Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1859-01-14
PREMONITION.


crn counties in quest of place of settlement.
He was wcll-dressed and well-mountod, and
Travelled alone.
At the close Of fatiguing days ride, he
stopped at house of entertainment which
was the nucleus or central point of strug-
Cling backwoods village. containing some ff-
teen or twenty inhabitants The host was
a grim, sour-visagcd man. with small, sinis-
ter-lookng eyes, which twinkled like burn
ing points beneath the heavy fringe of the
prominent eyebrows The tavern buildings
seemed to have been left in an unfinished
condition by the workmen, and looked ru-
nous and old, for want of paint and repairs.
On entering the bar-room, which was
dingy. half-lighted apartment, Mr.. Saunders
found few men, very ordinary in 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 a hearty meal, feeling both fa
tigued and drowsy, he requested to be con-
Quoted to his room. The landlord taking a
lamp in one hand and the saddle-bags of the
traveller in the other, went out of the bar
room into the yard, requesting Mr.. Saunders
to follow him.
At the extreme end of the tavern buildings
he ascended a flight of rude steps to an up
per story. Entering a narrow dark passage,
Mr. Saunders was shown into a small, un-
comfortable room, furnished with bed, one
chair, and a small table. The landlord plac-
ed the lamp on the table, babe his guest good
night, and retired
As the door of the room was without a lock
or fastening of any sort, Mr.. Saunders placed
the table and chair against it, blew out the
light and laid down. Overcome with fatigue
and drowsincss. he soon fell asleep, but al
most Immediately awoke, quivering in every
limb, and in a state Of extreme mental pertur-
baton. He had dreamed a vivid and most
frightful dream.
In his vision he saw man. grim and dark,
ascending the outer steps to the passage
which led to his room. He bore a long, gilt
tering knife in his hand. and came up the steps
with a slow and silent tread At sight of him
a feeling of apprehension presentment that
danger was ngh-came over the dreamer,-
He sprang out of bed, opened his door and
stepped out into the passage. Opposite to
his room be saw another door, through which
he felt impeled to make an escape. Opening
it. he saw hole in the middle of the floor,
over which the timbers of bedst, ad were ex-
tended. the cord hanging down to the floor
beneath. As he was in the act of seizing
this to let himself down, he awoke and fonnd
that it was all but dream. 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 for
few moments, his nerves became quiet, and
bn fol1 ho
dream over, and awoke, as before, trembling
and affrighted.
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
to tine room The full moon had risen, and
lit up the passage and upper rooms of the inn,
which were without shutters, with the radi
ance almost or day. Curiosity and the excite
mcnt of his dream prompting, he stepped
across the passage and gave the opposite door
gentle push with his hand. 1t flew wide
open. and displayed to the eyes of the now
startled traveller the very objects and arrange
ments he had seen in his dream In the mid
die of the room there was a large hole made
by the removal of short pieces ofplank across
it lay the uncorded timbers of bedstead,
from which depended stout rope, that reach
ed almost to the floor of the room below.
Thoroughly alarmed by this literal and ut
terly unoxplainable verihcation 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 lodgings for the night at
respectable looking house he had passed on
the outskirts of the village. The next morn
ing he could send for his horse and pay his
bill by messenger, and thus avoid expana-
tions which might prove unpleasant both to
to the landlord and himself.
The shadow of a large tree, which stood
few yards distant from the end of the build
ing, fell upon the platform, and nearly half of
the stair-stops A brilliant moonlight resting
on the yard and all other objects on that side
Of the tavern.
Just as Mr.. Saunders stepped out on the
platform he saw man come round the corner
of the house, and walk in the direction of the
steps. He held large butchers knife in his
right hand and looked wistfully around him
as he advanced. As soon as he came to the
bottom step he began to ascend the stairs
with a slow and silent tread. In appearance,
movement and weapon, he was the exact coun-
terpart Of the image seen by Mr.. Saunders in
his dream.
What was the traveller to do, unarmed AS
he was, to escape the menacing peril; lie
felt glued to the spot upon which he stood by
the very imminenco of the danger which ap-
parently confronted him. To leap from the
platform to the earth would imperil both life
and limb face to face encounter with AN
armed man could only end in his being des-
perately wounded or Immediately killed Nor
was there even time to escape through the
room with the hole in its floor, for the desper-
ado had already mounted to the highest illu-
minated step, and was only few feet distant
from Mr.. Saunders.
Summoning all the resolution he could com
mand he cried out, "Who comes there p
Startled by the voice, the man threw up
his face and Mr. Saunders at once recognized
him as the landlord of the inn. Without
saying a word he turned, almost ran down
the steps and hurried round the corner of
the house in the direction he had come.
Mr. Saunders Immediately descended the
steps himself and walked, with no laggard
steps, to the house on the outskirts OF the
village, where, after some entrcaty, he pro-
cured lodgings for the night