Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-08-04
An old DREAM STORY.

One snowy winter night an English
farmer, named Robin Cartwright, sit
ting with his wife before his blazing
fire of oak wood, fancied that he heard
the faint bleating of a 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 jam, basket lined with wool and
covered with blanket, in which lay o
very young child.
There were footsteps in the snow
which led mp 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 ofhis land Lifting the lantern
over his head, the good man shouted
aloud half q dozen times: "Hullow
he cried-"Hullo" but the deep silence
of the winter night alone answered him.
AS he stood listening in vain, q shudder
ran through his stout frame. His mag
nation pictured young woman, trem-
bling, unhappy, shame stricken, who,
having laid her infant at his door, had
sped away toward this dark water to
hide her woes within it's bosom.
"Friends herew he shouted again.
Friends here. Only friends" But again
he heard no sound and, after search
ing the banks carefully he returned to
his cottage.
His wife meanwhile, had taken the
child to the fire and cared for it kindly.
1t was a pretty little boy, dressed Ii
good comfortable garments, and fasten-
ed about it's neck by cord was one-half
of a very peculiar silver clasp or buckle.
1t seemed evident that the clasp was
intended to be token by which the
infants identity might one day be prov
en-, and the farmers wife put it away
carefully. Inquiries were made in the
neighborhood, but they led to no dis
coveries, and Cartwright 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 a
servant. He had been christened Roger,
and knew no other name.
As soon as he was old enough he was
put to outdoor work, and, though
taught to read and write, was otherwise
on a par with his ellow-labOrers. He
had.never seen any place more elegant
than the farmhouse parlor, nor 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 magniticence and splendor.
Often he found himself in an elegant
room furnished in yellow satin. There
were old portraits on the walls, and
beautiful ornaments everywhere. Here
he saw lady dressed in black, but
wearing diamonds, who was very beau
tiful, and who often wept, and a gentle
man who wore something on his breast
as he explained to Mrs. Cartwright,
"like your best breastpin, but more
sparkling" thus describing an order, as
it seemed. He appeared always to be
himself invisible, and once man in q
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,