Newspaper Page Text
Written for Burke’s Weekly,
Answer to a Riddle,
Publish*? in Bueke’s Weekly of Mat 4, 1868.
SHE time for man on earth began.
Already through the ivatery main I
I ran a thousand miles—and can
A thousand run again.
I own the name that Adam gave, .
96V And Nature’s laws ’’obey;”
All bravely breast the stormy wave.
Nor once have "gone astray.”
No need of limbs, nor arms, nor feet,
My motions to control;
In all my outward form coinylote,
I live—without a soul.
For three days only, once, at sea,
“Prepared ” for Jonah s cell,
A "living soul,” he dwelt in me,
And with mo rose and foil.
And when from me this ‘'son” was east,
1 lost nor limb, nor soul—
The same as first, so to the last,
I surge from pole to pole.
Ten thousand hardy sons of toil
Go, steering day and night.
To gain my " spermaceti” oil.
And thus attain “ great light.”
But still, nnfearing death, I go 1
Athwart the heaving wave,
All heedless if there’s ” bliss ” or no —
I have no soul to save.
For me no Scripture truths unfold
“ Tho all-pervading love;”
I know no dread of" w t ocs untold,”
Nor hope for “ Heaven ” above.
And if my name the Scriptures toll,
Can it be other than
The mighty monster’s known so well,
“That great Leviathan.”
Blue Spring Place.
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
THE VENTRILOQUIST.
® HEN Ilarry was a little fellow, his father
had business in Savannah, and conclu
ded that, he would take Harry with him.
fMr. Elmore, Harry’s father, lived in
the country, not far from a pretty town
in Middle Georgia—the same in which
the wheelwright lived, about whom I have told
you. Harry was very much delighted at the idea
of going to Savannah, for his old nurse, who came
from there, had told him a great deal about the
handsome squares, and the ships and steamers,
and many other wonderful things which were to
he seen there.
I have no time now to tell you the particulars
of Harry’s trip. After a pleasant drive of several
hours, they reached Macon, where they took the
cars for Savannah. It was a delightful ride to
Harry. Some of the passengers seemed to think
the trip rather tedious, hut it, was Harry’s first
ride on the ears, and he was so fully occupied in
looking at the people at the different stations, see
ing some get, off, and others on; watching the
conductors taking the tickets or collecting the
fare, and the baggage-master receiving and deliv
ering baggage, that the time passed away very
rapidly.
M hen they reached Savannah, Harry was com
pletely bewildered by the noise. The cars stop
ped under a long passenger shed or depot, sur
rounded on all sides by an iron railing, Outside
of this railing, there were a large number of men
a nd boys crying out at the tops of their voices the
names of the different hotels and boarding houses.
Harry could not understand what it all meant un
til his father told him that these people were the
BTJ 11 K E’ S WEEKLY.
omnibus and hack drivers and hotel drummers,
each trying to induce the passengers to patronize
his vehicle or hold. Harry supposed that a drum
mer was a man who beat a drum, but these men
had no drums, though they made nearly as much
noise as if they had. He afterwards found out
that they were called “drummers” because they
went about soliciting custom for the different
hotels.
After a good deal of difficulty. Ilarry and his
father reached an omnibus, and with their baggage
were carried to the Pulaski House, one of the lar
gest hotels in the city, ft was dark before they
reached the hotel, and Harry was too tired to look
around that night. So, after eating his supper, he
went to bed.
j|g jJJyI ' j \
ilj - IBfl
iMs dr. JlLiv & fWWln rim
***%: | gptokg --IpSaf
The next morning he was up bright and early,
and after breakfast went out with his father. I
have no time now to tell you oi all he saw; of his
visit to the steamships and sailing vessels at the
wharf; of the drive to Thunderbolt; of his walk
in the Park, where he saw the fountain playing.
All these things he saw during the day. I propose
to tell you what he saw at night. Just before they
reached the hotel, on their return from the park,
his father asked him if he would not like to go
and see Signor Blitz.
Now, Harry knew as little of Signor Blitz as do
many of my little readers; so he replied by ask
ing his father who Signor Blitz was.
“Signor Blitz, ’’replied Mr. Elmore, “is a Ven
triloquist and Magician, and as he performs to
night at Masonic Hall, the easiest way for you to
find out who he is, is to go and see him.
So. after tea they walked down Bull street a lit
tle wavs, to a large brick building which was bril
liantly lighted up, and toward which a great many
persons were going. Directly they came to a
door, inside of which a man sat behnn a scr ’
with a small window in it. Harry s at ier
this man some money and received two litt e piece
of red pasteboard, which he told him were tick
ets. These he gave to another man, who stood at
the head of the stairs, and then they walked into
a large and brilliantly-lighted room, where a great
many ladies and gentlemen and little children
wore already seated. Harry had never been into
such a large room before, nor seen so many finely
dressed people, and he found plent} y of amuse
ment iu looking around him.
At one end of the room was a large stage, run
ning from one side of the room to the other, and
at each end of this a red curtain was stretched, so
as to show only the centre of the stage. This was
fitted up with a number of little tables and shelves,
on which were cups and balls, and a good many
curious-looking things, the like of which he had
never seen before.
Directly a bell tinkled, and immediately after-
wards a merry-looking little old man came out
from behind one of the curtains and bowed to the
audience. This was Signor Blitz, and Harry
thought lie had never seen such a pleasaut look
ing old man. He had a little red cap on his head,
which made him look still more jolly, and it was
not long before he had all the audience laughing
at his funn} r sayings.
Time would fail me to tell you of all that Har
ry saw ; how the Signor pretended to eat a tallow
candle, (which was really cut out of a piece of tur
nip,) and then found it again in the coat pocket of
a gentleman in the audience ; how he borrowed a
lady’s handkerchief, put it into a pistol and fired
it at a loaf of bread, and then took from the loaf
of bread an egg, and from the egg the ladies hand
kerchief again. All this, and much more I should
like to tell you, but I must let you know some
thing about what pleased Harry most of all.
He had noticed a figure of a little old woman,
looking like a good-sized doll, which stood on the
table near the cups and balls and eggs, and won
dered what it could mean. After a while, how
! ever, the Signor took up this little figure, and ask
; ed it some questions, and —would you believe it.
I —it answered him in a little squeaking voice. Pre-
S sently he made it sing several songs, and then he
undertook to lecture the old lady about her sing
ing. and she became very angry and stormed at
; him in the most terrible manner.
I Do you know how all this was done? Hurry
found out afterwards, though he did not know at
the time. Signor Blitz was a ventriloquist. A
i ventriloquist is one who has the power of throwing
his voice, or rather seeming to throw it, where he
j chooses. This little figure could no more talk
| than could any other doll, but the Signor seemed
| to throw his voice into it, and to make it reply to
him.
I Hany saw many other amusing things, but, tor
! want of time, I cannot now tell you about them.
; He was very tired and sleepy when he got back to
! the hotel, and went to bed, hut I believe lie dream
ed about Signor Blitz and his wonderful doll. A
1 all events, when he got home he had a great dea
! to tell of what he saw that night.
—■—
Brr Axn No—“ But” is a more detestable com
.‘ ‘ ~ , t i.... u No” itself. “ No” is a
1 binntion of letters than xso n
honest fellow, speaks hls ™‘ ?l1 a ’" l
round at once. <‘B,«’ Ms a sneaking, eras.ve
half-breed exceptional sort of a conjunction, which
conies to pull away the cup just when it is at your
lips.
_
A distinguished man once remarked : “If
the whole world were put in one 'caW,»i"l '" y
mother in the other, the world would krek tho
beam. ’ ’
389