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Explore the chilling and cynical world of Ambrose Bierce's "A Jug of Sirup," a haunting short story from his acclaimed collection, Can Such Things Be? This tale of a ghost who can't stop working is a darkly humorous and profound commentary on the nature of habit and obsession. The story centers on Silas Deemer, a dedicated merchant in the village of Hillbrook who, after his death, continues to appear in his closed store, selling goods to unsuspecting customers.

Bierce, a master of supernatural fiction and a veteran of the Civil War, uses his trademark sardonic wit to turn a typical ghost story on its head. Instead of seeking revenge or a buried treasure, Deemer's ghost is compelled by the sheer force of habit and a lifelong devotion to his business. When a man named Alvan Creede "buys" a jug of sirup from the long-dead Deemer, the town is thrown into a state of bewildered terror. We will delve into the story's themes of:

The power of habit and routine, even beyond the grave.

Bierce’s cynical view of human nature and the work ethic of the Gilded Age.

The unsettling blend of the mundane and the supernatural.

The townspeople's reactions and the humor inherent in the horror.

Join us for this unique audiobook summary as we analyze one of Bierce’s most memorable and peculiar ghost stories. It's a perfect listen for anyone who loves classic horror, subtle satire, and stories that challenge our expectations of the afterlife.

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Transcript
00:00Gates of Imagination presents A Jug of Syrup by Ambrose Bierce, read by Billy Dixon.
00:10This narrative begins with the death of its hero.
00:15Silas Deemer died on the 16th day of July, 1863, and two days later his remains were buried.
00:23As he had been personally known to every man, woman, and well-grown child in the village,
00:28the funeral, as the local newspaper phrased it, was largely attended.
00:35In accordance with a custom of the time and place, the coffin was opened at the graveside
00:41and the entire assembly of friends and neighbors filed past, taking a last look at the face of the dead.
00:48And then, before the eyes of all, Silas Deemer was put into the ground.
00:54Some of the eyes were a trifle dim, but in a general way it may be said that at that interment
01:02there was lack of neither observance nor observation.
01:06Silas was indubitably dead, and none could have pointed out any ritual delinquency
01:12that would have justified him in coming back from the grave.
01:15Yet, if human testimony is good for anything, and certainly at once put an end to witchcraft
01:22in and about Salem, he came back.
01:26I forgot to state that the death and burial of Silas Deemer occurred in the little village
01:31of Hillbrook, where he had lived for thirty-one years.
01:36He had been what is known in some parts of the Union, which is admittedly a free country,
01:40as a merchant, that is to say, he kept a retail shop for the sale of such things as are commonly
01:47sold in shops of that character.
01:50His honesty had never been questioned, so far as is known, and he was held in high esteem
01:56by all.
01:57The only thing that could be urged against him by the most censorious was a too-close attention
02:04to business.
02:05It was not urged against him, though many another who manifested it in no greater degree
02:11was less leniently judged.
02:14The business to which Silas was devoted was mostly his own.
02:18That possibly may have made a difference.
02:22At the time of Deemer's death, nobody could recollect a single day, Sundays accepted, that
02:29he had not passed in his store, since he had opened it more than a quarter-century before.
02:36His health having been perfect during all that time, he had been unable to discern any validity
02:43in whatever may or might have been urged to lure him astray from his counter, and it is related
02:49that once, when he was summoned to the county seat as a witness in an important law case and
02:55did not attend, the lawyer who had the hardyhood to move that he be admonished, was solemnly
03:02informed that the court regarded the proposal with surprise.
03:08Judicial surprise being an emotion that attorneys are not commonly ambitious to arouse, the motion
03:14was hastily withdrawn, and an agreement with the other side effected as to what Mr. Deemer
03:20would have said if he had been there, the other side pushing its advantage to the extreme
03:26and making the supposititious testimony distinctly damaging to the interests of its proponents.
03:33In brief, it was the general feeling in all that region that Silas Deemer was the one immobile
03:40verity of Hillbrook, and that his translation in space would precipitate some dismal public ill
03:47or strenuous calamity. Mrs. Deemer and two grown daughters occupied the upper rooms of the building,
03:55but Silas had never been known to sleep elsewhere than on a cot behind the counter of the store.
04:02And there, quite by accident, he was found one night, dying, and passed away just before the time
04:09for taking down the shutters. Though speechless, he appeared conscious, and it was thought by those
04:17who knew him best that if the end had unfortunately been delayed beyond the usual hour for opening the
04:24store, the effect upon him would have been deplorable. Such had been Silas Deemer, such the fixity and
04:34in variety of his life and habit, that the village humorist, who had once attended college, was moved
04:41to bestow upon him the sobriquet of Old Ibidem, and in the first issue of the local newspaper after the
04:48death, to explain without offense that Silas had taken a day off. It was more than a day, but from the
04:57record it appears that well within a month, Mr. Deemer made it plain that he had not the leisure to be
05:03dead. One of Hillbrook's most respected citizens was Alvin Creed, a banker. He lived in the finest
05:11house in town, kept a carriage, and was a most estimable man variously. He knew something of the
05:18advantages of travel, too, having been frequently in Boston, and once, it was thought, in New York, though
05:25he modestly disclaimed that glittering distinction. The matter is mentioned here merely as a contribution
05:33to an understanding of Mr. Creed's worth. For either way it is creditable to him, to his intelligence,
05:41if he had put himself even temporarily into contact with metropolitan culture, to his candor, if he had
05:49not. One pleasant summer evening, at about the hour of ten, Mr. Creed, entering at his garden gate,
05:57passed up the gravel walk which looked very white in the moonlight, mounted the stone steps of his
06:02fine house, and pausing a moment inserted his latch key in the door. As he pushed this open, he met his
06:10wife, who was crossing the passage from the parlour to the library. She greeted him pleasantly, and pulling
06:17the door further back, held it for him to enter. Instead, he turned, and looking about his feet in front of the
06:24threshold, uttered an exclamation of surprise. Why, what the devil, he said, has become of that jug?
06:33What jug, Alvin? his wife inquired, not very sympathetically. A jug of maple syrup. I brought it
06:40along from the store and set it down here to open the door. What the—' There, there, Alvin, please don't swear
06:48again,' said the lady, interrupting. Hillbrook, by the way, is not the only place in Christendom where
06:55a vestigial polytheism forbids the taking in vain of the evil one's name. The jug of maple syrup which
07:03the easy ways of village life had permitted Hillbrook's foremost citizen to carry home from the store was not
07:10there. Are you quite sure, Alvin? My dear, do you suppose a man does not know when he is carrying
07:19a jug? I bought that syrup at Deemer's as I was passing. Deemer himself drew it and lent me the jug,
07:27and I—the sentence remains to this day unfinished. Mr. Creed staggered into the house, entered the parlour,
07:34and dropped into an armchair, trembling in every limb. He had suddenly remembered that Silas Deemer was
07:41three weeks dead. Mrs. Creed stood by her husband, regarding him with surprise and anxiety.
07:50For heaven's sake, she said, what ails you? Mr. Creed's ailment having no obvious relation to the interests
07:58of the better land. He did not apparently deem it necessary to expound it on that demand. He said
08:06nothing, merely stared. There were long moments of silence broken by nothing but the measured ticking
08:13of the clock, which seemed somewhat slower than usual, as if it were civilly granting them an extension
08:19of time in which to recover their wits. Jane, I have gone mad. That is it. He spoke thickly and hurriedly.
08:31You should have told me. You must have observed my symptoms before they became so pronounced that I
08:38have observed them myself. I thought I was passing Deemer's store. It was open and lit up. That is what I
08:46thought. Of course it is never open now. Silas Deemer stood at his desk behind the counter.
08:54My God, Jane, I saw him as distinctly as I see you. Remembering that you had said you wanted some
09:01maple syrup? I went in and bought some, that is all. I bought two quarts of maple syrup from Silas Deemer,
09:10who is dead and underground, but nevertheless drew that syrup from a cask and handed it to me in a jug.
09:17He talked with me, too, rather gravely, I remember, even more so than was his way,
09:24but not a word of what he said can I now recall. But I saw him. Good Lord, I saw and talked with him,
09:31and he is dead. So I thought. But I'm mad, Jane, I'm as crazy as a beetle, and you have kept it from me.
09:41This monologue gave the woman time to collect what faculties she had.
09:47Alvin, she said, you have given no evidence of insanity, believe me. This was undoubtedly an illusion.
09:55How should it be anything else? That would be too terrible. But there is no insanity. You are working
10:03too hard at the bank. You should not have attended the meeting of directors this evening. Anyone could
10:10see that you were ill. I knew something would occur. It may have seemed to him that the prophecy
10:16had lagged a bit, awaiting the event, but he said nothing of that, being concerned with his own
10:22condition. He was calm now, and could think coherently. Doubtless the phenomenon was subjective,
10:30he said, with a somewhat ludicrous transition to the slang of science. Granting the possibility of
10:37spiritual apparition and even materialization, yet the apparition and materialization of a half-gallon
10:44brown clay jug, a piece of coarse, heavy pottery evolved from nothing, that is hardly thinkable.
10:52As he finished speaking, a child ran into the room, his little daughter. She was clad in a bedgown.
11:01Hastening to her father, she threw her arms about his neck, saying,
11:05you naughty papa, you forgot to come in and kiss me. We heard you open the gate and got up and looked
11:11out. And papa dear, Eddie says mayn't he have the little jug when it is empty? As the full import of
11:20that revelation imparted itself to Alvin Creed's understanding, he visibly shuddered. For the child
11:28could not have heard a word of the conversation. The estate of Silas Deemer being in the hands of
11:35an administrator who had thought it best to dispose of the business the store had been closed ever since
11:41the owner's death, the goods having been removed by another merchant who had purchased them on block.
11:48The rooms above were vacant as well, for the widow and daughters had gone to another town.
11:54On the evening immediately after Alvin Creed's adventure, which had somehow got out, a crowd of
12:01men, women, and children thronged the sidewalk opposite the store. That the place was haunted
12:07by the spirit of the late Silas Deemer was now well known to every resident of Hillbrook, though many
12:14affected disbelief. Of these the hardiest, and in a general way the youngest, threw stones against the
12:22front of the building, the only part accessible, but carefully missed the unshuttered windows.
12:27Incredulity had not grown to malice. A few venturesome souls crossed the street and rattled
12:36the door in its frame, struck matches and held them near the window, attempted to view the black
12:42interior. Some of the spectators invited attention to their wit by shouting and groaning and challenging
12:50the ghost to a foot-race. After a considerable time had elapsed without any manifestation, and many of
13:00the crowd had gone away, all those remaining began to observe that the interior of the store was
13:06suffused with a dim yellow light. At this all demonstrations ceased. The intrepid souls about the
13:14door and windows fell back to the opposite side of the street and were merged in the crowd. The small
13:20boys ceased throwing stones. Nobody spoke above his breath. All whispered excitedly and pointed to the
13:29now steadily growing light. How long a time had passed since the first faint glow had been observed,
13:36none could have guessed. But eventually the illumination was bright enough to reveal the whole interior of
13:43the store, and there, standing at his desk behind the counter, Silas Deemer was distinctly visible.
13:50The effect upon the crowd was marvelous. It began rapidly to melt away at both flanks as the timid left
13:58the place. Many ran as fast as their legs would let them. Others moved off with greater dignity, turning
14:06occasionally to look backward over the shoulder. At last a score or more, mostly men, remained where they
14:14were, speechless, staring, excited. The apparition inside gave them no attention. It was apparently
14:23occupied with a book of accounts. Presently, three men left the crowd on the sidewalk as if by a common
14:32impulse and crossed the street. One of them, a heavy man, was about to set his shoulder against the door
14:39when it opened, apparently without human agency, and the courageous investigators passed in.
14:46No sooner had they crossed the threshold than they were seen by the awed observers outside to be acting
14:52in the most unaccountable way. They thrust out their hands before them, pursued devious courses, came into
15:00violent collision with the counter, with boxes and barrels on the floor and with one another.
15:05They turned awkwardly hither and thither and seemed trying to escape, but unable to retrace their
15:12steps. Their voices were heard in exclamations and curses. But in no way did the apparition of
15:20Silas Deemer manifest an interest in what was going on. By what impulse the crowd was moved none ever
15:27recollected. But the entire mass—men, women, children, dogs—made a simultaneous and tumultuous
15:37rush for the entrance. They congested the doorway, pushing for precedence, resolving themselves at
15:45length into a line and moving up step by step. By some subtle spiritual or physical alchemy,
15:52observation had been transmuted into action. The sightseers had become participants in the spectacle.
15:59The audience had usurped the stage.
16:02To the only spectator remaining on the other side of the street, Alvin Creed, the banker,
16:09the interior of the store with its in-pouring crowd continued in full illumination.
16:15All the strange things going on there were clearly visible. To those inside, all was black darkness.
16:25It was as if each person as he was thrust in at the door had been stricken blind and was maddened by
16:31the mischance. They groped with aimless imprecision, tried to force their way out against the current,
16:39pushed and elbowed, struck at random, fell and were trampled, rose and trampled in their turn.
16:48They seized one another by the garments, the hair, the beard, fought like animals, cursed, shouted,
16:55called one another opprobrious and obscene names. When, finally, Alvin Creed had seen the last person of
17:04the line pass into that awful tumult, the light that had illuminated it was suddenly quenched,
17:10and all was as black to him as to those within. He turned away and left the place.
17:18In the early morning a curious crowd had gathered about Deemers. It was composed partly of those who
17:24had run away the night before, but now had the courage of sunshine, partly of honest folk going to
17:31their daily toil. The door of the store stood open. The place was vacant, but on the walls,
17:38the floor, the furniture, were shreds of clothing and tangles of hair. Hillbrook Militant had managed
17:45somehow to pull itself out and had gone home to medicine its hurts and swear that it had been all
17:51night in bed. On the dusty desk, behind the counter, was the sales book. The entries in it, in Deemers'
17:59handwriting, had ceased on the sixteenth day of July, the last of his life. There was no record of a later
18:07sale to Alvin Creed. That is the entire story, except that men's passions having subsided and reason
18:17having resumed its immemorial sway, it was confessed in Hillbrook that, considering the harmless and
18:24honorable character of his first commercial transaction under the new conditions, Silas Deemer, deceased,
18:32might properly have been suffered to resume business at the old stand without mobbing. In that judgment,
18:39the local historian from whose unpublished work these facts are compiled had the thoughtfulness to signify his
18:46concurrence. Thank you for listening to this audiobook. If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to give it
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