The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-10-24
For the Hickman Courier.
A Dream---RetrIbutIO

dreams in their development. have breath
And tears, and tortures and the touch Of Joy"
had dream a few nights ago
which | will recall, not that it is much
out of the wav of ordinary dreams, as
they generally go, but to prove
that there is a Nemesis that haunts
our slumbering hours as we'll as our
waking ones. 1t vas a basket, as my
dream had it, that was in pursuit OF
not filed with a picnic dinner, but
Of apples, that led me into so much
trouble. I had left that basket-in
keeping with my usual forgetfulness-
in an orchard some distance from my
residence, and in going back for it, l
fell in with an old friend who invited
me to take saddle behind him Oh a
very ghos,>Iike horse. l besitated, as
the horseback road did not lead direet-
ly to the orchard, but being assured
oh, the deception of some people-tbat
the road he was travelling passed near
the place desired to reach, r1vuu----
the shadowy equine. There ere
others along, but they soon disap
peared and left US two to a lonesome
ride through a gloomy woods which
seemed almost interminable. We at
last. however. emerged from it and ap-
preached a house standing near the
roadside. aud di-mounied. There were
a lot OF old men, low, square>built fel-
lows and bald headed, and about the
same number Of women-who might
have been the same that Burns de-
scribed as ''rigwoodie hags"-assem-
bled in that house, enjOying-of course
they were enjoying it-a picnic. Iu
stead of baskets they used trays four
feet square, into which they bad tum
bled chunks of meat weighing, from
appearaucs, from Eve to ten pounds.
Iu Others were fish, though dead,
floating in trays of water as if alive. |
was invited by one of the old bald
heads to eat-that is, be said: "Stnn-
ger, help yourself" 1 declined the
invitation aud turned away in disgust,
but, 10 passing, tray OF fish attracted
nv attention. and I concluded that /
would try one. | picked up one, but
it rurned out to be only the bull Of q
fsh-a clear case Of false preteIce.
Whilst engaged iu dissecting the false
pretence, the picnickers and my friend
with them vauished-an gone save an
lold woman, whom approached for the
purpose of ascertaining why and for
lwhat had the company so suddeOly
disappeared She replied that they
had gone to grove where the dancing
/ wss TO be had l started to follow and
did follow, but never reaOLodaily
dancing ground. l c0nLft fiddle
hear the scratch Ieeiined further at
that was ali.eFtake the dancers.
temptssI my basket, and started
the'a determination not to be turGed
rom an eager pursuit of it. But |
was in a strange country, alone, and
without direction to find the orchard
I passed over some distance of road,
but it seemed to carry me from the
place | wanted to reach concluded
10 leave the road aud take, from where
| was, left-hand course did so,
but soon came TO large stream OF wa
ter-so large that had not the eour-
age to attempt TO cross it. | followed
the right bank l know not how AR
for dreams know but little of distance
and time-untii | came to where the
stream was walled on both sides,
which made il much narrower, and |
discovered at little distance ahead !
of me a passway over 1t crossed
over, and in short time came to a
house-in fact, two houses opposite
each other, and a road between, In
the road was a carriage stuck 10 the
mud" as wagoners say, and tFo or
three persons trying to extricate 1T.
thought this a good opportunity TO
get directions to that lost orchah.
assisted in getting the carriage iut OF
the mudhole, and on inquiry o. be-
uevolent looking old gentlemn who
sat inside of it, he said that b. knew
nothing about the orchard of hs own
knowledge, but had heard of /! The
carriage moved off, aud just here
lapse in my dream seems o have
! taken place, as next fouu myself
astride of that shadOwy horss with
rope in one hsud, leading what | sup
posed to be dog; hut upol looking
back. instead of a dog-"w;ll, hardly
ever - did I see sucA ereature-a
uondescript. The ting was about
three feet long, roundbOdied, and legs
pcrhans three incheiu length. 1t
may have been the lture dog fore-
shadowed in my dren, as there are
great efforts now beinmade to replace
the old. time goodOg by modern
J. thing so useless, @orthless, that It
should, and that eedily, be swept
" from the face of e earth. But to
my dream. | trald on. pulling the
future dog along, ill came to an-
= other house-hou seemed to be at
great distance at-when L DIS
mounted, with v of ascertaislng
- if possible the v to that orchard
= The ouly human discovered about
u Tho hnnsa M IN Ulfh great
- bread poultices osach side OF her
rk neck. The poul,i had become dry
y and stood away fr her neck, expos
ing two loathsomeeers, one on each
side of the neck, awhich had eaten
u in so far as to lea,nIy a mere ste IN
NJ for the head to reupon. Notwlth
standing the disg that | had ior
Q. this wretched won | made inquiry
n about the orchard-ut the same old
ard