Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-11-28

cloud above, full of hazy, uncertain
shadows a faint circle of light trimming
it round, arches and huge piers encom.
passing it. From the west a subdued
crimson glow; eastward the choir, dark
and somber; the windows of the apse
showing as stray luminous patches, the
altar glooming in the distance like some
funeral catsfalque. White figures gleam-
ing here and there in shadowy recesses,
marble warriors, heroes, statesmen.
Under the dome iDthe great open space,
was a vast crowd of chairs--wooden rush
bottomed chairs-lashed together in rows,
looking toward the east. Choosing one
of the most central of these l sat down
and began to dream, peopling this wide
area with a vast, invisible congregation.
In soft, long-drawn cadence the bell of
Paul's struck out the hour of ten. / had
been in the place nearly an hour felt
| chilled and numb. Enough of dreams.
Let me walk briskly up and down and
think of the busy scenes awaiting me the
warm, glad Welcomes wife and children
holding out eager arms-right at the other
side of this huge world.
paced rapidly up and down an avenue
between the chairs. | had seen enough I;
l was anxious to be released, to get away
| from the world of shadows into the living
world outside. For moment l stood in
what seemed to be the very center Of the
dome, and looked upward. A faint cir
Gle of light marked the apex of the soar
ing vault, and just above nay head L saw
my eyes being now accustomed to this
halflight-I saw, l say, rope hanging
| down from the vast height above.
Then | remembered the spider-webs l
had seen outside the ball and cross. And
as l stood, and looked, and listened
heard faint sounds OF hammering and
| knocking. Men were at work hundreds
of feet above; light shone here and
there, twinkling like star.
In years gone by | used to be a famous
! gymnast, and the sight of the rope hang
| ing just above my head put me in mind of
my ancient prowess. / was heavier now,
my muscles less elastic; still, there was
some salt of youth in me. How many
times, / wondered, could 1, hanging to
that rope, draw my chin up to my
| knuckles?
The rope was just out of reach, but
leapt up and caught it--once, twice, thrice.
l felt kind of emulation with my old
! self; l wanted to persuade myself that
had not lost much of my former prowess
and so L went on drawing myself up and
down, not touching the ground, till grew
tired, and stretched myself out, expecting
! Just to reach the pavement with my toes.
| But / could not reach it. Casting a glance
| below me, | saw with horror that the
| flooring had vanished under me. | was
swinging suspended by my hands high
up in the dome.
! Perhaps, if had dropped at that mo-
ment, might have escaped with only a
serious shaking; but hesitated, and was
lost. Slowly and steadily, the rope was
being wound up. | shut my eyes. Sure
ly this was hideous delusion that another
moment would dispel. But no; as looked
down, the floor below was almost lost to
my sight. There l swung, tiny human
speck, half fway between heaven and earth
/ couldn't hope to hang on much longer
NY muscles were weary with the task
had given them. made desperate ef
fort to raise myself hand over hand, SC
that might grasp the rope with my feet
also; but it was impossible; 1 could not
do it. Even the desperate energy of self
preservation could extract no more force
from my muscles; l could only hold on.
| was now on a level with the plintl
that surmounts the great arches of the
dome. The gilded groundwork of new
frescO in the spandrel cast sort of glow
upon me- the colossal figures seemed tC
mock my agony / must be half way VI
now, and for the moment ray of hop,
shone in upon me that could hold on tC
the end. But, to my despair, now saw
that the seeming dome was false one
above which rose the veritable conica
roof, another hundred feet or more; anC
that through vast round orifice in thu
sham dome, the rope was to ascend to tn,
uppermost peak of the roof. In that mo
ment of torture | recognized my fate a
| .,1a, Al + f.rlNf
for a few seconds; my muscles were invol
UNFAIRLY relaxing; my grasp would fail
in another minute at furthest / must fal
to be dashed to pieces on the adamantin
floor below.
A thousand confused thoughsts whirleC
through my brain, like the moke ant
sparks of an approaching confagration
but especially clear in my minds eye,
saw-I did not think but saw this visiol
the picture of my far-off home, the roll
ing plains of grass, the herds and tiockS
galloping horseman-there was m
home My wife stood in the porticC
shading her eyes with her hand; tn
: children were clustering about her; ther
, was news of daddy coming-perhap
daddy himself 1t was bitter to die thus
My limbs relaxed my senses almost dt
serted me; a merciful oblivion, the intox
cation of despair, stole over me; voices,
thought, were calling-perhaps adelusio
of failing sense-I was slipping, slipping
and fell
"How do you feel now, sirP" l heard
voice say close in my ear. Was it pOss
: ble-was l still alive? Yes; my brai
was yet conscious. But the frame Sha
, tered, no doubt mere human wreck,
which life would be a mockery. l onl
dared to use my eyes. Any other muscl
lar exertion might bring on torments
! which l was then insensible; and yet
, had no feeling of pain perhaps SON
I merciful paralysis had cut me off frol
/ torture.
!. An old man was bending over me, th
a same who had admitted me, he had
+ wine glass in his hand with some liquC
Y in it; candle burned by his side, forn
/ ing little chamber of light about us.
Il "Am l knocked all to pieces?" | viii
pered.
= 81 don't think so, sir; 1 don't thin
e you're hurt bit. Bless you you didn
It fall more than three feet"
e l stretched out my arms-they we
e whole my legs-they were sound an
e unhurt. What happiness TO be aliv
e after seeing death inevitable
n looking about me. 81 thought WI
s. carried up into the dome"
l "And so you were. You'd have been
n dead man by this, but just in the nick
o time came back. l don't suppose
should have noticed you, for the light W
g pretty nearly done; but l caught sight
1t you against the gliding, and then "
Is gave a sort of moan, and says |; There
l death here, if can't think Of somethil
g in a minute. And then l recollected th
1t I'd heard the workmen chaps whist
n three times, and | piped away, and tn
L. the rope stopped, and began to cor
N down. / shouted to you to hold on al
l keep your heart up; but don't think y,
IN heard me, for when your face came
le sight it was white like death, and yo
lg eyes closed-but you still holding on
IN till, as | say, you came within three Il
lg of the floor, and then you gave quiy
and fell, and caught you in my arm
no for Won were in a dead faint But wi