Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-07-09

on the inhabitants of the ark and thci
types, rcprobatcd the SCOTS which Welt
Carlist cobbler, aimed at IL, wondorc,
why the taxes were so high, and wished
the Ministry at pcrditon, and so lar
rived at n very composed and bcnignnn
frame of mind. But thought they wer,
very long in ringing the bells at Tho
rcsby.
Whish! whishl whishl clangl clangl
clangl!l clang!!!l clang!l!ll | thought
it was the day of judgment or the day
after, opened my heavy eyes, and wa,
starting up when l sank back and
stiilcned out like n corpse. There
saw in the gloom great cavern OF
darkness widen and swoop down over
me, and Great Bartlcmy, our tenor bell,
brushed over my PROSTATE body, his
great clnppcr swinging like the tongue
between Bchcmoth's jaws, and as he
reached the end of his swing he changed
out dizzy and appalling boom AT my
very ears. A plague on my careless
ncssl Our bells are so hung that when
not mus they are locked slightly atilt,
and do not depend TO the lowest point
of their sweep. The stay on which
was resting they clear by but few
inches, and /, my eyes closed against
the sun, had edged further and further
out, not observing their position, till |
lay Just where the course Of the tenor
crossed the beam. There, lulled by the
heat and the hum, had fallen asleep,
and while lay supinc, the day had
wancd and Thorcsby bells had rung,
and the Queen had come and gone, and
the ringers had left the procession for
the belfry, unhitched the bells and be-
gun their peal
1t was the first swish of the bells
sweeping through the air that woke me,
their first raucous clang that completed
my awakening, and now there 1 lay, n
prisoner, not daring TO stir an inch,
timing my breath to the beat of the
bells lest fuller initiation of my chest
rs Bartlcmy passed over me should
bring me in contact with his lip, and |
be brushed from my beam like fly.
Peter and Paul. the next two bells,
hung on Bartlcmy's either hand and
shaved my stay even more closely. My
retreat was cut off; advance was impos-
siblc; between them and the timber
there was clearly no room for passage.
just where | lay the swinging bell
cleared me, and there till the ringing
was over and the bells once more
hitched up askew and wide of the beam,
| must needs remain.
But now the sun was of the tower,
and through the louvrcs i could see in
glimpscs between the swaying bells the
glow of the evening sky. Upon the
olive green wreath of golden vapor
hung light and fcathery; the evening
star cleaned iewcl-like upon the fore
head of the coming night. The swift,
hardy and fearless of the uproar,
hawked the flies up and down, cutting
sharp arcs across the windows, and here
and there the devious, wayward flight of
u bat blackcned the sky. think there
was night breeze blowing sharply Oft
the moor, for the wind, churned by the
bells, dragged into iitful cddies in the
damp tower chamber as the sun-hcatcd
walls cooled irregularly, blew wet upon
me in gusts n perfect gale. Over my
head Bartlemy's huge month was per-
pctually opening and shutting, and he
swept aside ONLY to disclose vista of
ncighbor giants cutting ineXorable
curves to right and left, barring all
escape and gathering momentum with
the minutes, till the tower swaycd
bodily to right and left with every peal,
and my timber beam thrilled and quiv-
cred and bucklcd up and down like an
unruly race-horsc. The tearing turbu-
lent wind snatchcd me on either side tu-
multuously, and the jarring and up
I,,,,,.nl Of st n,,l 4i,,,l,n,. 10, Ia,
fabric threatened each instant to hurI
me like pebble from sling into tho
gloomy abyss below. To preserve my
self from this my most instant jeopardy
and to escape the sick giddiness of ter
ror which the mchanging menace o
the swinging bells drove deep into my
heart, ] gingerly, and with an eye owe
my shoulder for Bartlemy the pursuing
iicnd, turned over on my breast .anC
hugged the beam with the grip of my
knees and extended arms.
Hitherto in my more imminent ttroubl,
had not so much noticed the uproal
of the bells. True that the tenor roareC
in his great voice not ten feet from m,
ear, that the treble bells cried shrill,
overhead and Peter and Paul bawle,
and beloved a sonorous harmony; tn,
arched roof and quivering walls rever
berated the sound and hurled il out owe
my body through the louvros into tn,
night. The tower having neither floor
nor ioists to break the waves, vibrateC
and redoubled the din like n sounding
board. Yet while each spring of IN,
beam was lifting me inches toward tn,
descending bell and those awful circula
oriIices were dizzily swooping over mi
like birds of prey, their mere din wa
the least of my troubles. But now tn,
ringers began to fire the bells, and thu
volleys discharged over my head like |
million of anvils rafting to the sledge
beat into my brain like fierce, re
morseless tyranny They began to rim
what at its third bell noted with pre-
scient and appalling plunge into the pi
of despair, triple grandsre major Sc
of changes. These things take hour
to execute, and our conceted pedant
of ringers bate not jot of them. Anc
how long would my shaken nerves ant
tortured muscles hold out?
Minute by minute lay there sickc
and more and more unstrung. In th'
voices of the bells and the shrill yellin.
of the wind, heard all the demons of tn,
pit shricking in my ear: ''Let go! lie
go!" Ceaseless, endless, only NOR,
monotonous Tor its measured variety
came that series of'metallic explosions
bursting through the whirlpool of ring
ing resonance. the debris of each mote
as it died, and knocking, knocking upor
my skull with yeritablc and agonizinl
blows. felt my reason totter, and Il
save myself tried by reflection to win n
least few moments of respite from
madness. / shouted with all the fore,
of my throat, but for all my effort coulC
hear not n sound of ii. ''If can no
hear myself" said |, show shall they
hear me in the belfryP Yet hear mi
they must" and l strained my eye,
through the gloom. Then an expedien
occurred to me, and a spark of hop,
kindled in my darkness and blazed W
like wisp of straw in wind. Slowly
and painfully / got of one Of my heavy
boots and then the other, and dropped
the first on to the belfry ceiling so fal
4 4 II