The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-11-21

out OF windows below me. Pleasant
morning. No rain No waterfalls ut
that hour on Broadway.
How [ winlledi Was looking for
meteors. AT least they winked. 1t
was very cold. Used the opera glass
often. one barrel ut q time Warmed
me invariably, but.the heat lodged il
my thorax. Like political sermons,
it didn't warm tho back part Of the
audience. My dress was like that OF
Gen. .Washburn when he left oil gar
ments but one and fled through Mem
phis. Ho was modest man, so he
ran. Perhaps he wanted exercise,
and ran for that. I wanted exercise.
The meteors didn't meet. SO /
thought to run over the roof. Ran
against ghost. 1t spoke to me. 1t
screamed, "Oh, my darling child!"
Says /: care you my mother-haye
you q strawberry or u blackberry
72a''h?' Says the ghost: ''Iou'vc
knocked me down-you've killed the
babe L held in my arms!' ooh, dear,
[ offered to get her another" Said
she: ''You blundering bruter' "My
name is not ButlerT quoth I to her.
The ghost was q married one. ut
least there was circumstantial evi-
dence pointing that way. She was
taking the morning air; and while
taking it she lost her morning heirl
Says | to the ghost: ''Lend me a gar
ment. " ''And so without, said She.
"Shiftless female, said l. You au-
other" spoke she. 1 tried the opera
glass again. Said she: ooh. you
amt a naughty, naughty man, then,
after all!'' ''Why so?" Hand me
yournursing bottler' Mistaken ghost.
Then [ knew she was from the spirit
land.
The moon began TO strengthen, but
it came not to a focus. The gentle
zephyrs zephyrcd like the devil-or
words to that meaning. L felt q
coldness creeping over me. No me-
tcors yet The ghosts chattered all
about me. / felt rheumatism. The
opera glass grew lighter bar
rcls. l found q chimney top. 1t
felt generous. It gave out sub
dued warmth. 1t was brick chin
ney, therefore 1 sat on it. No me
teors yet. The stars began falling
back like Sigel. 1 thought it was
strategy to induce the meteors to
advance. The chimney felt q little
warm. l emptied the bottles and
threw the corks at . rcd-headed ghost
without waterfall. L slung the bot
ties over the battlements that CITY
editor below might see stars.
remembered. that the Fire Com
m1ssloners We're to ring bell ten
times to wake me up when meteor
died, and like ship on billow, q
child IN q bath tub, hen on her
nest, or Il Butler taking his spoons. l
slept like q babe across its grand
mothers knee, getting warmth where
I needed it.
No meteors yet.
1 slept. But not long. I smelt
something. It awolle me- Thought
1t was meteor. Says !, "Bullv for
science!" The smell increased. l
grew nervous, but could not tell
where. | was in bog A meteor
had struck-I knew it. Things were
burning. And L had no accident
policy. The world was on fire. The
smoke was all abont me-its ghost sat
there In smoke and white cotton with
frill.
All, ha. Fiend of the lower re-
gions. But [ have thee! / arose
quickly. Curses on the man who
invented sleep! Confound the cook
who built the fire at the other end Of
that chimney. When [ arose, cot
ton cinder, thirteen inches long by
four inches wide, foated off like an
army balloon. Sleep is not good,
Opera glasses are not good, if I'M
loaded too rapidly. [ didn't see the
meteor, but the doctors saw it. 1t
was infiamed-rcd hot. L think 1
shall not sit on d chimney-or on
anything else-for many days. No
more meteors for me. It was a SEN
sation-darned mean one at that.
The papers knew better. 1t was 81
coppcrhead lie. Tenderly thine,