Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-02-18

uCn ullOlnlng ours, III GryAntS VOICE
would often be heard calling to his boy
who did the gardening and errands be-
sides. What he said II was difficult to
distinguish owing to the distance, but the
semblance of the voice was accurately rcn.
dered by the parrot, thus: Aud, John,
gabble, gable, gabble, gabble. Aud, John,
gabble, gabble. And, John, gabblc, gab-
ble gabble. Yessir." The second day
after the funeral this bird was in the kitch.
en-, and heard Dr. Gryant shouting to
his lad about water rat that the boy was
hunting. The parrot remembered it in
the evening, and when the lamp was lit
began to call with shrill sCrcech, "Iou've
killed him, Johng Gcssir." \ singular
bird Bob" is. See him at supper.tiuc,
when | let him out ofhis cage. He comes
and perches on my shoulder, waiting till
the spirit decanters are brought out. He
then helps himsclfto n largo knob ofsugar
from the sugar basin, and walks in a state
ly way to the brandy bottle. There he
filings down his sugar, and remains calling
in a most insinuating manner "Pretty
Polly" until some one dips the sugar in
neat brandy. With his grog in his lett
claw, "Bobn returns to my shoulder, and
sits there imbibing it until he first shuts
one eye in extreme satisfaction from time
to time as the spirituous juice gets up in
his head, and at last, with both eyes wink
ing, he becomes ready for bed.
He had gone thus far through his eve
ming performance on the third night after
the funeral when, as | had determined
not to send him out in the kitchen to sleep,
| looked for some convenient nail on
which to hang his cage in the dining-room.
The only thing | could find was brass
knob against q cupboard, about six feet
from the ground. Bob did not like the
situation, since, the knob being nearly flush
with the wall, his cage was canted on one
side; but l left him there for want of o
better place, and went to bed about II
o'clock.
Doctor Gryant had already gone to bed.
l now know the fearfully anxious time the
last tensdays had been to him. The very
absence OF suspicion hitherto had only
lasted long enough to excite each night a
dread lest the coming day should reveal
the whole truth vivid and plain to ALL
Judge, then, what Doctor Gryant felt
when that night he heard my tdtter'S sum
mons again, my father being dead and un-
der ,groundl "One-two-three e-four" "
the bell tolled out, harsher and more hor-
rid than he had yet heard it. "Pomb--
pomb" it went on, never hurrying or stay
ing its measured beat. "Toll, toll, toll"
and the dreadful thing rang on as if il
would never stop until he answered it.
How could he help recollecting my fathers
words: Whenever you hear the bell
ring in that way remember IL is L and /
aoGnt yOu!" He threw on his things and
went down to the door, white and trcm-
bling, and his knees quaking under him.
AS he passed along the passage the bell
stopped. He unbolted and unbarred the
door, and looked out into the night. The
moon shining on the pavement, and the
wind blowing coolly on his damp fore
head, houses asleep, streets deserted, not
a soul abroad, nor light from door nor
window, and Mr.. Morley's front door
closed. Nothing else. Awfullcr to him
than any vision of another world were
the silence and the stiffness and the sight
of the quiet stars, when his very hear
| cried aloud in fear within him. Almost
fainting he got back to bed, and tossed
there till morning.
The next night it was the same, will
this exception, that, frightened beyond
endurance, and really longing for the
sight of fellow creature, Doctor Gryan
raped at my door, Not being gone tC
bed, l answered him myself His face
always white, looked ashcn and deadly il
the moonlight.
"For Heavens sake, Mr.. Morley, tel
me-did you ring my surgery bell?"
"No," said l. z" But what on earth DOS
sesses you? You look like death ITSELF"
| fancied heard the bell ring, Mr.
Morley, and that it rang like he rang it fol
me the night he died. mean your father
but am nervous tonight, and it ma,
have been my fancy after ALL"
Fancy" / repeated, THAT is absurd
There could be no fancy about hearing
such bell as that. Either you did hea
it or you did not, for it is bell that aoil
aodkeM6 dead"
| Inadvertently and lightly / spoke thesc
words, but their effect on DR.. Gryant wa'
terrible. Thought he would have fallen
and so asked himto come into the dining
room to take something.
lie looked at me with long, vaCan
stare, and then, with shudder of horror
stammered quickly beneath his breath
" No, / cannot" and staggered out int,
the street, and shut himself up in hi
own house. the mans manner impress
ed me so much as that of cowardl,
criminal who did not dare to face some
thing he had done, that, when | returned
to the dining room, began to suspect hin
Of being one.
was sitting in the same room, an,
near about the very spot, where my fathe
died, ten days before, at that very hour
| give the coincidence for what it is worth
because, in my opinion, the surrounding
had much to do with driving my mind il
rcsistibly in one direction. SubjectiYely
believed myself to have been under th
influence Ofmy fathers spirit, through tn
operation of this coincidence of time an
place, taken in connection with what ha
fallen from DR.. Gryant, but of any Objec
tive or supernatural presence ! was un
conscious. was merely aware of direC
influence on my mind while j sat thinkin
|, over DIR, Gryants singular and marke
agitation, When, for instance, Tehecte
that this agitation might be the result {
simple nervous disorder on his part, an
my thoughts showed signs of wandcrin
J to the diagnosis and treatment of sue
/ alterations, the influence would strongl
impress on my mind the fact that Doctc
; Gryant had himself connected his terrC
/ about the bell with my father, while b
| his marked dread Of entering the hou!
he had shown reason for fear which he a
sociated with this house. In spite of IN,
self whenever my thoughts took an
/ direction favorable to DR.. Gryant, the
t were blocked by some startling su,
f picion OF hint of motive which | had b
fore overlooked. l know that was thu
t influenced in some manner from outeiC
7 my own mind, until became unwilling
forced to the conclusion that Or. Gryal
! had done some great wrong against m
. father. Having reached this cOnclusio
! the end seemed less unreasonable to n
l than the steps by which arrived at it.
q i must have unconsciously dropped G
/ to sleep in nay chair, for awoke cold m
chilly, the fire gone out and my lim1
8 numb and stiff i knew that / hs
t dreamed, and that the dream had -bec
( about my father and Doctor Gryant, b
b the particulars of the dream were goI
r from my memory. l yet had a distin
knowledge of having seen vivid things
! my sleep. II was as though some ligl
4 had flashed into my mind for an instau
g Lit up picture there of something vel
g much wanted TO know, and then sudden
4 and irrevocably died out. But awoke,
9 remember, with the impression that
9 should see my fathers body in the roor
2 and that / must see IL there Tharo ,y