The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-02-25
The Life Of Bill Bello,os, The Drsamsr
WRITES Hy ntnspLF,

NRIITEN By HIMSELF.
was born ia the year 1905, on York RI
yer, not Ear from "hc brick house" so cal
led as having been the FIRST of that kind
built in'Virgnia. My father was an honest
hard working back-smith, who earned
some money, and would have we'd mugly
enonse bat for my mother, who was ia
nous dreamer, and used To spend half her
time IN sleep and the other half with the
nelehhorlng g0ssps III explaining aud in.
terpretlng her dreams In the indulgence
OF this her iaVoriie propensity, my father,
good soul, used silently TO acquicsce, tho
ne was well convinced attended To deranse
his household affairs, as well as to mar his
do nestle comfort. Possibly said the good
naturcd smith,'it may be the whm of a
breeding woman for my neither wasthrn
only lew months gone with me, her first
and only child. Bun my father was mista-
Ken Tor time out of mind, the family oi
the Snorers, of which my mother was "A
member, had been gifted with the faculty
al dreaming and what was supposed by
MIN to be the wiiim of a qualmish woman.
was III tact rooted propensity, which had
descended to her, together with an old
ScNet nlght-cap, from her great, .rcat-
grand aunt Mrs. Susan Snorrr, spinslcr -
III, as Some writers have observed the in
liant, IN afro, is nj all affected by the pas
slons, feelings or propcnsiiirs OF the mo-
ther Or, alter birth, by the constant innu
'ence oi example, the reader will not be
surprised that thls rngovernahlc propensity
oil my mother should have extended itself.
EITHER by sympathy in the former case, Or
by example in thr latter, to the unhappy
subject of these memoirs. This was Ger.
Mlnly the cast, as the sequel will show,
bui, whether II was-owingto one of these
causes, or 10 both together, or TO neither
iea'e to the curious amongst the learned
60 determine.
Amongst the many thousands Of dreams
Whleh pressed upon the sleeping imagi-
hallon al my mother at this time, wns one
which seems to hay, made the deepest inn
preston "n her mind, and to have given
her the strongest prcsages of my future
wealth. She dreamt she was in the city
OK New 1 ork, and as she strnlled along the
streets, htr eyes were attracted TO splcn-
did sign, over door Of Fortune, shower
ing gold. Curiosity induced her 10 enter
1901 'hNi' 9iit uclilu II nl1tEOtT Dl
well dressed persons, commons and ragga-
mullins, AL budding together around the
counter, with JOY, grief, anxiety, careless
ness, ;'ai despair working in their faces as
ttss sa az madam Fortune, whose portrait
bang over the door, had been more or less
favorable to them. Anxious TO know the
cause of such a variety ofcmotions, she ap.
Preached the counter, and enuuiring,
fund Il was lottery office. She called
far list of unsoll numbers, Determined 10
purchase ticket aud az she stond gazing
on the paper, in great perplexity which TO
choose, amongst So great u tLass, suddenly
no. 1899 began 10 spread Itself like the
ilpple IN stream, until each figure had &C.
qsired the size of a sitter then they began
Us suddenly 10 contract, all the while gilt.
rering like FURNISHED gold--all hesitation
was hanished in m nstant--sh, bought the
number, and carefully folding it up, she
placed IN one corner of her pocket
Her heart dilated with JOY, and 50 eager
was she to tell the important secret 10 her
nasba1d tia AT single bound, she passed
from New York to the cid brick house ia
Virginia, ran up TO her own door and sciz.
ed the latch. At this instant, my faiths
sSv,oga most Tremendous snort, she amoke,