The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-05-19

With this regard, his footsteps turns away,
Scared at the name Of dentist
''''~ IN OlID DREAM STOkR.,
One snowy winter night an English
farmer, named Robin Cartwright, sitting
with his wife before his blazing fire Of
oak wood, fancied that he heard the
faint bleating of sheep outside his
door, and, anxious for his flock. took
his lantern and went out to look for the
poor creature. No sheep was there,
however, but instead, close against the
door jamb, basket lined with wool and
covered with blanket, in which Law a
very young child.
There were footsteps in the snow
which led up to the door, and other
steps which led away from it. Holding
his lantern low, the farmer followed
these until they ceased abruptly beside
the margin of the river, which lay at the
foot Of his land. Lifting his lantern
over his head, the good man shouted
aloud half dozen times: "Hullo p he
cried" Hulo!" but. the deep silence
of the winter night alone answered him.
As he stood listening in vain, shudder
ran through his stout frame.- His i'm
agination pictured young woman,
trembling, unhappy, shame-stricken,
who, having laid her infant at his door,
had sped away toward this dark water
to hide her woes within its bosom.
"Friends here p he shouted again.
"Friends here! Only friendsl' But
again he heard no sound; and, after
searching the banks carefully, he re-
turned to his cottage.
His wife, meanwhile, had taken the
child to the fire and cared for it kindly.
1t was pretty little boy, dressed in
good and comfortable garments, and
fastened about its neck by a cord was
one-half of very peculiar silver clasp
or buckle.
1t seemed evident that the clasp was
intended to be token by which the in.
fant's identity might one day be proven,
and the farmers wife put it away care
fully. Inquiries were made in the neigh
borhood, but they led to no discoveries,
and Cartwrights kept the child, though
they did not deem it wise to adopt him
as their own. He was kindly cared for,
but brought up as servant. He had been
christened Roger, and knew no othe
name.
AS soon as he was old enough he was
put to outdoor work, and, though taught
to read and write, was otherwise on
par with his fellow-laborers. He had
never seen any place more elegant than
the farmhouse parlor, ror any dress
more costly than that his mistress wore
to the church on Sunday; yet his
dreams, which he was fond of telling,
were all Of magnificence and splendor.
Often in his sleep he found himself in
an elegant room, furnished in yellow
satin. There were old portraits on the
walls, and beautiful ornaments every
where. Here he always saw a lady
dressed in black, but wearing diamonds.
who was very beautiful, and who often
wept, and gentleman who wore some
thing on his breast-as he explained to
Mrs. Cartwright, like your best breast
pin, but more sparkling" thus describ-
ing an order, as it seemed. He ap-
peared always to be himself invisible,
and once a man in livery, who had
only one eye, seemed to walk straight
through him without knowing it.
Mrs. Cartwright always believed that
these dreams "meant something" but
her husband laughed at the matter.
"Poor Roger is no nobleman's child, -
he used to say. "No doubt his mother
drowned herself the night she left him
here-poor soul"
So the boys sixteenth birthday came,
and on it he dreamed this dream:
He thought he was in London, and
stood before row of rough stone
houses, which were plainly very old.
Across the front were some raised let
ters, quaint and queer enough to puzzle
him, but be made out the words:
"Lady Arnaytage. Before him was
one Of the low doors with the number
ten 1T, and at 1t stood an old woman
with black silk cap on her head, and a
little black shawl over the shoulders Of
her purple calico gown.
She held something in her hand and
showed it to him. It was a piece Of a
silver buckle.
bring me the other hail." she said,
"and I'll tell you tale will please you. y
Then the lad awoke, determined to go
to London. He was so excited by the
dream that he could scarcely wait until
morning to tell it to his mistress, who,
on hearing it, at once brought out the
silver half buckle that she had kept
ever since he had been left at her door.
and vowed that she would go to London
with him to see whet came of this
strange dream.
Together the woman and boy made
the journey, and, after many inquiries
and much wandering about the strange
city, they learned that there existed in
lis very heart an old-time charity called,
qneerly enough, LADY Armytage's
twenty-four old wives."