Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-09-06
MY PENNY DIP.

IN TEAM DlIs
WHAT was itP A tallow candle, to b,
sure. The gas wouldn't burn, the kero
sene strangled me with its noxious odor
the fluid sputtered, burned blue, ant
went out. I'm afraid of the dark; the
ghostly blackness which makes ones eye:
ache with want flight that palpable gloon
which seems to beat like aroomful of pal
pitations of the heart around you, above
you, about you, everywhere; that visible
nothing, which holds the tables, the chairs
and portraits you are familiar with, vel
hides them in its black veil from your
view; that empty fullness through which
you thrust out your cropping arms, then
shrink back, oppressed with q presence
you can neither hear, see, nor feel
"Milly," 1 said to my little maid, "run
somewhere and get me light"
She ran to the grocer's wife, and came
back with penny dip in brass candle
stick.
As she placed it on my table, went out
and shut the door, the little boy in bronze
on my mantle raised his hammer and
struck the figure of the time twelve ring
ing blows on the heart 1t was mid
night.
The candle burned clearly. I resumed
the old volume of German legends | was
reading, and as / laid my finger on a par
agraph, and paused to ponder on the pos
sibility of spirits returning to earth to
wreak vengeance on foes, or work veal
to friends, heard deep sigh at my ell
bow.
turned and beheld the ghost of my
grandmother.
knew her from her resemblance to her
portrait. She wore the same white cap,
with its wide border plated round her
tace-the same prim dress with which
had grown familiar in the picture.
She died twenty years ago. I was
named for her.
drew up the rocking chair for the
ghost. She sat down in it. A pillow
could not have sunk there more noise
lessly than she did. She kept her hands
in the same position on her breast, that
somebody tied them twenty years ago.
She fixed her keen black eyes upon me
beautiful eyes, which had always ad-
mired in the portrait. None of her de-
scendants had such eyes.
Il could not come, She said, in deep,
sepulchral tones, sin gas-light. Ghosts
and gas light are at war always As for
kerosene oil, we groan in spirit at its use
How mortal noses can, night after night
inhale the odor it omits, is a wonder. 1t
is worse than birthstone. We have put
our cold lips under your chimneys, and
blown our CHASTITY breaths into the flame
We have seen the chimneys blacken with
smoke, and apartments fill with disgust.
ing fragrance. People only said the
lamp is in draught. They moved it
Kerosene is modern discovery Gnosts
are old-fashioned. To be out of date is
to be out of mind. Your tallow candle
pleases me. We ghosts like the light of
other days around us. We always, in the
body, burned tallow candles"
The fine eyes Of my grandmother gazed
at my penny dip steadfastly for moment.
She seemed to see visions and dream
dreams.
"My dear" she said, "you are the first
OF the family that returned to candles
since the innovation of gas. You are in.
debted to your dip for my presence. How
hollow would have looked under
chandelier-how bloodless, how white
AS it is, think l AIN looking very natu-
raj, am | not -
She glanced up at herportrait and wait.
ed my reply.
"a little pale, grandmother l said:
"but tell me, dear madam, if your pur-
suits in The other world are of such ma.
ture that they admit of your returning to
this at any timer"
by no means. am permitted to ap-
pear In this sphere but seldom. NV in.
tiuence l can make felt oftener. / have
not been seen before since my coffin lid
was closed. l come to tell you there
rose yell in Pandemonium. l looked
In to see whence it came. | found the
great chamber assigned to the little chill
dren, and which is always full of little
ones of all sizes and ages, the scene of
great commotion. Infants were crawling
into corners, three.year. old toddlers were
tottering out of the way. Older ones
were hastily finding seats, and all faces
wore a listening expression. A small
voice was saying:
1T was no fault of mine that brought
me here. l, who am now but five wears
old, might have lived to be fifty. Ma !
ture, unfortunately, gave me very fine |
development. My chest was
round ana tull, my skin clear my limbs !
finely nodded. My birthplace was in a
cold climate. My tender mother, proud |
OF her offspring, barred my neck and arms |
in the chill winters, when her rose bushes
and vines were packed in warm straw,
and thoroughly protected from every |
blast. was brought down to be viewed |
by company, and exposed to different
temperatures as | went from room to !
room. My mother, wrapped in soft vel
vets and comfortable silks, did not suffer. |
became great trouble to the house.
My beauty faded. l fingered on from |
month to month, and died at last five |
years old, of consumption. My mother !
cried over my little coffin. l knew, but |
could not tell her then, that her own van |
NY had placed me there-would send me |
here"
II was trotted to DEATH" cried more
piping voice, as the first speaker sat |
uown. "A woman was hired expressly |
70 take care of me, and she took care that |
l should not want for exercise. Her days |
and nights were spent in keeping me 20. |
ing up, up, uppy,' and down, down, |
d Jwny.' That unknown wonder, perpet. !
lal motion, was to he found in my |
nurses knees, Every bone in my poor !
little body was racked, every ounce of |
lesh was sore. My food went down milk |
md came up cheese If l cried, was
rotted; If screamed, was trotted; if / |
vas STILL was trotted-I became little |
,etSer than human churn, from which |
he butter had been taken and the sour |
milk left standing My brains turned to |
bruises, my blood to whey. My bones |
rev SO sharp they almost pierced the .
,nees that trotted them. AS / began 20
mt teeth, my tongue was constantly jolt
d between my jaws, and in danger of
'eing bit off. l dared not whine, for |
new the penalty; began at last to cal
ulate how long the torture could posi-
lU continue NNorf,, xyaat thar mac anr,fno.