Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-22
PremOnitOry Dreams.

ing to cross to the Orkneys usually spent
the night. The gentleman, whom we will
call Mr.. Mac T., was the owner of
large estate, and an old house which had
belonged to his family for hundreds OF
years, in the Mainland, or chief of the
Orkney Islands, and was now about to
visit his property. 1t was clustering,
stormy night, but that only made more
pleasant the cigar and the glass of wills
key, and the cracking wood fire by
which Mac T. sat chatting with the
laadlord, who was an old friend both OF
his father and himself, and who was
proud of entertaining the ''young laird"
as he called him, with his widest tales
of adventure on the sea. They did not
however, SIT late, for the Orkney packet
sailed very early in the morning. and
Mac T. soon found himself in the cosy,
well-appointod little bedroom. The
wind was chanting a grand Berserker
melody, and the sea was roaring deep
bass accompaniment. Mac T. loved those
sounds for they had often been the lullaby
of his childhood, ana soon tell asleep.
For some hours he slept without an
image or thought reaching his mind;
but at length, when the morning was
glimmering gray in the east, strange
dream came to puzzle him. He dreamt
| that he was in the ancient banquettlng-
hall OF his old house in the Mainland. sit
| ting at the head Of a very long table. The
banqueting hall was now in reality al
most ruin, but in his dream Mac T.
saw it hung with tapestry and blazing
with hundred lighs. The table was
we'll filled on both sides, and he thought
he glanced curiously down its length to
see who his guests were. AS he looked
he shuddered in his dream. Those who
sat at the table with him wers all dead
ancestors for many generations back. He
knew their faces and dresses we'll from
their portraits in the picture gallery.
Next to him sat his own father, who had
died about year before. And at the
bottom of the table sat a fair haired man
In dress of skius, who was Morse chief
tain, the founder of the family. 1t SEEM
ed to him that he sat for some moments
as if spellbound, while the spectres muir
INJURED together in low, hollow tones. At
length they all rose, and slowly, one by
one, in turn, left the hall. But before
they went, each one paused at the door,
and turning, raised his hand in warn
ing attitude, fixed his eyes on Mac T.,
and said in deep voice, the word "Be-
warem
1.-THE packet starts in twenty minutes,
sir" cried loud voice at the door, rous-
ing Mac T. suddenly from sleep. Con-
fused at first, yet soon rememb ering
where he was, he sprang out of bed and
began hurriedly to dress himself. Being
a bad sailor, bis first glance was natural
lY enough at the sea, close to which the
inn stood. The wind had risen in the
night. The waves Numbered on the
shore; and the little Orkney packet was
tossed up and down like limpet
shell. AS he gazed, his strange dream
rose up with sudden distinctness before
Mac rs mind. He was infected with a
good deal of Scotch superstition. Be-
sides, he did not much like the looks OF
the sea, and so he resolved not to go out
till tomorrow. That day the Orkney
packet was lost with every man on board
and Mac T. and his little wife, who was
lett at home with the babies, had to
thank that warning dream rOr his life
The other instance we have to tell i
quite as singular. Many years ago the
Rev. Mr.. N. held small living in the
widest part of West Somerset. The par
ish church stood ON bleak hillside, anc
Mr.. N. was bachelor, logged in the farm
house close to it. Among his small tiocE
there was none in whom the clergyman
took more interest than in Mary the pref
ty daughter of the farmer, his landlord
When Mary was about twenty Mr.. N
was much troubled by finding that sh
had formed an attachment with Jacl
? Townsend, the cleverest workman anC
: the most worthless fellow on the farm
One autumn night the clergyman
: dreamed that Mary stood at his bedside
: and cried out in an imploring voice
e Come out on to the hillside!" The i'm
t preston left on his mind ON waking wa
= so distinct that, if he had not known tn
8 door was locked so that no one could en-
e ter the room, he would have though
t Mary must in reality have been there
i Feeling, however, sure that it was onl,
I. a dream, he composed himself once NOR
i to sleep. But scarcely had he closed hi
8 eyes when Mary was again there, calling
e to him to come out on the hillside. Sew
i en- several times he tried to sleep, ant
d seven times the phantom came back, a.
d ways with the same cry
Y At length, mastered by an almost IRE
n sistible impulse, he rose, dressed himsel
and went out on the hill. He wake
= some distance, but could see nothing e1
e. cept the heather-bells waving in tn
e moonlight; could hear nothing but dls
3 can't sheep-bell tinkling softly, and tn
IS stream warbling below in the vale,
It He was just going back, when suddenl
20 shrill cry reached him, seeming
8, come from neighboring combe. Hurry
s. ing ii that direction, he saw at the bo
J. tom of the combe two figures, those of
o man and woman, apparently strugglin
e. with each other. AS he drew near, I'll
,e man ran away and the woman fell to tt
he ground. When he came up he 1ouud thi
h it was Mary. She had only tainted, an
It, he soon brought her to herself. Then /
m degrees she confessed to him that h
IN lover had persuaded her to meet hi
" that night in the combe, bringing wit
ne her small sum of money, which 81
saved from early childhoodeby laying
Ie little gifts of friends and relations, an
d, which, according to the custom commit
70, among her class in that day, she b,
It kept in an old stocking instead of L
" bank. Townsend had promised to elo
1 with her, and marry her, and as q
Mt loved him, and her father would not {
y low the match, she had consented to 6
Is. But when he met her, had tried to r.
Id her of her money. She had resisted, al
he struggled with him, and just then t
of clergyman had come up, and the villa
I'd had run away. After that night Mr..
L L A ] Ass,1 A,