Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-04-26

| cooked it quickly and noiselessly, when
1t occurred to me that perhaps it was my
chum, who, sleeping in an adjoining room,
had occasion TO come into mine for some
thing. As | gaZed, the figure assumed a
new shape-that of a grinnihg skeleton
And while looked, a whole procession of
skeletons filed in and marched in solemn
procession through the room. The burs of
moonlight upon the wall, shining through
the lattice-work of the blinds, began to
dance and burn in vari-colored flames.
And | said to myself, Here are the jim
Jims!"
The first idea which occurred TO me was
that pistol, under the circumstances, was
scarcely the thing to have within conve
nlent and ready reach. So | deposited 1t
safely in the wash-bowl Then | sat up
In bed and prepared to enjoy myself as
much as could be expected under such
strangely abnormal conditions, There
were more flames and burning wheels, spi
raj rockets and Scintillations and corruSca-
lions OF all kinds than | ever saw on any
Fourth of July day. Dragons flew and
aerial toads hoped through the air Ny
skeleton friends ranged themselves for the
Lancers and went through that dance in
grand style, butting their bare skulls TO-
| gether in the courtliness of their bows, and
shaking their wild fleshless shins in the
wild ecstacy of convolution and involution
till they ratified like castanets.
was fully conscious the while that the
scene was unreal, that all was an illusion.
But still the figures and flames were as plain
to me as the sun is at this moment.
The only alarm which felt arose from an
apprehension that this might be the begin
ming of really serious attack that /
might lose the control of myself which /
then possessed, and come to regard the
shapes as real-become, in short, "dem-
milton maniac" AS it was had no other
fear. That one apprehension aside, the
whole thing seemed an entertainment, got
ten up for my especial amusement, and
was sitting apart in private box. Indeed,
| decidedly enjoyed it rather than other
wise. The walls burned with all the
| colors OF the rainbow, and the monsters,
dragons, griffins, and such things were
| more gorgeous in their attire than lizards.
let alone lilies of the valley.
| L had pet monster in the collection
nothing less than the sea-serpent. The
next morning | attempted to sketch the
| Ophidian for the benefit of the Nantucket
people, but without success If any artist
would like to reproduce the animal, | can
| at present only suggest green scales and
gaping mouth as the leading features, for
am not good remembering details. 1t was
quite pretty monster, and l gazed at it
that long night through with feelings more
akin to admiration than fear.
had forgot to say that at al early stage
OF the proceedings had arisen and lighted
the gas, the better to see what was going
on. Letting light on fhe scene made no
| difference at all-indeed it rather multi
piled the phantoms. Everything about
the room underwent strange sea change.
| The figures on the carpet became snakes,
which wound and dashed themselves to-
gether in a perfect wilderness of contor-
tions; it was impossible to follow their
motions, SO rapid were they. The faces
carven upon the bedposts transformed
themselves into first class fends, and |
thought what good thing it would have
been could Dore have had a slight ac-
quaintance with the jim Jims before
he undertook To illustrate Millions Para
disc Lost Even at this lapse of time
think could furnish him some valuable
suggestions from my own experience.
How or when fell asleep do not know,
but | woke about ten o'clock the next
morning flushed and fevered My eyes
were sore and swollen as though they had
been beaten, simply with the staring they
did during the show. First, on awaking,
| expected to renew my acquaintance of
the night but no, there was not so much
as tadpole in the room The figures of
the carpet lay straight and orderly the
skeletons were all buried from sight the
blue, green and red flames had faded into
the Iaaia light of day, a,.a .Le 4so..ls Gil
fled. Nor can say that regretted their
disappearance. For to have found them
again at my elbow might have persuaded
me that they were real, and instead of
writing might now be raving That was
all md the last of the Jim Jims.
For amonth after that WAS as nervous
as u school girl in the green and yellow
melancholy of her first love l started
when persons spoke to me, and lived in
constant terror of being run over by ON
nibusses-so much SO that | scarcely dared
attempt to cross the street if one was com
ing or going within block of me. But
now should quite have forgotten the Jim
Jims had it not been for a little incident
the other evening similar to the one which
provoked this story
A party Of us were sitting after dinner,
when large fly came buzzing about my
ears. | clutched at it instinctively, and
started to my feet in horror: "a fly i'll mid
"A'el II van hoe NC, thought L, the
Jim-Jims again"
But it was a fly, nevertheless, and had
the satisfaction of catching it. And so
grateful was | at finding it palpable to the
touch u real fly and not fancy born of
delirium that gave the creature its lib
erty the first time, perhaps, that did the
Uncle Toby sbusiness to similar extent
| still rise at flies you see, but otherwise
am pretty well and progressing under the
doctors hands. have lost flesh, it is true.
but have not thought it worth while to |
advertise the loss, and have not heard of
any body's finding any. "Of no use to
any one but the Owner"-the owner in |
this case is not anxious to retrieve his loss |
The govt Is gradually subsiding, and am
not quite so apoplectic as Twas. am less
lively in society, and more irritable, my
friends say, but my general health is much
improved. l am glad on the whole, that !
left off drinking but often think how
true is the saying &c nest que le premier
pas qui coute. My first step toward So
briefly nearly cost me my reason indeed |
and sometimes ask myself: Was 1t not a
dangerous step to take? Was not my
good doctor little too arbitrary IN
his requirements: What think you, my
friend.
L made no answer, for medicine is not my
forte. Whether the doctor in this case was
wrong or not let the doctors decide. But
/ mentally thanked my stars that my tenn
perate habits and cold water proclivities
could never make me nearer acquainted
with the Jim-Jims than / was by John