D. personification to communicate how strange the book of magic was
Explanation:
The last sentence states that a skeleton rattled and a picture of a lady stepped one foot upon the floor. Both of these are examples of personification. Personification is when you give human-like qualities to something that isn't alive. A picture of someone can't actually step on a floor, and a skeleton can't rattle by itself.
The treasure represented who he was and gave his son hope. The items had been collected by Lemon Brown's wife. The treasure was a reminder of hard times.
