Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1859-02-09
misfellanfnms.. ;.
From the Home Journal.
PREMONITION.


eastern counties N quest of place of settle
ment. He was well-dressed and well-moun
ted, and travelled alone
At the close Of a fatiguing days ride, he
stopped at a house OF entertainment, which
was the nucleus or central point of q strug-
CLING backTOods Village, containing some IF
teen or twenty inhabitants. The host was
grim, sour-Visaged man, with small sinister
looking eyes, which twinkled like burning
points beneath the heavy fringe of the prom
inent eyebrows. The tavern buildings seemed
to have been left in an unfinished conditioa by
the workmen, and looked ruinous and old,
for want of paint and repairs
On entering the bar-room, which was a
dingy, half-lighted apartment, Mr. Saunders
found few men. very ordinary il. both dress
and appearance, engaged in retailing to each
other the gossip and news of the neighbor-
hood. He seated himself in their midst; and
awaited in silence the announcement Of sup
per.
After eating hearty meal, feeling both
fatigued aid drowsy, he requested to be con-
dacied TO his room. The landlord, taking
lamp in one hand aud the saddlebags of the
traveller in tae other, went out of the bar
| room into the yard, requesting Mr.. Saunders
to follow him.
At the extreme end Of the tavern buildings
they ascended flight of rude steps to an
upper story Entering a narrow dark passage
Mr.. Saunders was shown into small uncom-
Portable room, furnished with bed, one
chair, and 4 small table, bade his guest good
night, and retired.
AS the deor of the room was without lock
or fastening OF any sort, Mr.. Saunders placed
the table and chair against it, blew out the
! light and lay down. Overcome with fatigue
| L. II. Il
Immediately awoke, quiyering in every limb,
! and in state of extreme mental pertur baton.
| He had dreamed vivid and most frightful
| dream.
| In his vision, he saw a man, grim and
dark, ascending the oRter steps to the passage
| which led to his room. He bore long, gilt
tering knife in his hand and came up the
steps with a slow and silent tread At the
sight of hiln feeling of appceheusioE-a
prcseutment that danger was ngh-came
over the dreamer He sprang out of bed,
opened his door, and stepped out into the pas
sage. Opposite to his room he saw another
door, through which he felt impelled to seek
an escape Opening 1t, he saw hole III the
middle Of the floor, oyer which the timbers
of a bedstead we're extended the cord hang
ing down to the floor beneath. As he was
in the act of sezing this to let him seif down.
he aWOhe dDl lOunu tildG IL hdS Gil Oi Sdh
He was still in bed, and the chair and table
remained in the position he had placed them
against the door.
After revolving the dream in his mind a
few mements, his nerves became quiet, and
he again fell asleep, dreamed the identical
dream over, and aWoke, as before, trembling
and affrig GIFTED.
He got out of bed, removed the chair and
table from his door, and opening it, saw, ,what
he had failed to observe before, that there was
another door, close shut, opposite his room
The full moon had risen, and lit up the pas
sage aud upper rooms of the inn, which were
without shutters, with the radiance almost Of
f day Curiosity and the excitement Of his
dream pr n,pting. he stepped across the pas
= sage aud gave the opposite door gentle push
Y with his hand. 1t few wide open, and dis
PLAYED to tiIc eyes Of the now startled traveller
+ the very objects ana arrangement he haG
! seen In his dream In the middle of the room
there was large hole, made by the remova
Of shmt pieces of plank; across it lay the un
: corded tim bers Of bedstead, from which de-
? pended stout rope that reached almost t.
g the floor of the room below.
Thoroughly alarmed by this literal and ut
teriy unexplainable verifcatior-of bis dream
Mr Saunders returned TO his own room
dressed himself in great haste, and, with hi
saddie-Lags thrown over his arm, stepped ou
, upon the platform at the head of the stair
q steps His intention was to leave the taverl
and, if possible. get lodgings for the night a
+ a respectable looking house he had passed oil
the outskirts of the village. The next morn
ing he could send for his horse and pay hi
I bin by messenger, and thus avoid explana
tions which might prove unpleasant both t
the landlord and himself.
: The shadow of a large tree which stood
e few wards distant from the end of the build
C ing, fell upon the platform and nearly half o
G the stair steps. 4 brilliant moonlight reste
9 on the gard and all other objects on that sid
4 of the tavern.
c Just as Mr. Saunders stepped out on th
5 platform, be saw man come round the COZ
: ner of the house, and walk in the direction
Y the steps. He held large butcher knife i
n his right hand and looked wistfully aroun
h him as he advanced. AS soon as he came t
:, the bottom of the step, he began to ascen
= the stairs with slow and silent tread. L
!. appearance, movement. and weapon, he wa
: the exact counterpart Of the image seen b
Is Mr.. Saunders in his dream.
2 What was the traveller to do, unarmed {
! he was, to escape the menacing peril Il
felt glued to the spot upon which he stood b
the very imminence of the danger which al
ct parently confronted him. To leap from IL
< platform to the earth would imperil both Ii
e, and limb A face to face encounter with
r armed man could only end in his being de