The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-01-13
Calls, ShettBts, 9nrtOotes, 1T.
WASTED PRESENTIMENTS.

Everybody likes q good ghost story;
and still more popular, perhaps, are those
quasissuperna;ural histories which treat of
presentiments realized, of dreams fulfilled,
of words lightly spoken, but carried out
in manner that the speaker little ex>
pected. \ list of such stories is AT ev-
erybody's fingers ends; but it has been
my lot TO meet with several instances Of
another class of stories much less fre>
quently commented on, but to my mind
even more curious; cases, l mean, in
which q peculiar warning has been-all
but, and yet not quite-borne out by sub
sequent events; so that the intimation
could not be passed over SIS altogether
trivial, and yet missed its mark. Several
such occurrences have been related to me
by witnesses in whose testimony | have
full confidence, and 1 will proceed to give
them without further preface.
Doctor J., retired physician in deli
cate health, resided, some years ago, in
one of the principal towns in the west of
England. He was one night seized sud-
denly with violent illness, and within an
hour or two was pronounced 10 be in
hopeless state. DIR. J. being Roman
Catholic, the Reverend Dr. V, a priest
Of that communion, was sent for to ad>
minister the last rites of religion; and,
soon finding that his presence could be of
no further use TO the unconscious sufferer,
be bethought himself how he could best
procure female companionship for the poor
wife, who was quite stunned by the sud-
den blow. With this intention, he has
tened, in the early morning, to the house
of an elderly female, a pious member of
his congregation, and a friend of Mrs j.
The lady had not yet left her room, and
he simply sent word up that he wished to
| speak to her. In q few moments she came
hurrying into the room, with every ap-
| pearance of agitation, and, before he could
! explain his sad GRAND, she seized his hand
breathessly, exclaiming: go, Dr. ",
| how thankful l am too see you | have
! had a most frightful, vivid dream about
/ Doctor and Mrs J !" Doctor V. might
well start, but che hurried on. 81 dreamed
| that | went to call at their house, and
! that Mrs. j. came down to meet me in a
widows cap, with her face all swollen
with tears and said 10 me 80 Mrs. NJ !
my dear husband is just dead: and he
desired me TO say that you will be the
next "And what did you tell hor %
Doctor VS. auditors were wont to ask
at this part of tho narration TO which
the reverand gentleman invariably an
swered, 81 dare cay it was very cow
! ardIy, and | dare say it was very foolish;
but l did not tell her at all bolted -
So far the story is like many another
tale of the marvellous, but the usual Sc,
qusl is wanting for though DR.. j. died,
Mira. - lived on fer many years and
certainly was not 'the next unless in some
mysterious sense confined 20 the world OF
spirits.
In the earlier days of our New Zealand
colony, Mr.. p, younger son of an Eng
lish peer, settled there with his family.
Having hart his arm, he was advised tc
try rest and change of air, and according
ly he set out for q trip TO the other island,
leaving his young wife, whose numerous
and constantly increasing nursery duties
Kept her at home. The time fixed for hi;
return was drawing near, when Mrs. p,
was one night awakened by a scream from
her eldest child, a little girl four or five
years old, who was sleeping in the same
bed with her mother The child had
awakened suddenly in psroxysm oI
terror, and for some time no soothings
were of any avail all sue would do was
to point persistently TO one corner of the
room, while she sobbed out, "Oh! poor