The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-11-03
A MYSTERY.

i, Roscoe Anthem, am bookseller.
My friend, Arnold Percy, is II cashier
in bank. Our friendship dates back
to boyhood and will last us long as fe
does. We are not very old; am 30
and he is two years YOUNGER. We are
both well to do in the world. There is
scarcely a scheme for the material adj
vancement of the city in which we live
in Which we have not direct money
interest. We each own n little--not
In which my friend holds a position.
This is our oldest venture and it pays
weH. We each own st ck-more this
time-iV the water-wo' Ks and pump ng
machinery by which the city is supplied
with water. We are quiet and steady
Ill our habits. / have the reputation of
being q good business man--in books;
he--in money.
But most men have enthusiasms out
side of business. We have In fact,
we have two. We room in the same
house, on the same floor and on exactly
opposite sides OF the hall. Ny room i
open to him at any time and his is to
me. But III the interests of electrical
science we have each a telegraph in
strument Of the most costly kind on our
respective tables and line" between
CIR rooms Beside this we have tele-
phonic- communication. A queer freak,
YOU say. So be it. We enjoy it, can
6trd it, aud we have it.
Rare books, old and new, which treat
of either electrical or psychological
Questions find their way to our tables
and are read and discussed.
We amuse ourselves for hours together
with our Instruments. Then we will
meet in the room of one or the other to
read. to smoke, to talk and to-yes, let
me confess it, to write. For we are
each at work on n book Mine is not a
booksellers catalogue. 1t is not guide
to. read or study. / will confess again;
it is n book OH dreams. And Arnold
Percy. who will never write anything
remarkable on finance, is making ii very
readable book on Geographic communi-
cation
We are too good friends TO be selfish.
Arnold will talk an entire evening on
what Iieases me best. He records his
dreams for me and helps explain them.
dreams. We are both too sound sleep
.eEs GO dream much. !, on the other
hand help him in every way in my
power.
Ia the preface of my book there are
two fundamental statements which /
will copy here They are as follows:
at may help in our study of dreams
to assert they are the result of definite,
eyen if not understood. causes, and the
study of dream should include the
study Of the day before the night dur
ing which the dream occurs.
As il Is difficult TO tell just when
sleep land consequently dreaming) be-
gins and ends, we should study all
events which are closely connected with
a dream in the light of the science OF
dreams"
will commence then with the morn
iog OF certain day and relate, in con-
siderable detail, some of the events of
Mat day Arnold had told me the
might before that he should rise early
TO write-a few pages iii his book. We
bud retired late, and had left our DO RS
open in order to get more air during
6he hot night than was otherwise pcssi-
bic.
opened my eyes just before day
light. In the room objects which were
lighted from the window alone were in
ofscGrity. But flood OF ga1light
poui ed in at my open door from the
room iii which my friend was hard at
work. in
up with the birds, aren't you?" sid
4. And certainly the birds were sing
ing III pleasant manner outside.
SHold ON. I want to try an expert
mept. Look toward the door,"
"Ali right" ado
From my place in bed I could not see
into ArnoId's room, but as looked the
decrease i'll brightness showed me that
he had turned his gas almost but not
quite out. He turned it on again, then
Mmost out and so on sometimes slowly,
sometimes quickly, the light won d be
eKtinguished. | saw in moment, al
though the idea was new one TO me !;
calling slow cutting off of the gas q
dash, and quick one dot, my friend
was saying to me: "Good morning, my
dear friend Roscoe
answered him by series of raps on
t31e wall. He went on with lis writing.
I rose and dressed
L don't remember much about break
fast, but after breakfast we walked down
TO Hle new pumping works. We eX-
anincd the system quite thoroughly,
learned how sire pressure"-that Is,
s,e pressure when the hydrants are