, 1873-07-13
THE DREAMING BEECH.


from thdf4DfT6 IfNffaE. |
Moro than a hundred years have pAHsod since
1t waR Htr1,ok by lightning md split from top to
bottom, and the plow has we!l furrowodI ths
place whore 1t grow. Boforo that timo tho
mighty old boocll troo stood 8omo hundred yards
from tho frat houses Of tho village, on q grassy
mound, a tron auol % ono mover soes In those
tlays, because animals, plants, trees, aud men
arc becoming small and mean.
Tho poaeanta said the troo datod from tho
onrlY Ohristan orr, md tl,at holy apostle had
boon maeaaored bonoath 1t by tho false hcathon;
that tho roots Of tho trao had drunk mp tho |
apostlo's blood, which, rising through tho trunk |
aud branches had made thom 80 large and |
strong. Who knowa II Tho legend be trtloa
Anyhow, thorc WAS certainly one curious faot
concerning tho treo, and everybody In the viii
lape know about It, arnall and groat. Whoever
foil aaloep under tho troo and droamt droam,
that droatn would surely como true. 30, from
timo immomorial, It was oa1lcd tho Dreaming
Boooh, and no ono knew 1t by any other nhmo'
Thoro was, however, . peculiar condition at
tachcd to tho dreaming, and II anybody lay
down under the beach with tho idea Of drean-
ing OF somo ono particular thing, then tho
dream would suro to bo nothing but confusion
and rubbish and nouaonao Of MI sortB, OF which
no ono could make either hoad or tail. Now this
was aasuredly rather difloult stipulation, be-
cnuao most people arc 30 worry likely to think Of
what lies noareBt the hoart, consequently, at tho
time this htory commoncoa not a man or woman
had over tried the plan with succeBB Still, for
oil that It was not to ha dontod but that tho tra-
dition Of the Dreaming Beech was true.
One hot summers day. when not q breath Of
air stirred, poor tournoy1nan oamo wandering
along the road, Things had gono vory badly
, with him for many yoars In foreign parts. When
ho reached tho village ho turned hia pockets in-
siao out for tho last time, but, alaa they wero
empty.
aWhat am to do7" he thought to himself,
NJ nm tired to death, but no one will take mo
In for nothing, md It ia hnrd to beg" Juht then
his oyeH fell upon tho noble boech tree, on the
groom grassy slope; aud as 1t stood only o fcw
wards from tho road, he aid himself down under
| it to reHt. gentle breoze sprung up and
ruBtlcd amongst tho branches, whilst hero and
tl,oro gloam Of g1ittoring sunshine foil as tho
leaves werc moved disclosing glimpses Of tho
/, t1eop hino eky beyond. Thon tho tired wantsezer
closed his eyoa and slept. Whilst hd was thus
Il soundly sleeping, q branch dropped from tho
boeoh tree, with three loaves on It, which foil
just On his bronat He dreams that he sat at o
table, in q most cozy room and the tnblo
was his own, and tho room. and indeed
tie wholo honse. At tho table, leaning on it
with both handB, stood young woman, looking
|
knoes sat = CHILD whom he vaa fooding NTH
soup, and because tho soup was toe hos 10 blow
upon the spoon to cool It. Then his vito cried
o#t; :a.s!::3as; sas; "Whae ee:s;Na! nnyse y":.
makoi" Jumping about tho room was another
largo carrot, to Which le had tlod string,
and shouting out "Tally ho!" as il it 'sero tho
finest fox. And botb children were his own.
This was his droam; and II must have been
worry pleasant dream, for his ~l1olo face beanlod,
in hfB s1nop with haDpiueHa.
Before he awoke it WAS almost evening, and
before him stood shepherd. smoling., He
sprang up from tho ground, much refreshed
=" "Hoavons II it we're only tEue but. at all
e,yensg, i WIS pleasant to know how 1t would
I'll r,ssl fooln H., .,,.n,op, ,.,. ~ ns ..,,o s,
whenco @ be came, and whittier be IVA va. @ going, @ and
whether hc had evor hoard Of tho wonderful
Beech.
Having learnt ho Was Al innocent shout it as =
"Wen, you're lucky dogl For any ono
something pleasant. / was looking at you for
long time as you lay there" Aud he told him
shocp sud that limb. ASK tho people in Tho
village il + is not SO. Now. just toll mo what
"Old follow" answered the young man, grim
ming, "thats tho way, is it, you question Btran-
gers in these parts 2 1 moan to keep my beau-
tiful dream to myself, and you can't be surprised
at TINT. But for all that nothing will come Of
I'll" and he really believed what he NOS saying,
for, 81 ho walked towards tho village, he muir
| INJURED to himgelf, "8tur aud nongenaol old
viyes' talcsl I should ilo to know how treo
could come by Huoh powor!"
As he came into the village, ho saw aLuck out
from tho roof Ut tile third louso long polo
NTH golden crown dangling from it. Aid bar
Inn. He happenod just then to be in good hu-
] NOR, for he had had q very good SUPPER and WAS
fooling. in consequence, quite happI and eonial::
So tho young laborer pulled OF hia cap, and
Grown looked at the smart lad, in his dusty,
ragged clothes, from top to toe, and then kindly
nodding, said TO him:
!, Sit down here in tho arbor dare say
there's bit Of bread and choose and Jug Of
@ 1s9r 70 spare for 70, and truss OF STRAW in tho
~ Wh'erssnps2 1'a he ~ent into tho house, and zont
boer. , snd sno ;i! %. down beside the young man
md asked him to to- l,er Of tho foreign iands,
and n return told him ii lhn village goastp, aud
M how the corn st9od and "hen tho mott dahce at
Suddenly she arose, leaned toward the stranger,
| and said /:
pray toll me what those tbree leaves are,
sticking out of your waistcoat ?"
! Tho young man looked down and found tho
| twig, With the three leaves, which had fallen
upon him while ho slept. It was caught III the
TIT must hare fallen from tho g1eat beech treo
just outside tho village" ho replied ~ had &
fho girl listened at.ent!yoly, waiting to hoar
what ho would say next. Whom 'ho had oossed
speaking she began to question him narrowly,
| till aho had aHoertained beyond doubt TINT he
had really fallen asleep under the great beeoh-
ttoo, and that moreover, ho knew nothing Of
the troe. For he waa sly dog and pretended to
As soon as she had done questioning. phe