Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-06-25
9rlette6 AltsreIIanp.
AN OPTICAL DELusION.

bad supped. Penuel Crossley, my old
school fellow, the dunderheadedest boy in
5 the school, without a shilling'sworth of
brains, or sixpenceworth of expectations,
had, somehow or other, MANAGED to make
agood match year ago, on the strength of
which he had just taken the Manor house
in our little village of Copesford, and set
tied down in digni6ed ease rs q country
squire" with a four-wheeler of his own;
whilst ], who used to write half his exer.
cises for him, was still working hard for a
living, and trudging it on foot. l didn't
grudge him his prosperity, but warted
him at least to admit that it came through
no effort of his own, that 1t was, in fact,
nothing but luck.
Luckl" cried Crossley, little con-
temptuously, | thought" luck do you
sayy Look you here, my good fellow /;
my luck is just this; 1t is all my eye, =
that's what my luck is."
Nonsense retorted. "Do you mean
to tell me that you've worked for the
money you spend in paying for this placer
DO you mean to say that your gold is the
truit Of your brains or your handsf Thatit
Is good money, warm from the sweat Of
your brow, or that"
Now, don't" he interrupted, "don't
tell you It's ell my eye ?"
"Its not all my eye" continued, "if
you"
"Hush! didn't say t was all your
eye; said it was all mine. Look at rae /"
looked at him. l saw through the
wreathing clouds of smoke with which he
surrounded himself, great, tall, hand.
some, hulking fellow, with close curly
hair, like Roman gladiator, and a pair
OF very handsome eyes, little constrained
perhaps in their expression, partly, as |
judged from school antecedents, because
he hadn't much to express, and partly
from his being little far-sighted. Iknew
he could not see objects close to him with
out peculiar spectacles.
You don't see anything wrong about
me, then?" he asked, when had concluded
my scrutiny.
No, didn't. He was towing with a
lead-pencil which was in his hand when
he asked the question.
Nor yet now?" and he deliberately
took the lead pencil, and tapped it against
MS lett eye-right on the eyeball-and
played little tattoo upon 1t, "Nor yet
now 2" he said.
"Pen, what do you mean ?" cried,
aghsst.
"Just this tell you it's all nv eve.
It's only glass one, but a capital bit of
window'glass it is,-as good as most win
dow-glass you'll find in London,-too dark
to see through, but it keeps the draught
out" And he turned away for minute,
whisked his eye out, and then, covering up
his sightless cavity, brought the eye to me
to examine. 1t was so thin one could
blow it away with breath, and it looked
like fragile shell of porcelain.
This is my luck" hesaid, when he had
inserted his eye again. at is my eye
all my eye-snd nothing else. If you
want to know how, just light up another
Manila, and listen"
"But which is the artificial eye?"
asked, for declare could not tell as l
looked at him.
Left" said Pen, tapping it affection.
ately. "T isn't bad. Ell? There are only
three people know it beside YOURSELF
namely, the optician, my father-in-law,
and my wife, so I've kept my secret pretty
well; and you need not go and tell every
body about Copseford that the new squire
has game eye Twopenny worth of
gunpowder did it, at school, after you left,
SO it's no wonder you didn't know. had
loaded la small brass cannon which wouldn't
fire; and looking down the muzzle to see
why it wouldn't go of, the charge went in,
and my eye went olt. left school
blown out of it, as it were and having re-
covered from the accident, and had my eye
replaced with this very artistic piece of
china-ware, / went homo to Step
minister, to study medicine with my IA.
ther. My father, although called DR.. Cross
ley by courtesy, was not a properly quail.
fed doctor of medicine; he was, strictly
speaking, medical man but folks in
our town were never very particular about
what letters professed surgeon wrote
after his name, so long as he could write
enough of them.
CDR Crossley was Medical Inspector to
the Local Board of Health (unkind per-
sons called him Inspector of Nuisances),
and had little or no private practice 1t
was his idea that l should keep the loss of
my eye a profound secret, because ne
wished gradually to work me into his own
position, for which his failing health was
rapidly incapacitating him. He had some
notion the Board might fancy man could
not inspect enough for the post with
one eye. For my part / should have
thought a nose the most needful organ for
an inspector of nuisances and l have
found one eye quite enough to see through
Board and all their wooden ways After
few years, began to relieve my father
OF his duties, until. though he still nomi.
nally held the poBition of inspector, the
whole of the work was done by me. AS
1t was satisfactorily done, the Board made
no difficulty about transferring the Ap.
pointment to me on my fathers retirement
which only shortly preceded his death
One member of the Board in particular
complimented me very highly on my as
siduity In the discharge of the du
ties of the Office. SHe is only .
young man, SIR he said, addressing the
chairman but he has an eye like hawk.
He was light. / had dst eye. Such was the
energy with which worked TO put dowT
nuisances, that the mere mention of my
eye was almost sufficient to get them re
moved. Aperson whose peighbor KEEP
pigs in his backyard had simply to say Il
that neighbor: Look out the inspector
has his eye upon you, and there was really
no need for my interference. Such wa
the beautiful respect and awe in whicl
the townsfolk held my eye. But not on
of them knew the singular meaning whicl
attached to being under my eye,-not
soul Of them knew he was telling tn
truth by accident
"Some time before was appointed in
spector. a wealthy old gentleman, by tn
in Stepminster. Some said he was O n
tired Liverpool merchant, others that b
Was a retired London broker. Peopl
hardly knew what he was, or where b
had come from, or what for. He was nC
very communicative on these points; b
IL was agreed that he was rich, aud 1t wa
indisputable that he had q very pEett
only daughter, Laura. He therefore b
came an object Of interest to parents
m&rriAgeable young men In Stepminstel
whilst Miss TTedgold became q ditto dit
70 those young men themselves. II
Tredgolds were invited out good del
They were not at All proud they appearI
fond Of society they accepted those i
vitations; and in turn their hosts becan
their guests. They wsse very much like
really believe for their own Eakes, mo
than on account OF Mr.. 1ftdgold's weGlt
NJ frredgoih we avcallant nftnna nv A M