Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1868-04-30
JOHN SMITHS DREAM.
BY JOHN SMITH.

earliest ages, men have, with singulaE
PRESIDENCY, placed imp5icitfa IN them
and have often been led into queer blum
ders by them. 1
In all the course Of my experience,
however, / do not remember to have met
with more singular or more remarkable
instance than that which / propose to re-
lale. Ilhappened IN certain city not
many thousand miles from Now England,
and was related to me as authentic.
Mr. John Smith, as l shall call the
hero, was a neighbor of mine, and a bet
ter hearted fellow never lived; he was
kind and generous, and very popular with
his friends. of whom be had many, and
one of the best husbands in the world,
John was a little over forty, and had been
married about ten years. He had no
children, and consequently gave to his
wife all of the affection and attention be
would have bestowed upon them. He
paid his bill promptly, and was well'to-
do IN the world. Yet he had one failing,
He was exceedingly CredulOus, and this
led him to become a firm believer IN
dreams. He had provided himself with
a dream Book" at an early day, and
every morning his first act was TO consult
this volume, and learn what interpretat-
ion be should give his visions of the
night.
Mrs. Smith, unlike her husband, was
skeptic and had no faith in dreams, and
laughed heartily at her husband for his
faith In them. When she found that
nothing could change her liege lord, she,
like a good wife, quietly let him alone.
When they had been married about
ten years, John bought hIm a house in
one Of the fashionable streets Of the city.
Il was not one of those good mansions
built in those days when people erected
houses to last, but one of the modern
shells. with paper walls and situated 10
about the centre of long row of similar
buildings. As houses go in those days,
1t was very comfortable, and John was
considered lucky man in being It's own
er.
When he had been in possession Of
his house for a few mouths. John Smith
had a remarkable dream. He dreamed
that he had discovered in his house as E.
cret silver set and other vaIubles. Howhe
discovered it he sould not exactly tell in
his dream. but the sum which it contained
was sufficient to set him up in the world
as a man OF wealth. He was delighted
with this, and was sorry enough to wax
en- and find in the clear light Of morn.
ing that it was all dream, Neverthe-
less, a dream though it was, II made an
Impression upon him; so great indeed,
that once or twice, while he was dressing,
be could almost fancy the matter a real
ity. AT breakfast, he told his wife about
it,.
"You must have eaten something be-
fore you went to bed, which disagreed
with you during the night, said Mrs.
Smith, with laugh.
Nonsense, Susan. Stranger things
than that have happened"
bot, John" said his wife, "to look
at the matter seriously, where cOuid you
find a closet IN such a house as this!-
The walls are so thin, that no human in
genuity could possibly contruct such a
closet. Now,'if this were an old castle,
or even one of the old-time houses. there
might be a possibility of such a thing.
but in this house, the idea is absurd.o
John Smith was sllenced. but not con-
vinced, and went off to bis business, with
his mind full Of his dream. He thought
about j! all day. and was really lnCapa-
bic of doing anything with his ordinary
ease and ability. He kept his own coun-
sci. however, and said nothing more of
the matter to his wife, on his return
home that afternoon.
That night, his dream was repeated.
He again saw the closet and lis precious
contents, but was again unable so tell
how he discovered the secret, OF where
the closet was situated. The next morn
ing he was in a state of great excite
ment, and triumphantly informed his
wife that his dream had repeated, and
he was sure there ewas something in it.
He did not reflect, that having, thought
of nothing else all through the previous
dav, il was but natural that he should
dream of il at night. Nov, in spite of
his wife's laughing at him, be resolved
to test the matter, and see what would
come of it,
Arming himself with a hammer, he
went carefully over the house, rapping
on ali the walls. 20 see if he could detect
any cavity His wife followed him
with mingled curiosity and amusement.
For an hour he raped away patiently
out the walls only gave out solid sound
Al last, however, he struck with diff
erent successd. The wall this time re-
sponued to the blow with hollow, met.
allie sound Turning exullingiy to his.
wife. John Smith struck again, and babe
her listen. The wall was evidently
hollow here.
"What do you think, now, Susap?" he
asked, gleefully.
"I am still unconvineed," she replied,
though not SO confidently as before.
"But am" said her husband, excit-
edly: and he made the plaster fy IN ey-
cry direction
"What are you doing, Johna Are
you deranged?p cried Mrs Smith, as
she looked on with astonishmenG 1at
II am going to get into This closet" +"
was the reply; and the plaster flew thick
eF and faster than before.