The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-06-13

steeple strike six. He knew that he
must get up, for his business On thai
day demanded early attention.
He sat up in bed, yawned, stretch.
ed his arms once or twice, and then
fiinging the covering aside, he leaped
to the floor. He fell and hurt his arm
some what. Strange that he should
have miscalculated the distance! The
bed seemed more than twice as high
from the floor as it should be. 1t was
too dark to see distinctly, SO he crept
to the bed with extended hands, and
felt it. Yes, it was at least four feet
from the floor, and very oddly, it had
long, slim posts, such as bedsteads
used to have, instead of the low, cary
ed footboard, and the high postless
headboard, which belonged to the
bedstead upon which he had slept in
recent years. Ephraim resolved to
strike light. He groped his way to
the table, and tried 10 find the match.
box. 1t was not there: he could moi
discover it upon the bureau, either
But he found something else, which
he did not recognize at fret, but which
more careful examination with his
fingers told him was flint and steel
He was vexed that anyone should play
such trick upon him. How should
he ever succeed in lighting the gas
with flint and steel?
But he resolved to try, and he NOV
ed over towards the gas bracket by
the bureau. 1t was not there! He
passed his cold hand over the square
yard of the wall, where the bracket
used to be, bnt it had vanished. Ii &C
tually seemed too, as if there was no
paper on the wall, for the whitewash
scaled off beneath his fingers.
Pcrplexed and angry, Ephraim was
about to replace the flint and steel up.
on the bureau. and to dress in the dark
when his hand encountered candle
stick. II contained candle. He de-
termined to Try to light it. lie struck
the flint upon the steel at least doz'
en- times, in the way he remembered
doing so often when he was q boy, but
the sparks refused to catch the tinder.
He struck again and again, until he
became really warm with effort and
Indignation and at last he succeeded.
1t was only poor, slim tallow cam
die, and Ephraim thought the light
was not much better than the dark
ness, it was so dim and flickering and
dismal. He was conscious then that
the room was chill, although his body
felt so warm; and, fearing he should
catch cold, he thought he would open
the register, and let in some warm
air. The register had disappeared!
There, right before him, was vast
ld-fashioned fireplace filed with
wood. BY what means the transfer.
nation had. been effected he could not
imagine. But he was not greatly dis
pleased.
Il always did like an open wood
fire, he said; 'and now l will have q
roaring one.
80 he touched the flame of the can.
die to the light kindling wood, and in
a moment it was aflame.
L will wash while it is burning up,
said Ephraim.
He went to where he thought he
should find the fixed wash stand, itt
hot and cold water running from the
pipes, but he was amazed TO find tina
it had followed the strange fashion Of
the room, and had gone also! There
was an old hand-basin, with cracked
china pitcher, standing upon a NOV
able wash stand, but the water in the
pitcher had been tarned to solid ice.
With an exclamation of impatienct
and indignation, Ephraim placed tho
pitcher between the andirons, close te
the wood in the chimney place; and
he did SO with smarting eyes, for the
flue was cold, and volume of smoke
was pouring into the room. In few
moments he felt that he should suf
focate unless he could get some fresl
air, so he resolved to open the upper
sash of the window.
When he got to the window he per-
ceived that the panes were only few
inches square, and that the woodwori
inclosing them was thrice thicker and
heavier than it had been. He strovt
to pull down the upper sash, but the
effort was vain; it would not move
He tried to lift the lower sash: it went
up with difficulty it seemed to weigh
a hundred pounds; and, when he go,
it up, it would not stay. He succeed
ell finally, in keeping it open by plac
ing a chair beneath it.
When the ice in the pitcher was
thawed, he finished his toilet, and
then he descended the stairs. AS no.
body seemed to be moving in the
house, he resolved to go out and gel
his break:a at a restaurant. He un.
locked the front door, and emerged
into the street just as daylight had
fairly begun.
AS Ephraim descended the steps in
front Of his house, he had distinc,
impression that something was wrong
and he was conscious of feeling ol
irritation; but, it seemed to him that
his mind, for some reason, did not op.
crate with its accustomed precision
and while he realized the fact of 8
partial aud very unexpected c.iange Of
the conditions of his life, he found
that when he tried, in q strangely fee.
Bile way, to grapple with the problem
the solution e1uded and baffied him.
The force of habit, rather than q
very clearly definded purpose, led him
to walk to the corner of the street.
iuct hOl0xv his RI u ollinU aNi IN naucc