Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-05
Il DREAM.
Ind It's Strange Realization.

| Ind It's Strange Realization.
On a cold December night some
twenty years ago, when the earth was
bound in a black frost and the bitter
winds blew strong and shrewdly, I
was returning home from spending the
evening at a friends house situated
some three or four miles out of town.
The sky was so black, the country lanes
so dark, that I was truly thankful when
the scattered lights of an outlying sub
urb began to twinkle in the distance,
and it was with sigh of relief that I
stopped under the first lamp-poSt I
came to and looked at my watch. It
was no easy task, for the wind blew the
gas in all directions and almost extin-
guished it.
I read the time at last-three min
utes to 12-and, looking up from my
watch-face, Istarted to see man stand
ing close opposite me. I heard moth
ing of his approach. We looked at
each other but for moment, yet it was
time sufficient to imprint his features in
delibly on my memory. A tall, shabby
man, in threadbare, black frock coat
and a seedy tall hat, his face lantern
jawed and sallow, his eyes sunken and
lusterless, his beard long and ILL
trimmed. In a tone of elaborate civil
ty he asked me the time, thanked me for
my answer, and, giving me good night,
passed into the black darkness which
seemed to ingulf him like grave.
1 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 rejecting that the strong wind had
blown away the sound of his approach.
I thought of him as [ sat and smoked
my pipe over my fire, and felt comfort
able shudder steal upon me as I mag
med him facing the bitter blast in his
insufficient clothing.
In the course of a week or two the in
cident- trifing enough, Heaven knows
faded from my memory, and I
thought no more of it.
In those days was actively engaged
in the timber trade, and the course of
my business took me good deal about
the country, and brought me largely in
contact with the agents of the different
noblemen and country gentlemen of the
district With one of these agents, who
resided near the country town of L., I
had numerous transactions, and I used
often to run down to L. to meet him,
for the town was only fifteen miles
away, and was on line of railroad. It
was dull little hole enough, that only
warmed up into life when the militia
were out or the assizes were on.
One night returned from L., having
just made large purchase from my
friend the agent, whose master, a sport
ing nobleman, was 3educed to cut down
the family timber. When I fell asleep
that night I had very simple, but
vivid dream. I thought I was standing
on a lofty hill. By my side stood a
yelled figure, who, with commanding
gesture, motioned me toward the town
of L., which lay in the far distance.
! Then I awoke.
OF course, I explained the image
to myself easily enough. had been q
good deal engaged in the neighborhood
of the place, and had large venture
more or less remotely competed with
it. Still the dream was so vivid that I
could not dismiss it from ny thoughts
the whole Of the day, and when went
to bed at night I wondered if It would
again visit me.
I did come again; precisely the same
| dream, in precisely the same manner
| Once more found a convincing e1pla-
nation Doubtless [ had been thinking
too much about the first dream, and
this had given rise to the second. But
my explanation did not convince me in
the least; again [ was haunted by the
thing throughout the day, and when I
came home at night my preoccupation
was so evident that it attracted the at
tention of my wife. She questioned
me upon the cause, and, only too thank
| full 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 evil
IDENTIFY little impressed by the nara
tive.
The third night it came again, if any
thing. more vivid and startling than be-