The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-09-17
A DREAM AND A SLEEP.

A DREAM AND A SLEEP.
had just completed my twenty fifth
WEIR when | first set foot in London. L
had come up partly to see the place, and
yzIrtly to see Il relative whom we expected
&c, arrive from India any day of the week.
An YOU know, Mark, / have always been
"a o,ssiet, curious, dull fellow, taking little
interest in the ordinary amusements pro-
yisied FOR the general public, and having
no appreciation for what is called fun
Ia shat instead of seeking theater, on
Some other brilliant place of entertain
mcnt, put on an overcoat, lit a cigar, and
7Eaiked ont about 9 O'Clock.
There was a dense fog, and the air was
lamp and unwholesome. | happened to
be staying at hotel SO situated that by
the map took all my bearings with re-
aninn TO Holborn. The gas lamps on
the opposite side of the street were to
ne seen like balls of tow Illuminated by
II dull glow. They were visible, but
gave no light. / was in a large and very
ouey street. Cabs and carts and omni-
buses passed i'll an unbroken current. l
became little depressed and confound-
ed, and meeting a quiet-looking street
which seemed TO lead into some silent,
hlIe like square, | turned down, and ex-
pe1.ienced the most irexpressible relief
from the mut1led muteness around.
7 suppose l must have gone about
hundred and fifty yards in a straight line
before ] discovered there was no way of
exit at the end. L crossed, and began
walking back toward the head of the
street Before / got half way / reached
a turning to the left, and for a moment
stood irresolute as to which course /
SHOULD take.
AS was celebrating, l heard footsteps
approaching rapidly. The tread was
that OF man running quickly | drew
y little out of the way to let him pass;
Dot, as he went to the same side, he ran
against me rather forcibly, and, tripping
over a raised stone in the kennel, fell
heavily to the ground. / helped him to
risse. He was not hurt; and when he
aaG l had exchanged apologies he turned
slowly down the street to the left, and
walked with bent head and deliberate
step.
The two questions which arose to me
were, who was he and what had occa-
ziOned his haste. His manner and
d Il,
as iAr rs | could see, there was nothing
IN his dress or appearance inconsistent
wgdA the presumption that he was one.
What could make a man OF his class
1lsh down by -street at such pace, and
then suddenly, upon receiving n mo-
mentary check, subside into a shamble
H.1d he committed some crime, and
wcTe tie ministers of justice upon his
Eaack
I listened, half expecting to hear the
ylarter of feet in chase. All was still in
fhc street, and from beyond the street
tIIe sound OF traffic came feebly and
,tnlly, like the muttering of water in a
distant cave.
Mechanically / turned into the harrow
street the man had entered. / could not
D. ucbeye my mind of him. He chung to
me ike the vapor. But what was it that
s,seped so strange about him2 All of
us have experienced the phenomenon of
remembering, or recalling, or reimpos-
iEg on the mind persons and objects of
which, at the time they were displayed
fsa us, we took no sensible mental impress
sion So it was now with me in this
case. L began realizing his face; al
though at the time we stood opposite to
one another had no image of which /
was conscious in my mind. Now the
face was beginning to float up out of the
Gloom, and 10 trouble me.
At first / could make out in the cham
1ers of my perplexed mind no more of
sIIst face than n general expression of
strange excitement wrestling with some
thing else. Whence came that excite
znent and what was that something
e{sel l have always taken a great de-
light in trying TO read the heart through
the face. This mans manner puzzled
me considerably, and when | first felt
the recollection of his face dawning upon
me ] said to myself, Now 1 shall know
g.. all. But it never came before me dis
finctiy. / was distracted by it, without
being able TO seize firm hold of it. or
~ anv leading idea in connection with
e. beyond the general expression of ex-
citement constrained or influenced by
some contending force.
/ was very much interested in my
vague speculation, and 1 must have
walked more than mile before became
aware of the fact that had been making
snr0s without recording them. SO that
when awoke TO a sense of my situation
4 had lost my way. L received an UNI
nyeasant shock; for although L had no
Scar. the place where found myself was
gloomy and forbidding in the extreme.
Overhead hung huge warehouses,
whose upper stories were lost in the fog
and nioIt. The lane was narrow, and
~,vacticable only TO foot passengers.
Strain nv ears as / might, could hear