Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1859-01-21

1 himself down, he awoke and found that It
was all but a dream. He was still in bed,
and the chair and table remained in the po-
sition he had placed them against the door.
After revolving the dream in his mind
for a few moments, his nerves became quiet,
and he again fell to sleep, dreamed the iden-
tical dream over, and awokc, as before,
trembling and afirghted.
He got out of bed removed the chair
and table from his door, and opening it, saw,
what be had failed to observe before, that
there was another door, close shut. opposite
to the room The full moon had risen, and
lit up the passage and upper rooms OF the
inn, which were without shutters, with the
radiance almost of day. Curiosity and the
excitement of his dream prompting, he
stepped across the passage and gave the
opposite door a gentle push with his hand.
1t flew wide open, and displayed to the eyes
of the now startled traveller the very OBJ
3 iects and arrangements he had seen in his
dream. In the middle of the room there
was a large hole made by the removal OF
short pieces of plank; across it lay the un-
corded timbers of a bedstead, from which
depended a stout rope that reached almost
to the floor of the room below.
Thoroughly alarmed by this literal and
utterly unexplainable verification OF his
dream. Mr.. Saunders returned to his own
room. dressed himself in great haste, and.
with his saddle-bags thrown over his arms,
stepped out upon the platform at the head
Of the stair-steps. His intention was to
leave the tavern, and, if possible. get lodg-
ngs fol. the night at a respectable looking
house he had passed on the outskirts of the
village. The next morning he could send
for his horse and pay his bill by messen-
ger, and thus avoid explanations which
might prove unpleasant both to the land
J lord and himself.
The shadow of large tree, which stood
few wards distant from the end of the
. building, fell upon the platform, and nearly
, half of the stair-steps. A brilliant MOON
: light resting on the yard and all other OBJ
iects on that side of the tavern. ae
: just as Mr. Saunders stepped out on the
: platform he saw a man come round The cor
: ner of the house, and walk in the direction
t of the steps. He held a large butchers
knife in his right hand, and looked wistfully
: around him as he advanced. As soon as
e he came to the bottom step, he began to
i ascend the stairs with slow and silent
y tread. In appearance, movement and weap-
il on he was ths exact counterpart OF the
" image seen by Mr.. Saunders in his dream
What was the traveller to do, unarmed a:
n. he was, 10 escape the menacing peril! III
h. felt glued to the spot upon which he stoo'
"A bv the very imminence of the danger whcl
"a apparegty confronted him. To leap Iron
vS the platform to the earth would imperil boil
I life and limb. A face TO face encounte
with an armed man could only end in bi
being desperately wounded or immedlatel,
Killed Nor was there even time to escap,
te through the room with the hole in its floor
S, for the desperate had already mounted I,
,e the highest Illuminated step, and was onl,
IS few feet distant from Mr.. Saunders.
t Summoning all the resolution he coult
I command he cried out, "Who comes there !?
Startled by the voice, the man threw. uI
le his face, and Mr.. Saunders at once recog
n nized him as the landlord of the inn. With
q out SAYING word he turned, almost raj
# down the steps. and hurried round the cor
as ner of the house in the direction he hat
$ come.
n Mr.. Saunders Immediately descende,
ne the steps himself, and walked, with no lag
d. gard steps, to the house on the outskirts o
n the village, where, after some entreaty, h
X procured lodgings for the night.
nd Early the next morning he sent mes
senger for his horse, with money TO pay hi
a bill. He made no mention of the occur
rs renee of the previous night, but, as soon a
tn his horse was brought, mounted and re
ng sumed his journey. 81
he Some years afterwards he met his forme
'ir host, face to face, upon one of the streets {
,e- Columbus, Georgia. They mutually rccos
nized each other, but, in moment, tn
til quondam landlord threw down his eye
be seemed abashed, and hurried quickly b,
Ia without saying word.
le- Was murder really meditated in th
'ut case and was the dream, which reused tn
ng intended victim, a veritable premonitio
sent to rescue him from impending death
Id Th Sc are questions which the writer wi
10 not undertake to answer. He can youcl
lrk however, for the literal truth of the fac
} a herein related They were communicate
h a to him by the Rev. r. NJ. Saunders of A
nd ALBANIA, son of the gentleman to who
bis the monitory dream was vouchsafed.
Journal. aa
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ers RApID IMPROVEMENT OF THE INDIA