The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-04-11
.,,.- [From chamSers' Journal.l
Three Startling Situations.

connected with the press" would feel him.
self justified in calling "CheCkered." / did
not begin life as the hsirto dukedom, find
myself at twenty one to have been illegiti
mate, and eventually in a position to dictate
to some popular author, from the sick.ward
Of afuniOn wOrkhouse, the interesting raw
materials for bic novelette,, "The Falling
Star. ."r Neither did begin life id the knife
house, and ...& .
ttCreeping up from high TO higher, ...
IL Become on fortunes crowning slope, n
>. The centre Of wards desire, ..... ..
And At with aldermen to COPE"
The prayer of my godfather for me was
like Agur's, that should have neither riches
nor poverty s. he left me that much abused
inheritance-Which, to reasonable man, is
nevertheless the best in the world, since it
enables him to pursue all good objects for
their own sake-"a moderate ndependence;"
and I have kept it ever since.
Hence, o, reader, it is 10 vain 10 expect
from this comfortable quill either soaring
flights into the Empyresn, (with large E,)
or down swoops into the Abysms. know
no more Of palaces than ] do of prisons
and yet I have had my three "startIing situa.
tions," too. Most mortals who have grown
to be men and women, have had some ex.
periences always afterward observable to
their mind's-eye in the level road of their
existences, even il they be but the being
pitched out Of q merry -go.round st a fair, or
the having proposals Of marriage rendered to
them by black man and why not like
the rect i!
First, then, have had the privilege Of
beholding q spiritual manifestation three
distinct, or, at all events, separate ghosts at
the same time. This happened on my way
from Calais to Paris in the winter OF 1882.
The boat, as ii always does when | am in it
"A proof Of my honest assertion that there
is nothing about me unlike what belongs to
the majority OF my fellow creatures-had
msde an exceedingly bad passage, and
landed upon the chores Of France with a
vacuum within me that had yet no desire
to replenioh. Had it been otherwise, there
was very little time to do it, for The diligence
unlike myself, quite full inside, was upon
the point Of starting, and climbed up in
miserable condition beside the conductor
How he screamed, gesticulated, and crack
ed his psodigious whip like demon driver
it 10 not necessary, and would be painful tc
: me to describe. fell asleep as soon as
could, sGd forgot him /; and when woke
again, he wSs osleep, too, and the horses
were going at their own sweet will, ant
E pace, which latter is in France very mod
crate one. felt cold and hungry enough
but yet 60 faint as not to seem equal to thu
: effort of waking the driver, and urging hin
to push on little faster to the next roadsid.
. inn; so faint, so drowsy, that no earthly
u thing. think, short of an upset could huv,
u reused me up, or awakened my interest
No earthly thing, perhaps; but what wa
II that running along the hedge-on the top o
y the hedge-upon the left hsnd runnin.
i along by the side Of the diligence, and yet
little iD advance, go as to turn back and loo
u at it and at me That woke me 500
y enough, and most thoroughly. What busi
i ness had Merry Ross, my little ward-wh
II had lately been left widow with two chill
~ dren, and whom / had hidden good.by t
- only few days betore-what business,
. say, had she to be running atop Of roadsid
~ hedge between Calais and Paris at midnight
always keeping her head turned round, an
10 her eyes fixed upon me! There was nc
r the least doubt of it being Mary, although
had never seen her with that look Of pal
and entreaty on her face before. l al
o thank full to think that she never had to as
II anything, either for herself or others twic
d from me. She never looked before her, b,
D. glided swiftly on along the hedge and whe
gap or gate interviewed, seemed to leap
.. without any spring or unusual exertion.-
: When her eyes we're not on mine, they wer
et fixed on one or other Of the two fore whee
'e Of the diligence and, presently, leane
" over to see what was attracting her in II
!, le(t-hahd one. Georgy was there-Geore
'' Ross, her eldest son, revolving with Il
u wheel, and upon it's rim, disappearing ar
10 coming up sgain ss though he were bound
'g it, with bis white face upward toward me ar
81 her, but with shut eyes. His brother Charl'
was on the other wheel, / knew, althoug
!" of course, could not see him and, presen
IT. ly, upon the great empty front seat, whel
: there was room for four beside the drive
= there lay stretched on either side OF me tho
IS same two boys, 10 long white dresses, whit
20 -sinee they were dead, poor things, as
O. subsequently turned out-might have bet
VI shrouds. | had scarcely time to put n
a. hands out, right and left, and through ea'
I" Of these forms, to feel the bare cushion
3D. the seat, when the driver, with burst
ne a. sacres, woke, and lashed the horses. callir
NC them pigs and demons. Then the childrs
:. and their dear mother vanished from q
;" siRht forever. Being Of phlegmstic, or,
W prefer to callsit. Of philosophical dispoi
~ ,ion.I simply entered in my ,note-boo
W writing 1t there, % I cat in The clear moo
light. "Curious Illusion produced Deceu
= Der i4. 1882 by hunger and fatigue"
w. NevertksleSs' ID I sat 1t breakfast in p,
10 is on the morning Of the nintesnth, I