The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-05-08
A STRANGE DREAM.
IN HAMPERS MAGAZINE for Ma,

past may emerge from the brain, shall
here furnish an instance bordering close
ly on the supernatural, and fairly repre-
senting the most marvellous of these
psychological phenomena. 1t occurred
to physician, who related it, in my
hearing, TO circle whose conversation
had turned on the subject of personal
fear
"What you are saying" he remarked,
" may be very trueI but 1 can assure
you that the sentiment of fear, in it's ut
most degree, is much less common than
you suppose; and though you may be
surprised to hear me say it'll know from
personal experience that this is certain
ly so. When was five or six years old,
L dreamed that l was passing by large
pond of water in very solitary place.
On the opposite side of it there stood a
great tree that looked as if it had been
struck by lightning, and in the pond at
another part an old fallen trunk, on one
of the prone limbs of which there was a
turtle summing himself. On sudden a
wind arose, which forced me into the
pond, and in my dying struggles to ex-
tricate myself from its green and Shiny
waters awoke, trembling with terror.
"About eight years subsequently,
while recovering from nearly fatal at
tack of scarlet fever, this dream pre-
sented itself to me, identical in all re-
spects, again. Even to this time think
had never seen a living tortoise or
turtle, but indistinctly remember that
there was picture of one in the first
spelling-book that had been given me-
Perhaps on account of my critical con-
dition, this second dream impressed me
more dreadfully than the first
" A dozen years more elapsed. had
become physician, and was now active
ly pursuing my professional duties in
one of the Southern States. 1t so fell
out that one July afternoon 1 had to take
a long and wearisome ride on horseback.
1t was Sunday, and extremely hot; the
path was solitary, there was not house
for miles. The forest had that intense
silence SO characteristic of this time of
the day; all the wild animals and birds
had gone to their retreats to be rid of the
heat of the sun. Suddenly at one point
of the road 1 came upon great stag
nant water pool, and casting my eyes
across it, there stood pine-tree blasted
by lightning, and on log that was
nearly even with the surface turtle was
basking in the sun. The dream of my
infancy was upon ne; the bride fell
from my hands, an unutterable fear
overshadowed me, and 1 skunk away
from the accursed place.
"Though business occasionally after
ward would have drawn me that way,
could not summon resolution to go,
and actually have taken roundabout
paths. 1t seemed to me profoundly
amazing that the dream that had had
should after twenty years be realized,
without respect to difference of scene, or
climate, or age. A good clergyman of
my acquaintance took the opportunity
of improving the circumstance to my
spiritual advantage, and in his kind en-
thusiasm-for he knew that had been
more than once brought to the point of
death by such fevers - interpreted my
dream that L should die of marsh
miasma.
Most persons have doubtless OBJ
served that they suddenly encounter
events of trivial nature, in their course
of life, of which they have an indistinct
recollection that they have dreamed be-
fore. For long time 1t seemed to me
that this was case of that kind, and
that 1t might be set down among the
mysterious and unaccountable. How
wonderful il is that we SO often fail to
see this simple explanation of things,
when that explanation is actually in
truding itself before us And so in this
case; it was long before the truth gleam-
ed in upon me, before my reasoning pow
ers shook off the delusive impressions of
my senses. But it occurred at last for
/ said to myself, Is it more probable that
such a mystery If true, or that have
dreamed for the third time that which
had already dreamed of twice before p
Have / really seen the blasted tree and
the summing turtlep Are weary ride
of fifty miles, the noontide heat, the ST.
lence that could almost be felt,no provo
cation to the dream I have, ridden
under such circumstances many mile
fast asleep, and have awoke and known
1t; and SO resolved that IL ever cir
cumstances carried me to those parts