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Story
October 30, 1879
Gold Hill Daily News
Gold Hill, Storey County, Nevada
What is this article about?
Humorous anecdote from Burlington Hawkeye: An elderly resident on North Hill is rudely awakened at 1:30 AM during a storm by a caller who confirms his identity and bedtime, then leaves cheerfully, enraging the man who hurls his lamp after him.
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OCR Quality
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Full Text
A Midnight Vigil.
Burlington Hawkeye.
The night is dark, the air is raw and chill and damp. The storm is raging. An old and eminently respectable citizen out on North Hill is sleeping the sleep of the just, with the snore of the wicked, and the private clocks on their respective brackets and mantels throughout the city (for Burlington has no town clock) are tolling as well as they know how to toll it the hour of 1:30 A.M.
A violent jamming at his door bell awakes the eminently respectable citizen. Shuddering, he crawls out of bed; muttering, he gropes across the floor. Swearing under his breath, he falls over a rocking chair.
At last he finds a match, lights a lamp, and descending the stairs, opens the hall door and admits a gust of wind that blows out the lamp and a torrent of rain that drenches him to the skin.
"What is wanted?" the respectable citizen asks.
"Are you the resident owner of this property?" promptly inquires the caller.
"I am," wonderingly replies the eminently respectable citizen.
"Were you in bed when I rang?"
"I was," replied the eminently respectable.
"That was right," cheerfully exclaims the caller; "that is the place for a man of your age at this time of night. I am surprised to see you out of it. Get back to it and pleasant dreams."
All is silence after the crash that ensues, save a mocking smile that dies away in the distance. The fragments of the lamp that are revealed on the sidewalk by the coming of the dawn indicate that either the lamp fell out of a balloon at a height of about 29 miles, or was hurled at some object with great force. When will the mystery be solved?
Burlington Hawkeye.
The night is dark, the air is raw and chill and damp. The storm is raging. An old and eminently respectable citizen out on North Hill is sleeping the sleep of the just, with the snore of the wicked, and the private clocks on their respective brackets and mantels throughout the city (for Burlington has no town clock) are tolling as well as they know how to toll it the hour of 1:30 A.M.
A violent jamming at his door bell awakes the eminently respectable citizen. Shuddering, he crawls out of bed; muttering, he gropes across the floor. Swearing under his breath, he falls over a rocking chair.
At last he finds a match, lights a lamp, and descending the stairs, opens the hall door and admits a gust of wind that blows out the lamp and a torrent of rain that drenches him to the skin.
"What is wanted?" the respectable citizen asks.
"Are you the resident owner of this property?" promptly inquires the caller.
"I am," wonderingly replies the eminently respectable citizen.
"Were you in bed when I rang?"
"I was," replied the eminently respectable.
"That was right," cheerfully exclaims the caller; "that is the place for a man of your age at this time of night. I am surprised to see you out of it. Get back to it and pleasant dreams."
All is silence after the crash that ensues, save a mocking smile that dies away in the distance. The fragments of the lamp that are revealed on the sidewalk by the coming of the dawn indicate that either the lamp fell out of a balloon at a height of about 29 miles, or was hurled at some object with great force. When will the mystery be solved?
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
Mystery
What themes does it cover?
Deception
Misfortune
What keywords are associated?
Midnight Disturbance
Prank Caller
Burlington Hawkeye
Humorous Anecdote
Lamp Smashing
What entities or persons were involved?
Eminently Respectable Citizen
Caller
Where did it happen?
Burlington, North Hill
Story Details
Key Persons
Eminently Respectable Citizen
Caller
Location
Burlington, North Hill
Story Details
An elderly citizen is awakened at 1:30 AM by a doorbell in a storm; the caller verifies his identity and bedtime, advises him to return to bed, and departs, prompting the furious man to smash his lamp in rage.