The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-07-30

the fourth of the present month";"
Here, sir,-in Mr.. Hunters office.
Where else should I be?'
There was dash of trepidation in
the under-secretary's voice as he said
this; but his look Of surprise was
natural enough.
ave have some reason for believ-
Ing, MIR. Raikes, that you were absent
that afternoon without leave. Was
this the case p
"Certainly not, sir. have not had
days holiday since September. Mr..
Hunter will bear me out in this"
Mr.. Hunter repeated what he had
previously said on the subject, but
added that the clerks in the adjoining
Office would be certain to know.
Whereupon the senior clerk, grave,
middle-aged person, in green glasses,
was summoned and interrogated.
His testimony cleared the under
secretary at once. He declared that
Mr.. Raikes had in no instance, to his
knowledge, been absent during Office
hours since his return from his annual
holiday in September.
was confounded. The chairman
turned to me with smile, in which a
shade of covert annoyance was
scarcely apparent.
"You hear, Mr.. Langford?' he
said.
II hear, sir; but my conviction re-
mains unshaken."
II fear, Mr.. Langford, that your
convictions are very insuficiently
based" replied the chairman, with a
doubtful cough. II fear that you
dream dreams, and mistake them for
actual occurrences. It is dangerous
habit Of mind, and might lead to
dangerous results. Mr.. Raikes here
would have found himself in an un-
pleasant position, had he not proved
so satisfactory an ohbi.
I was about to reply, but he gave
me no time.
II think, gentlemen, he went on to
say" addressing the board, "that we
should be wasting time to push this
inquiry further. MIR. Langford's evi-
dence would seem to be Of an equal
value throughout. The testimony of
Benjamin Somers disapproves his
first statement, and the testimony of
the last witness disapproves his Sec
ond. I think we may conclude that
Mr.. Langford fell asleep in the train
on the occasion of his journey to Clay
borough, and dreamt an unusually
vivid and circumstantial dream,-of
which, however, we have heard quite
enough"
There are few things more annoying
than to find ones positive convictions
met with incredulity. I could not
help feeling impatience at the turn
affairs had taken. I was not proof
against the civil sarcasm of the chair
mans manner. Most intolerable of
all, however, was the quiet smile lurk-
ing about the corners Of Benjamin
Somers' mouth, and the halftriumph-
ant, halfmalicious CLEAN in the eyes
Of the under-secretary. The man
was evidently puzzled, and somewhat
alarmed. His looks seemed furtively
to interrogate me. Who was I?
What did I want? Why had I come
there to do him an i'll turn with his
employers? What was it to me
whether or no he was absent without
leave?
Seeing all this, and perhaps more
irritated by it than the thing deserv-
ed, I begged leave to detain the atten-
ton Of the board for moment long
er. jeff plucked me impatiently by
the sleeve.
"Better let the thing DROP" he
whispered. "The chairman's right
enough. You dreamt it; and the less
said now, the better"
I was not to be silenced, however,
in this fashion. I had yet something
to say, and I would say it. It was to
this effect: That dreams were not U.s.
| ually productive of tangible results,
and that I requested to know in what
| way the chairman conceived I had
evolved from my dream so substantial
| and well-made delusion as the cigar
case which I had had the honor to
place before him at the commence.
ment Of our interview.
"The cigar-case, I admit, Mr. Lang.
ford," the chairman replied, f'is a very
strong point in your evidence. It is
your only strong point, however, and
there is just a possibility that we may
all be misled by mere accidental
resemblance. Will you permit me tc
see the case again?
''It is unlikely" said, as I hand
ed it to him, "that any other should
hear precisely this monogram, and
yet be in all other particulars ex
actly similar
| The chairman examined it for 8
moment in silence, and then passed il
to Mr.. Hunter. Mr.. Hunter turned
it over, and shook his head.
"This is no mere resemblance" ht
said. "It is John Dwerrihouse's ci
gar-case to a certainty. I have seer
it hundred times"
II believe may say the same," ad
ded the chairman. "Yet how accoun
for the way in which Mr.. Langfort