The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-09-24
LILLIAN'S DREAMS

I
| was sixteen. Not very wise or reverend
age, certainly; not an age at which one is II
able to be looked upon rs an oracle lby the
members Of ones family in partlcular)-rath
er, indeed an age at which one is pretty well
used to being snubbcd, more especially when
one makes an attempt AT being more than usu
ally brilliant That WAS the manner IN which
our folks treated my flights OF genus at six
teen. anyway, and had got so philosophical
that really never thought OF minding it.
So when | ANNOUNCED at the breakfast table
one morning that had had "A peculiarly vivid
dream, 1t did not surprise or offend me that
nobody seemed to care or offered to yield me
even polite show Of civil attention. Such
gentle amenities Of life would appear 100 prec.
ous to be wasted On "chis Of sixteen" in the
bosoms of their own families
at wasn't anything wonderful us dream"
| said; but 1t was so clear, | recOllect it 80
vlvidly-just like Little scene or picture.
There was yoa, Nina, dear q addressed my
invalid and elder sister, VIII ,sc atr0ciOus name
OF Jemima we had sUfened and shortened in.
to this pretty dlminutive), there was you lying
on your couch and on your pillows, and be.
side you was papa, who had just come IN from
u journey. and who held lUckct in his hand
Tic tried To put 1t round your neck, but you
pushed 1t away. Ishall never live to wear il, :
said you SO suddenly; and then | woke. 1t
was pretty dark blue enamel lockct with u
gold"
with gold anchor on the bqck! cried
poor Mira, bursting into passion Of tears
THE locket gave to poor Walter before he
went away Oh, Llllian!"
And then they all overwhelmed we with re-
hpa al uh tIy N
aged to say: Don't blame her She didn't
know of the lockot; none of you knew Of It,
or ever saw it, and it is very, vere strange that
she should have seen 1t in u dreari, and see
papa restore 1t to me. All, Lillian, Is well
look for my dear, dead lover himself He
wore the lockct next his heart, my uua-, sud
know 10 lies on his dead bosom now, IL the
depths Of the cruel sea"
Aud then papa oplned aloud and despairng
ly that | WAS II hopeless IDIOT" and mother,
soothing poor Nina, and casting rcprOachlul
looks at me, hoped was Satisfied with my
work. and only two sources of consolation
were left open TO mc--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 atten.
tiun.
One letter seemed to disturb both papa and
our mother very much, and noticed, though
Nina did not that they cast ANXIOUS glances
in our direction while reading 1t. At last, af.
ter long whispered consultation, papa an.
nounced that he was suddenly summoned to
Liverpool.
Icouldn't keep back loud cry of surprise
| was only sixteen, aud according to my own
father hopeless idiot, and what did | know
about discrellon7
There was journey for papa In my
dream!" cried, And he brought the locket
back. How do We know but he will bring
back news"
said no more. Papa arose with something
terribly like an oath upon his lips, and moth.
er, selling me 10y the shoulders, hustled me
Dui OF the room. She acknowledged to me at. |
forwards, however, that the letter had brought
later news from the scene OF the wreck-the |
cruel shipwreck in which Mimas 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,
ini could not even YET be SAID to be out of all |
LANCER.
Our home was very lonely country house,
standing ON the side of a hill, surrounded by |
hlck woods and fully five miles distant from
he village. An old-iashoned rambling place,
quilt for some eccentric rich mans whim of
u
usty bell in It, by means of which lie could
AVE summoned help, had the need arisen
rom miles away. SO at least papa said. To
ne-looking up at the red-brown old bell,
hanging volCecss and mOtOnless in its open
lded h0use--it seemed difficult to believe
hat the thing had tongue ut all. or that its
lamor could arouse the countryside, at a
minutes notice, after having hung there, rust
NJ silently for so many years.
Our ffmily was not large one There
we're my father aud mother, Jemima and my
ef, aud three women servants, within doors,
nd the gardener and his son "a cross old man
nd surly young one working outside the
ouse and sleeping over the stable. Being
ewly come to the place, and not knowing the
eighbors-it indeed you could call people
elghb0rs who live three or four miles away
we found our summer residence lonely ,
nough. 1t had been mothers intention to
lake it pleasant and lively by entertaining n
1t Of old city friends, but the wreck of the
Iris" aud poor Mima's illness and grief for
nc loss of her lover, had made that impossi.
lie.
80 we were lonely enough, and mother was
lmost as uneasy as myself at the idea of being ,
III without a man in the house." by papas ,
hidden call 10 town; the worst Of II was that
@ was certain 10 be absent for two nights, at ,
last, and We knew little OF the gardener and
Is son, and liked them even less. Il
BY papa's advice VIC said nothing TO the ser.
ants as 10 how long he would be away or
here he was going, and he, taking a small
az, started on foot for the high road, where
Q could find conveyance TO the station. Ii
ould hare been easier and pleasanter tor
i'm 10 have ridden into the village, but TO dol