Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-08-16

From Gamblers Journal.
TIE DREAMING BEECH.

BY RICHMOND LEADER.

CONTINUED FROM YEsrERpAYi
The young man had slept soundly on
his bed of straw. Dreaming Beech,
dream, and all he had said to the land
lords daughter were alike forgotten. He
stood at the door OF the tap-room. and
was just shaking the landlords hand, and
wishing him goodbye when the Girl en-
tered. On seeing him ready to start. an
indescribable feeling came over her. and
she could not let him 90.
Father" she said, 1.-The beer has not
yet been tapped, and the young man has
nothing to do; couldn't he STAY a day
longer, and earn his board and lodging,
and get something beside for the Journey
home ?"
The landlord had no objection to make
to this proposal, as he had just had his
morning draught, and was in the best of
humor.
Somehow the beer tapping progressed
but slowly. Then came bottling the
wine, and when the cask was empty and
the bottles full, then the girl thought lie
could help in the field-work, and when
that was finished there were so many
things to be done in the garden that no
one ever thought of before. So week
after week slipped by, and every night
she dreamed of him. In the evenings She
sat with him in the arbor by the house,
and when he told her how roughly stran-
gers had treated him, and what hardships
he had gone through, it was really very
singular, but a gnat or hair was sure to
get into her eyes, so that she was obliged
to wipe them with the corner of her apron
And so it came to pass that at the end OF
the Year the young man was still in the
house. And then the floors were well
secured, and white sand and fir-twigs
strewn in all the rooms, and the whole
village had holiday. 1t was the wedding
day OF the young journeyman and the
innkeepers daughter; and everybody re-
ljoiced at it except just the few who sulked
because they were jealous or pretended to
be so.
Not long after, the landlord of the Crown
Inn was decidedly once more in happy
t frame of mind. lie had been eating and
drinking to his hearts content, and sat in
his armchair with his snuff-box on his
knee. Long he slept, and when they tried
to awake him, they found he was dead!
SO the young .iourneyinan became,
really landlord Of the Crown, as he said
he would in joke. And indeed, all that
he had dreamt under the beech tree came
true. for soon he had two lovely children,
knees, and fed with Il spoon. and, posi-
bly,, blew upon the food when it was hot.
Perhaps, too, the other boy ran about the
room with the carrot; but the person who
told me this tale did not happen to mention
the fact and forgot to ask him about it.
But it must have happened so, because
whatever one dreamt under the beech tree
always did come true to the very letter
One day about five Years later. the
young landlord, for such he now was, had
come in and was sitting in the tap-room,
when his wife ran in and said to him:
'Only fancy yesterday at noon one of
our mowers fell asleep under the Dream
ing Beech. without knowing it, and what
do you think he dreamt! Why, that he
was immensely rich! and only think who
it was-Caspar, old Caspar, who is half
witted. and everybody keeps only for
CONCLUDED ON FOURTH PAGE.