A small voice was saying
1t was no fault Of mine that brought me
here. |, who am now but five years old,
might have lived to bo fifty. Nat.rc, u for.
tunately, gave inc fine physical develop
ment Ny chest WAS rom anl full, my
skin clear, my limbs finely monnded Ny
birthplace was in a cold climate. Nv tender
mother, proud Of her offspring barred my
neck and arms in the chill winters, when h.r
and vines were packed in warn
blast. was brought down to ba viewed bv
company, and exp ,sed to different tcmpert
lures as | went from room to room. Nv
mother, wrapped in soft velvet AMI comforta-
bio silks, did uot suf,r' did, but | could
rot tell her SO. | took cJh. | became a
great trouble in the house. My beauty ia
ded. | fingered on one month, and died at
last, at five years old, Of consumption. Ny
mother criod over my little coffin. I knew,
but | could not tell her then, that her own
vanity had placed ire there-woull send me
here
Il was trotted To DEATH cried II more pip.
m voice, as the first speaker sat down. a
woman was hired expressly t. tkc caro- of
me-, an she took caro- that should not want
or exercise. Her days aud nights were spent
N keeping me going up, up, upy,' and down,
lown, dcwny. That unknown wonder, per
)etual motion, was to be iounl in my muses.
iness. Every bone in my poor little boiy
vas racked. ever ounce of flesh was sore Ny
ooi went down milk and came up cheese. Ii
cried, was trotteI; if screamed, | was
rottcd; if was still, / was trottel--I bo-
ame little botter than human churn, from
which the butter had been taken aud the
our milk left stan ing. Ny brains turned to
,ruiseS, my blood to whey, my bones grew SO
harp they almost pierced the knees which
rotet them. As began to cut teeth, my
ongue was constantly iolted between my