The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1860-12-06
Kenosha, Wis.,, Thursday, December 8, 18
From Blackwood's Magazine.
Ely Penny Dip.

/
What was it /? A tallow candle to be sure
THE gas wouldn't burn, the kerosene strangle,
Ime with It's noxious odor, the fluid sputtered
turned blue, and went out. I am afraid of tn
idark; that ghestly blackness which makes one
|eyes ache with the want of light; that palpabl
Igloom, which seems to beat like a roomful o
lpapitations ofthe heart around you, about you
labove you, everywheree that visible nothing
which holds the chairs, the tables, the portrait
you are familiar with,yet hides them in It's blacl
veil from your view; that empty fullness through
(which you thrust out your cropping arms, tibet
shrink back, oppressed with presence you car
neither hear, see nor feel
:" Milly," said to my little maid, "run some
where and get me a light"
| She ran to the groeer's wife, and came back
with penny dip in a brass candlestick
| AS she placed it on my table, went out and
shut the door, the little boy in bronze on my
mantle raised his hammer and struck the figure
oftime twelve ringing blows upon the heart. Il
was midnight.
The candle burned clearly. l resumed the
old volume Of German legends l was reading,
and as l laid my finger on paragraph and paus-
ed to ponder on the possibility of spirits return
ing to earth to wreak vengeance on foes or to
work veal for friends, | heard deep sigh at my
elbow.
/ turned and beheld the ghost of my grand
mother.
l knew her from her resemblance to her por-
trait: She wore the same white cap with its
wide border plated round her face-the same
'prlm dress with which had grown familiar in
the picture.
She died twenty years ago. was nam,
for her.
drew up the rocking chair for the ghost
She sat down in it. A pillow could not have
sank more noiselessly than she did. She kept
her hands in the same position that somebody
tled them twenty years ago.
She liked her keen black eyes upon me-
beautiful eyes, which had always admired in
the portrait. None of her descendants had such
eyes.
) " could not come" she said in deep sepul-
chral tones, " in gas light. Ghosts and gas
hight are at war always. AS for kerosene oil,
we groan IN spirit at its use. How mortal no.
ses can, night after night, inhale the odor it
e mlts is wonder. 1t is worse than birthstone.
we have put our cold lips under your chimneys
and blown our ghostly breaths into the flames.
10 nave seen the chimneys blacken with smoke
and apartments fill with disgusting fragrance
People only said the lamp is in dranght.-
Ihey moved it and bore with it. We shall have
TO yield. Kerosene is modern discovery.
Ghosts are old fashioned. To be out Of date is
10 be out of mind. Your talow candle pleases
me. We ghosts like the light of other days
around US. We always, in the body burned
.allow candles"
: The fine eyes of my grandmother gazed at
my penny dip steadfastly FOR a moment. She
seemed to see visions and to dream dreams.
My dear" shesaid, "yeu are the first of
The family that has n turned to candles since the
innovation of gas, You are indebted to your
lip for my pre9ence How hollow l would |
AVE looked Vi der chandelier, how bloodless,
low white As it's think l am looking very
natural, am l not?"
She glanced up at her portrait and waited my |
,eply
9 little pale, grandmother" 1 said, but
ell me, dear madam, ifyour pursuits in the 9th
'r world are of such a nature that they admit of
your retui ming to this at any time 2"
by no means. / am permitted to appear in
his sphere but seldom. My influence | can
make felt oftener. l have not been seen before
since my coffin lid was closed. am come to
ell you there arose yen in Pandemonium. |
ooked in to see what it was. found the great
chamber assigned to little children, and which
$ always full of little ones Of all sizes and ages,
The scene of great commotion. Infants were
crawling into corners; three year old toddlers
were tottering out Of the way. Older ones were
hastily finding seats, and all faces wore a listen
ng expression. A small voice was saying:
1t was no fault of mine that brought me
here L, who am now but five years old, might
have lived to be fifty. Nature, unfortunately |
gave me fine physical Development. My
chest was round and full, my skin clear, my
limbs finely moulded. My birthplace was in
cold climate. My mother, proud of her offspring,
pared my neck and arms in the chill winters,
when her rose bushes and vines were packed in
warm straw and thoroughly protected from every
blast. was brought down to be viewed by
and exposed to different temperatures
rs went from room to room. My mother,
wrapped In soft velvet and comfortable silks,
lid not suffer. | did, but could not tell her
50, i took cold. became great trouble in
The house. My beauty faded. l fingered on
from month to month, and died at last, at five
years old, of consumption. My mother cried
over my little coffin. knew, but could not
tell her then, that her own vanity had placed
me there-woHld send me here EaH
Twas trotted to death" cried a more piping
voice; as the first speaker sat down. woman
was hired expressly to take care of me,and she
took care that | should not want for exercise.
Her days and nights were spent in keeping me
going " up up upy, and g down down downy."
mat unknown wonder, perpetual motion, was
10 De found IN my nurses knees. Every bone
in my poor little body was racked, every ounce
- ilOoH was SURE MY IOUu went GOWII HIN
and came up cheese. If cried, was trotted
if screamed, was trotted if l was still, was
trotted-I became little better than human
churn, from which the butter had been taken
and the sour milk left standing. My brains
turned to bruises, my blood to whey, my bones
grew so sharp, they almost pierced the knees
which trotted them AS began to cut teeth,
my tongue was constantly jolted between my
jaws and in danger of being bitten off. dared
not whine, for l knew the penalty l began at
last to calculate how long the torture could
possibly continue. Warm weather was coming
on, and l thought one or the other Of us must
soon give up the ghost and as my nurses ex-
ertions were almost superhuman, | imagined
that perhaps l might outlast her. One unlucky
day, however, my mother entering the room
smiled at her. l had never
done so before. Hegf
j g The darling cried my parent, see it
knows me-"
i" Poor thing, rather, " said the nurse /" it has
wind on its stomach"
Forthwith she proceed to trot it out
Every thump of her feet on the floor was, 1
knew, nail in my coffin. felt should never
smile again. My faithful nurse continued her
efforts, and was trotted out Of existence upon
the poor old woman's knee
g AS the speaker ceased, one Of the elder &C.
grandmother. 6" He at once made room for me
to enter, and begged me to remain and hear the
remarks. l consented, and took a seat near
the entrance"
- said little fellow, rising from his seat,
with his blue eyes all bloodshot, and his curs
matted together, died of delirium tiemens. At
the age of six months, l was Il confirmed drunk
ard. | had not been a very quiet baby, and
every time was uneasy, little liquor was ad-
miistered to do me good did not want wine,
but water. l was naturally a very thirsty
child, and everything that was put between my
speechless lips increased my thirst. Ny moth
er's milk was sweet, the panada given me was
sweet and If now and then | was blessed with
a draught of goats or cows milk, it was warm
ed and sweetened first, to make it as much like
my mothers as possible. used to cry No
other way do we poor babes have of expressing
our feelings, and the chances are ten to one
that we will be misunderstood. TO stop my
crying, I was put to the breast; this, at such
times, l would Indignantly refuse Then there