Smyrna times., 1860-05-10
A SINGULAR DREAM. /.


monty called the He'll Club Beside their
nightly or weekly meetings, they held one
grand saturnalia, in which each one tried to
excel the other in drunkenness and blasphemy /:
and on these occasions there was no star among
them whose lurid light was more conspicuous
than that of young MIR. Archibald B., who,
endowed with brilliant talents and handsome
peIson, had held out great promises in his boy.
hood, and raised hopes which had been com.
Pleiely frustrated by his subsequent reckless
disposition. 3 3 q s 2. }g..
One morning, after returning from the an
nual festival, Mr.. Archibald B., having re-
tired TO bed, dreamed the following dream:
he fancied that he himself was mounted on
a favorite black horse that he always rode, and
was proceeding towards his own house-then
a country seal embowered with trees, and form.
ing part of the city--when a stranger, whom
the darkness Of the night prevented his dis
tinctly discerning, suddenly seized his horses
rein, and said You must 60 with me 70
Sand who are you exclaimed the young man
with volley Of oaths, while he struggled 10
free himself
"That you will see, by and by," returned
the other, in tone that excited uncommon
terror in the youth, who plunged his spurs into
the horse, attempting to fly, but in vain. How
ever fast the animal flew, the stranger was be-
side him, till at length, in his desperate efforts
to escape, the rider was thrown but instead of
being dashed TO the earth as he expected, he
found himself falling, falliDg-still, as if sink
ing into the bowels of the earth.
AT length, period being put to this mystic
rlous descent, he found breath TO inquire of his
companion, who was still beside him, viii her
they were going. 4" Where am |! Where
are you taking me :" he exclaimed
ITO he'll !"l replied the stranger; and imme.
diately innumerabIe echoes repeated the fear.
ful sound" 10 hell to hell to hell lr'
AT length light appeared, which soon in
creased 10 blaze; but instead of the cries, the
groans, and Lamentations which the terrified
traveller expected, nothing met his ear but the
sounds ofmusic, mirth and jollity and he found
himselfa at the entrance of a superb building,
az exceeding any he had seen constructed by
human hands Within, too, what q scene! No
amusement or pursuit. ofman on earth but what
fwss being there carried on with vengeance
that excited his unutterabe amazement. There
the young and lsvely still swarmed though
the mazes of the gidy dance! There the pant
ing steed still bore the brutal rider through the
excitement OF the goaded race There over
the midnight bowl the Incorporate still drawleC
out the wantbn song of maudIin blasphemy -
: The gambler piled forever his endless game
and the slaves of mammon toiled through eter
nifty their bitter task; while all the magnif
cenee of earth paled before that which now me
his view. M
He soon perceived that he was among olC
acquaintancea, whom be knew to be dead anC
eachs he observed, was pursuing the object
, Whatever il was, that had formerly engFosseC
him; when, 6ndng himself relieved from tn,
, presence of hls unwecome conductor, he ven
j tured to address his former friend Mrs. ID. WHOM
he saw sitting, as had been her wont on earth
|, absorbed at lt,o; requested her to rest from th
game, and Introduce him to the pleasures O
the place, which appeared to be very unllk
what he had expected, and, indeed, YER
agreeable ont. But with the cry ofagony, sh
g answered that there was no rest in hell tina
. they must ever toll on at those very pleasures
!, and innumerable voices echoed through lh
: interminable vaults" There is no rest 10 hell
whilst throwing open their vests each disclose
in the bosom an eyer-burning fame. These
:, they said, were the pleasures of hell; the
. choice on eirth was now their irrevocabl
: doom. Hi ass.3 hI
y In the midst of the horror this scene inspireC
= his conductor returned, and, and at his earnet
V entreaty, restored him again 10 earth; but q
he quilted him he said " Remember, in a yes
:. and day wei meet again" s.a
y At this crisis ef his dream the sleeper awok
l- feverish and i'll and whether from the effec
. of The dream or OF bis preceding orgies. he W,
so unwel as to be obliged TO keep his bed Il
q several days, during which period he had tim
= for many serious reflections, which terminate
. in resolution 20 abandon the club and b
. licentous companions altogether.
~ He was no sooner well, however, than the
70 fiocked around him, bent on recovering go va
J. liable member Of their society; and havu
10 wrung from him a confession of The cause of h
- detection, which, as il may be supposed, appea
% ed TO them eminently ridiculous, they soon CO..
y triyed to make him ashamed Of his good resol
o ton. He joined them again, and resumed
~ former course Of life and when the annual sa
y ornalia came around, he found himself with
70 glass in hand at the table when the Presider
. rising to make the accustomed speech, begl
y with saying -" Gentleman, this being lei
y year, II is a year and day since our last a
% niversary," &c. The words struck upon Il
y young mans ear like a knell but ashamed
I" expose his weakness to the jeers OF bis col
rades, he set out for the feast, plying hims,
with wine even more literally than usual,
order TO drown bis intrusive thoughts till,
nt the gloon Of winters morning, he mount
~ ~ his horse to ride home.
'n Some hours atterward, the horse was fou
m' with his saddle and bride on, quietly graft
~, by The road side, about halfway between I
o. city and BE house. whist few yards
~ lay the corpse of his master.
ce This is a true story and no fiction the .
no cumssancss happened as here related. An
az count of 1t was polished at the time, but I
"o copies were bought up by the family. Two
three, however. were preserved. and the nj
~. ratise was rs-printsd. Croio's Mig
- side Of Nature.
fer ''~-'
ch, CuRIous.--Black lead, from which pen