The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-06-08
FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS
uMMY's DREAM.
BY MRS. A. NJ. DIAZ.


"You must know, children" said
Uncle Joe, "that l have taken great
pains to collect dreams. Whenever
strange ones or funny ones are told me,
| write them down in this 'dream-
book Some of them would make you
laugh till the tears run out of your eyes.
/ It is really curious what singular things
/ dOcome to us in dreams. Such wonders
such jumblesl such sillinesses! Asd
yet they all seem right enough when we
are dreaming them.
"Now there was little Barnabas
| Springer, who dreamed he was blowing
with an OK on the seashore (of all
places in the world to be plowing y and
that the OK made stifled rumble
grumble' sound in its throat several
times. When they reached the end OF
the furrow, he dreamed that he saw
standing there tall lady, whose head
now mind this-was set on in such a
way that her face came over her right
shoulder; and this tall lady spoke to
him in loud voice, like person scold-
ing
'Barnabas Springerl That OK was
trying to tell you to say ''Gee!" to him, so
that he might ''gee," and not wet his
feet!'
"Now 'Gee' means 'Turn to the
right, and the tall lady's face looked
over her right shoulder, and when Bar
nabas woke. up, he was lying on his
right side, with his eyes, nose and mouth
in the pillows; all of which is something
to think of.
"Then there was my pet niece Susie
dreamed she was her own kitten, trying
to catch her own canary birdi and that
she understood every thing the bird said,
in his flutterings, and just what his
feelings were. The poor child cried
herself awake, and no wonder.
But among the strangest of the
strange ones in this collection" said
Uncle Joe, opening his dream-bOok, sis
that of Jimmy, my little nephew. He
dreamed he was a fly, and that he walk
ed with q sorrowfIl butterfly (Which
died, in the dream), and with blue
bird, and also with curious being, who
wore five tall black and white plumes-
one in his hat, and two on each shoul-
der. The curious being also wore a
cows horn, standing in front of his hat,
for which reason he was called the
Great Head-Horner.
" He had fourteen Helpers These
Helpers wore one plume only, but had
no horns. Their plumes stood up
straight, in the middle of the crowns
of their tall hats. But you will hear
about them presently, for l have the
whole dream written down here, word
for word, just as Jimmy told it to me,
dialogue fashion.
''It happened in this way. One sum-
mer afternoon JIMMY had been doing
something naughty-yOu will find out
what it was by-and-by-and his mother,
after talking with him, read him story
about a boy who had done the same
thing, and other things somewhat like
it. She also told some true stories of
cruel men whom she had known, and
read several short pieces of poetry on
the same subject.
"Now that have spoken the word
'cruel,' | may as well say that Jimmy
had been tOrmenting insects in ways
which it would give me pain to tell, and
give you pain to hear, and that the men
of whom his mother spoke had been
cruel to dumb animals.
"While she was talking, three or four
officers in uniform passed by. | men-
ton these things in order that you may
the better account for Jimmy's curious
dream.
Jimmy fell asleep duringthe reading
of the verses, and dreamed of being in
a strange place, where he saw, close
beside him, large, golden-spotted
butterfly. He dreamed that it was a
moaning, signing, sOrrowing butterfly,
and-what seemed more strange-that
it spoke to him and called him a fly
And stranger yet, that ne thought, for
a time, he was fly, though he felt like
himself all the while! Even this, how
ever, is not so strange as the rest.
I'm this dream-dialogue 1 call jim
my by his true. name, because, as he
said, he felt like himself. You will OBJ
serve that the sorrowful butterfly be-
gins
Butt.rfy-Speak to him! Ask him
not to do it, dear pretty fly!
Jinlny-You are not talking to me,
butterfly, are you?
Butterfy-Yes, fly, 1 am talking to
you.
Jinamy-But am not fly, butterfly.
l am boy, Jimmy.
ButerfY-You are fly, and this will
prove it. Can a boy understand but
terfy talk?
Jimmy-But if Iwere fly, butterfly,
I could fly.
Butterfy-so you can fly. Flyl Flap,
and try!
"He tapped, in his dream, flew up,
then flew down."
Jinnsy-But if 1 were fly, butterfly,
l could crawl on the wall.
Buterfy-You can. Flap again. Fly!
fly to the wall and crawl!
"He tapped, in his dream, flew to
the wall and crawled."
Butterfy-NOw do you believe you are
a fly?
Jinimy-Yes, butterfly, 1 am fly and
am a Jimmy. am Jimmy-fy!
Butteyfy-O,O,O o! Help! he comes!
.Jtmny-Who comes?
Bmte,fy-The giant. Ask him not
to do it, dear, good fyP See, see, the
sharp rod! | tremble, CULVER!
Jimmy-What will he do with it, but
terfiy?
BHtterfy-He will run it through my
body. D dearl o dear!
.Es11my-Why don't you fly away?
Butterfy-The window is shut. Do,
do speak to him!
Jinlmu-A fly can not talk to a giant.
Butterfy-But you can buzz to him.
A poor butterfly can make no sound.
Seei he comes near!
Jinmy-That is not giant. That is
only boy.
Butterfy-O, it is a giant! Won't
YOU, Uont you buzz to him?
,Gnnay-What shall buzz to him?
Buherfy-Buzz that l want to live;
that 1 long to live.
.Jin1my-What shall buzz that you
want to live for?
l. ha1I-