The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-09-09
LILLIAN'S DREAMS.

was sixtoon. Not a very wise OIL
reverend ~, Sscerlainly; not IN age ut
which one is liable to be looked upon
rs M oracle (by the members Of ones
own family in neutrality-suspicious., in
decd. an a@e at which one is pretty
well used to being snubbed. more es-
pccially when n makes an attempt ut
being more than usually brilliant. -
That was the manner in which Il
folks treated my flights of genius ut
sixteen. anyway. and l had got SO phil
osophical that l really never thought
of minding it.
So when | announced at tho break
fast-table n morning that had had q
peculiarly vivid dream, it did not SUR
prise or offend me that nobody seemed
TO care or offered TO yield me v a
polite show of civil attention. Such
gentle amenities of life wOuld appear
too precious Ia be wasted on ''clits of
sixteen in the bosom of their own fam
lilies.
1T wasn't anything wonderful as q
dream" ! said; ''but it was SO clear.
and | recollect it SO vividly-just like a
little scene or u picture. There was
you, Nina dear" Il addressed my in
valid and elder sister, whose atrociOus
name Of Jemima we had softcned and
shortened into this pretty ~diminutive)
There was you, lying on your couch
and on your pillows, aud beside you
was papa, who had Just come in from
n journey. and who held a lOcket in
his hand. He tried to put it round your
neck. but you pushed it away. Il shall
never live 10 wear it, said you, so sad
ly; and then ! woke. 1t was a dark
blue enamel locket with a gold"
with II gold anchor on the back!'
cried poor Nina. bursting into u pas
sion of tears. "'The lOckct l gave to
| poor Walter before he went away! Oh,
Lillianr' And then they all over
whelmed me with reprOaches; all but
| Nina. who presently managed to say:
Don't blame her. She didn't know of
the lockct; none of you knew of it, or
ever saw it, and it is very. very strange
| that she should have seen it in a dream.
and see papa restore il TO me! All,
Lillian, as well look for my dear. dead
lover himself! He wore the lockct
next his heart, my dear, and l know it
lies on his dead bosom now. in the
depths Of the cruel seal"
And then papa Opined aloud and
despairingly that l was "a hopeless
IDIOT" and mother, soothing poor
Nina, and casting reprOachful looks
ut me. hoped l was satisfied with my
work." and only two sources of consO-
laiion were left open to me-first, that
| Nina drew me to her breast and kissed
my tears away, and, secondly, that at
that very minute the mail arrived. and
distracted our parents attention.
One letter seemed to disturb both
papa and our mother very much, and l
noticed, though Nina did not. that
they east anxious chances in Il direc.
ton while reading it. At last, after 3
long whispered consultation. papa an
nOunced that he was suddenly sum-
mOned to Liverpool.
/ couldn't keep back a loud cry OF
surprise. l was only sixteen, and ac-
cording TO my W father n hopeless
idiot, and what did l know about dis
cretionp There was u journey for
| papa in my dream" | cricd. "And he
brought the locket back. How do w0
know but he will bring back news
/ said no more. Papa arose, with
something terribly like an oath upon
his lips. and mother. Selling me by the
| shoulders, hustled me out of the room.
She acknowledged to me afterwards,
however, that the letter had brought
later news from the scene of the wreck
the cruel shipwrecK in which Mima's
life had gone down with her lover.
| Three weeks ago the dreadful disaster
had happened. and my sister had been
very near to death since then, and
could not. even yet, be said to be out
of all danger.
Our home w-s a very lonely country
house, standing on the side of q hill.
surrounded by thick woods, and fully
five miles distant from the village. An
old-fashiOncd. rambling place. built for
some eccentric rich mans within OF SOL
itude. and having a Dell-tower, with q
huge rusty bell in it, by means OF
which we could have summoned help
chad the need arisen) from miles away.
So, ut least. papa said. TO me-lOOk-
ing up at the red-brOwn old bell, hang
ing voiceless and mOtiOnless in its
Opcn-sided house-it seemed difficult
to believe that the thing had a tongue
ut all. or that its clamOr could arouse
the countryside, ut u minutes notice,
after having hung there, rusting silent
ly. for so many years.
Our family was not a large One.-
There were my father and mother. Jo-
NINA and myself. and three women
servants, within doors, and the garden-
CIR and his son "a cross old mai and q
surly young one) working outside the
house, and sleeping over the STABLE
Being newly come to the place. and
not knowing the lnighbors-if, indeed,
you could call people neighbors who
live three or four miles away-wo found
our summer residence lonely enough.
It had been mothers intention to make
it pleasant and lively by entertaining a
lot of old city friends. but the wreck OF
the Girls" and poor Mima's illness and
grief for tho loss of her lover, had made
that impossible.
So we were lonely enough, and moth
er was almost rs uneasy as myself al the
idea of being left "withont a man in
the house." by papa's sudden call Ia
town; the worst of it was that he was
certain to be absent for two nights, al
least, and we knew little of tho gard
encr and his son, and liked them eve
less.
by papa's advice we said nothing tc
the servants as to how long he would
be away or where he was going, and
he, taking a small bag. started on foo!
for the high road, where he could find
a conveyance to the station. 1t would
have been easier and pleasanter fol
him to have ridden into the village,
but TO do that Jake would have had to
saddle tho horse for him, and would
necessarily have known of his depar'
ture.
We flattcred ourselves that. by the
present arrangement, the " men-ser'
wants would never miss him from the
house.
The night passed peacefully and
quietly enough. I am competent to
make the statement, for / don't think
closed my eyes. or lost my conscious
ness in sleep. from midnight until long
after morning dawned; a fear-a ner.
vous dread-an indefnable sense o.
daroor thraataninU-kept me alert apC