The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-02-17
THREE MINUTES TO TWELVE.

THREE MINUTES To TWELVE,
On a cold December night some twenty
years ago, when the earth was bound IL
a black frost, and the bitter wind blew
strong and shrewdly, L was returning
home from spending the evening at Q
friends house, situated some three OF
four miles out of town. The sky was sc
black, the country lanes were so dark
that / was truly thankful when the scat
tered lights OF an outlying suburb began
to twinkle IL the distance, and it was
with a sigh Of relief that L stepped un.
der the first lamp post [ came to and
looked at my watch. 1t was no easy
task, FOR the lamp glass had a pane
broken ana the strong wind blew the
gas in all directions and almost extin-
gulshed it.
| read the time at last-three minutes
to 12-aud, looking up from the watch
face, ] started to see a man standing
close opposite me. L had heard nothing
Of his approach. We looked at each
other but tor moment, yet it was saffi-
Gent time to imprint his features indel.
IDLY on my memory. A tail, shabby
man, IN a threadbare, black frock coat
and seedy, tall hat, his face lantern.
lawed and sallow, his eyes sunken and
lusterless, his beard long and i'll.
trimmed. In a tone OF elaborate civillty
he asked NE the time, thanked me foI
my answer, and giving me goodnight,
passed into the black darkness, which
seemed to engult hun like grave.
L turned for a moment to think OF his
lonesome walk in that dim obscurity.
and resumed my homeward way, laugh,
ing at myself for the start be had given
me, and reflected that the strong wind
had blown away the sound OF his APP.
proacb. ] Thought of him as | sat and
smoked my p pc over my fire, and felt 3
comfortable shudder steal upon me as ]
imagined him facing the bitter blast i'll
his insufficient clothing.
In the course of q week or two the in.
cldent-trltilng enough, heaven knows
faded from my memory, and / thought
no more of it.
In those days l was actively engaged
III the timber trade, and the course OF
my business took me q good deal about
the country, and brought me largely IN
contact with the agents OF the different
noblemen aud country gentlemen of the
district. With one of these agents, who
resided near the country town ci L., |
had numerous transactions, and | used
often to run down TO L. 10 meet him, fot
the town Was only fifteen miles away,
and was on . line OF railroad. 1t was a
dull little hole enough, that only warmed
up into life when the militia were out OF
the assIZes were on.
One night | returned from L., having
just made a large purchase from nay
friend the agent, whose master, q sport
ing nObleman, was reduced to cut down
the family timber. When [ fell aslee,
that night | had very simple but vivic
dream. | thought I was standing Cd {
lofty hill. By my side stood veileo
figure, vino, with commanding gesture
mohoned me toward the town Of l..
which lay in the far distance. Then
awoke.
OF course, [ explained the thing t.
myself easily enough. / had been
good deal engaged in the neIghborhoot
of the place, and had n large venture
more or less remotely connected with it
Still the dream was so vivid that | coul,
not dismiss it from my thoughts durin.
the whole OF the day, and when 1 wen
10 bed at night | wondered if it woult
again visit me.
1t did come again: precisely the same
dream, IN precisely the same manner
Once more / found a convincing ex
PLANTATION. Doubtless | had beeu think
ing too much about the first dream, anC
tins had given rise to the second. Blu
my explanation did not convince me il
the least. Again i was haunted by tn,
thing throughout the day, and when
came home at night my pTeoccupatlol
was so evident that ii attracted the at
tention of my wife. She questioned N,
upon the cause, and. only too Thankful
to unbosom myself OF what was now nj
most a trouble. [ told her about the
dream and its repetition. She had tn,
tact not to laugh at me, bur was evi
IDENTIFY little impressed by the nara
hive.
The third night it came again, If any
thing more vivid and startling than be
fore. This time was utterly unhinged
the pale face that fronted me in the look
lng-glass was hardly recognizable fol
my own. | went down to breakfast
filled with foreboding of some misfor-
tune-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 the L. post1nark.
That breaks your dream, John.
opened it hurriedly. 1t was from
the agent, requesting me to meet him at
L. that day at l o'clock to arrange q
difficulty that had arisen IN The perform
ance of his contract.
| was intensely relieved. Here was an
opportunity to go to L., and perhaps
the very fact of going would put me
right. There were two fast trains to
L., In the morning, but l decided to
go by the first, regardless of the fact
that L should have some hours to wait.
30 found myself speeding away to-
ward my destination.
The train was full Pipes exhaled
their fragrance. Newspapers were
turned and tiattened, and there was that
lelsurely kind of morning conversation
that prevails among men going off by an
early train to their days work. [ soon
discovered that l had fallen among a
party OF barristers, and their chief topic
was a peculiarly interesting case which
was to be finished to-day at the l.. as
sizes.
He must sum up against the pris-
oners, SAID a gentleman with a fat.
Hond face and long sandy whiskers who
wore light oYercoat and shepherds
plaid trousers. The defense was
complete failure and deserved to be"
/" 1t was certainly rather audacious,"
returned elean-shaven young man with