Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-05-18
THREE MINUTES TO TWELVE.

THREE MINUTES TO TWELVE.
On cold December night, some twenty
years ago, when the earth was bound in q
black frost and the bitter wind blew strong
and shrilly, l was returning home from
spending an evening at friends house
situated some three or four miles out OF
town. The sky was so black. the country
lanes were so dark, that I was truly
thankful when the scattered lights of an
outlying suburb began to twinkle in the
distance, and it was with sigh of relief
that stopped under the first lamp-post I
came to and looked at my watch. It was
no easy task, for the lamp glass had pane
broken and the strong wind blew the gas
| in all directions and almost extinguished
| it.
| read the time at last-three minutes
to 12-and, looking up from the watch
face, started to see man standing close
opposite me. had heard nothing of his
appros Oh. We looked at each other but
for moment, yet it was sufficient time to
imprint his features lndelibly on my men,
DRY. A tall, shabby man, in threadbare,
black frock coat and seedy tall hat, his
face lantern-jawed and sallow, his eyes
sunken and lusterless, his beard long and
ill-trimmed. In tone of elaborate civil
ity he asked me the time, thanked me for
my answer, and giving me goodnight,
info No hi. al dor xyI,,
seemed to engulf him like grave.
] turned for moment to think of his
lonely walk in that grim Obscurity and
resumed my homeward way. laughing at
myself for the start he had given me, and
rejected that the strong wind had blown
away the sound of his approach. thought
of him as sat and smoked my pipe over
my fire, and felt comfortable shudder
steal upon me as I imagined him facing
the bitter blast in his insufficient cloth
| ing.
In the course of week or two, the Incl
| dent-trifling enough, Heaven knows
faded from my memory, and thought no
more of it.
In those days was actively engaged in
| the timber trade, and the course of my
business took me great deal about the
country, and brought me largely in con-
| tact with the agents of the different noble
men and country gen ;lemen of the district.
| With one of these agents, who resided
near the country town of L I had numer-
GUS transactions. and I used often to run
down to L. to meet him, for the town was
only fifteen miles away, and was on rail-
road. 1t was dull little hole enough
that only warmed up into life when the
militia were out or the assizss were on.
One night l returned from L., having
just made large purchase from my friend
the agent, whose master, sporting noble
man, was reduced to cut down tile family
timber. When fell asleep that night. l
had very simple but vivid dream.
thought was standing on a lofty hill. BY
my side stood yelled figure, who, with a
commanding gesture, motloned me to.
ward the town of L., which lay in the faI
distance. Theh awoke.
Of course, explained the thing to my.
self easily enough. 1 had been good deal
engaged in the neighborhood of the place
and had large venture more or less re.
motely connected with it. Still the dream
was so vivid that could not at once dis.
miss it from my thoughts during the whole
of the day, and when I went to bed at
night wondered if it would again visit
nae.
1t did come again: precisely the same
dream, in precisely the same manner.
Once more found convincing eyplana-
ton. Doubtless had been thinking too
much about the first dream, and this had
given rise to the second. But my explain
alton did not convince me in the least +;
again I was haunted by the thing through
out the day, and when came home at
night my preoccupation was so evident
that it attracted the attention of my wife,
She questioned me upon the cause, and,
only too thankful to unbosom myself of
what was now almost trouble, told
her about the dream and its repetition.
She had the tact not to laugh at me, but
was evidently little impressed by the mar
rative.
The third night it came again, if any.
thing, more vivid and startling than be-
fore. This time was utterly unhinge
the pale face chat confronted me in the look
ing-glass was hardly recognizable for my
own. went down to breakfast, filled
with foreboding of some misfortune
bad news in my letters-I knew not what.
The maid entered with the letter bag.
''There,'' said my wife. passing me a
letter on which was post-mark. "That
breaks your dream, john"
I opened it hurriedly. 1t was from the
agent, requesting me to meet him at L..
that day at O'Clock to arrange diff
Guilty that had arisen in the performance
Of his contract.
1 was intensely relieved. Here was an
opportunity to 60 to L and perhaps the
very fact of going would put me right.
There we're TWO fast trains for L. in the
morning, but decided to 60 by the first,