The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-01-13

OF course, she was first petted and then
laughed at, scolded for silly little girl,
and assured that papa could not possibly
have been there but when Mrs. Z. re-
fected that her husband was probably at
that moment on the sea, it is not TO 90
wondered at that she felt her heart grow
sick with anxiety. A few days later, az
she and her children were sitting down o
breakfast, she saw one of their few neigh
bors riding up to the door. That he
could have come away from his home ia
the busy morning hours betokened some>
thing unusual, and no sooner had she
looked in bis face than she exclaimed
''Tell me at once, my husband IS drown
ed !" GLOW do you know?' he re-
sponded, thus confirming her fears; and
hs handed her copy Of a local newspa
per. in which she read that the steamer
by which her husband has intended to
return, had foundered at sea. The date
tailed with her child's dream, and that
! Circumstance seemed to her conclusive
/ go that when her friends tried 70 point out
to her that there was no proof of her hus
/ bands death, she only answered that she
/ had received fearful warning, and gave
/ herself up to her sorrow. At the end of
! a few days, Mr.. Z. quietly walked in, and
was good deal astonished at the agony
of almost terrified joy with which his ar
rival was greeted. 1t WAS by the msrest
| chance that he WAS not in the lost vessel
! he had taken his passage, and had actu-
ally gone on board, when he was struck
with the extreme lowness of the bulwarks,
/ o-I hot shDulI -. EoI
weather, he, with his still helpless arm,
might be in some danger of being washed
| overheard. He therefore returned to the
shore, and arranged TO come by the next
! ship instead. So thsrs the story ends,
! except that we will hope that 10 time
was lost in administering dose Of physic
! 10 the troublesome little dreamer.
The next story, perhaps, out hardly to
/ be placed in the same category with the
/ others, since it is possible that the warn
| ing may have prevented its own fulfill
nlent.
BY great-grandmothe was an active
Lady Bountiful to very rustic country
| population, over whose affairs, temporal
and spiritual, she exercised benevolent,
if slightly tyrannical, sway. Among her
most frequent pensioners was Soft Billy,
as he was called poor, hslf-witted lad,
generally quite harmless, but subject to
occasional fits OF temper, in which he was
bard to deal with. One night she dreamed
that she was walking along lane in the
neighborho ood, when, from gap in the
hedge, Soft Billy suddenly jumped down
into the path before her, brandishing
. ! hOoE His A. ap1 die
torted face showed that bis "dark hour"
was upon him, and in another second he
had flown at her, his fingers were gripping
her throat with deadly strength, the steel
flashed before her eyes, the very bitter
ness of death itself was rushing over her,
and she awoke; awoke quivering all over,
the cold perspiration standing on her fore
head, and her heart beating to suff0calion.
It WAS long before she could force herself
to meet Soft Billy, even in the presence Of
others, and for months she avoided the
lane which she had traversed in her dream.
At last, some sudden case of distress in
the village which called for her presence
some sick child was to be physicked, or
some wife-beating husband was TO be
brought to book, and my great-grand>
mother set forth, never recollechng, till
she lad gone some distance, that she must
inevitably pass through the dreadful lane.
On she went, laughing at her own fears,
ill suddenly she saw before her the dread
ed gap which had appeared in her dream,
and which she had never noticed before,
and at that moment, from the very gap,
down jumped Soft Billy, and in his hand
he brandished a reaping- hook. The
dream, in all It's horrors, seemed on the
verge of fulflment but my great grand
mother was Il strong minded woman, and,
though her heart was throbbing with ter
ror, she neither tainted nor screamed; she
walked straight up to the idiot, and gave
him kindly greeting. 81 am glad to set
you, Billy; | am walking to the end oi
she lane, and now you shall take care OF
mo-" The lad, highly hattersd, was meek
and amiable in a moment, and they
walked the rest of the way together, sht
keeping up an incessant chatter in hel
most CHEEKY tones, though her heart wal
doubtless beating at every swing of the
. ungainly figure, and every flourish of the
deadly weapon in the poor, purposelesi
! fingers. AT the cottage door she thanked
, him, and wished him goodbye; and i
E will readily be believed that she procured
another escort for her walk home.
, Now for my last story, which l had
from the lips of venerable old Presby
tsrian minister, the last man TO indulge
, his imagination.
He was in the habit of going every
Sunday afternoon TO coaduct the worship
, at little village on the coast of Scotland
!, One Saturday night he dreamed vivit
dream. lie saw the village and the bay
the waves tossing and beating ia storm
,, and he saw pleasure boat upset, anc
dashed to pieces against tAs rocks. Tw'
, men were bufIeting with the water, fight