Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-08-21
BEAUFORT, S. c., THURSDAY, AUGUST 2l, 1873.

"Why pretend what you do not
mean ?" she cried. "Surely, you, OF all
others, have most reason to be grateful
to the tree. Hasn't all you dreamt
under it come true ?"
"God knows" replied the husband,
"I am grateful to Him and to you.
Yes, it was beautiful dream, and re-
member it like yesterday, but every
thing is thousand times better than |
dreamt it, and you love, thousand
times prettier and dearer than the
young woman who appeared in my
dream"
"But still it was strange that you
should dream you were to marry me-"
az never dreamt thatl All / saw was
a young woman, with two children, but
she was not half as pretty as you, or
the children either"
Fie !" cried the wife; "do you mean
to deny me or the trees? Didn't you
tell me the first day we met? 1t was in
the evening, out there in the arbor.
Didn't you tell me you had dreamt you
were to marry me and become the land
lord of the Crown Inn 2"
Then the man remembered the joke
he had played his wife, and said
cit cant be helped, dear wife. / did
not really dream OF you; and if [ said
so it was only joke. I remember you
were 80 very inquisitive, and wanted
to tease YOU"
Upon this the wife burst into tears,
and left the room. He followed her,
and did all he could to comfort her, but
in vain.
"You have stolen my love, and
cheated me out of my heart" she said ;
81 shall never be happy again; no,
neverp
Then he asked her if she did not love
him better than anybody in the world,
and if they had not been the happiest
couple in the whole village.
She could not deny this; but, never
theless, she remained sad and miser.
able, notwithstanding all he could
say.
Every attempt at reconciliation failed;
nearly all day she sat gloomily by her.
self, starting whenever her husband
came near her.
This state of things continuing for
some time, he also began to grow mel
ancholy, fearing he had altogether lost
his wife's love. Silently he moved about
the house, thinking how to cure the
evil but no idea occurred to him; 80
at noon he went out into the village,
and loitered carelessly through the
fields. In the distance stood the old
dreaming beech, queen of the forest.
He went and sat beneath its shade,
thinking of days gone by. Five years
had passed since he, q poor, miserable
wretch had rested there for the first
time, and dreamt that pleasant dream.
Then the beech began to rustic again,
as it had done five years ago, and to
move its mighty brances, and as they
moved there fell, as then, the golden
glittering sunlight across its leaves,
and through the .boughs peeped ever
and anon the deep blue sky. Then his
heart grew calmer and he slept. Soon
he dreamt that dream again of five years
ago. Tie woman at the table and the
little children at their play but now,
the faces of his own dear wife and child
rem, and she looked at him with hel
large brown eyes so kindly, ah, SC
kindlyl And then he awoke and found
it was only dream. More sorrowfu
than before, he broke off small twie
from the tree and went home and
placed it in his hymn book.
The next day was Sunday, and as
they went to church, the leaves fell on,
at the wife's feet. He turned scarlet
as he stopped to pick them up and
put them into his pocket. But the wife
had seen it and asked what it was!
"Only leaves from the Dreaming
Beech, which is much kinder to me
than you are. Yesterday was resting
beneath it and fell asleep. 1t wished tc
console me, fer dreamt that you were
kind to me again, and had forgiven
everything, but it is not true. The
good old beech, though it is noble
tree, knows nothing about the future.
The wife gazed at him, and it was az
if ray of sunshine had crossed hel
face.
Husband, did you really dream
that ?"
eyes" he answered posltlVely.
"And was really your wife ?"
"Really my own true wife" and SHE
fell on his neck and half suffocated hin
with kisses.
"Thank God," she said, "now it ii
all right again. 1 love you so dearl y
how dearly you can never know. An6
all these long, weary days have 1 beer
in such dread. lest was wrong il
loving you, and that God meant me tc
have another husband, and you another
wife for you certainly did steal my
heart, you bad man and there was de
ception at first-yes, you stole my heart
blt it did not do you much good, fo
you know things must have happened
Just as they did, whether we would o.
no." Then, after pause, she con
tinued:
"Promise me never again to speal
slightingly of the Dreaming Beech"
"I never will, for 1 believe in it a.
much as you do, depend upon it
though in a different way, perhaps
And now let us paste the leaves in th'
beginning of our hymn-book so tha
they may not be lost"