News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-05-08
THREE MINUTES TO TWELVE

S----NA SE4 the SAND.
NANCY A. W. PRIEST.
THREE MINUTES TO TWELVE
On a cold December night some
twenty years ago, when the earth was
bound in a black frost and the bitter
wind blew strong and shrewdly, I was
returning home from spending the even
Ing at a friends house. situated some
three or four miles out of the town.
the sS,y was so black, the country lanes
were so dark, that was truly thankful
when the scattered lights of an outlying
sirUufU began to twinkle ia the distance;
and it was with a sigh of relief that /
stopped under the first lamp-pos I
came to and looked at my watch. 1t
was no easy task, for the lamp-glass had
pane broken and the strong wind blew
the gas in all directions and almost ex-
tinguished it.
Tread the time at last-three minutes
to twelve-and, looking up from my
watch-face, l started to see man stand
ing close opposite me. ] had heard
nothing of his approach. We looked at
each other but for a moment, yet it was
time sufficient to imprint his features
indeilbly on my memory. A tall,
shabby man, in a threadbare, black
frock coat and a seedy tall hat, his face
Iantern-iawed and sallow, his eyes
and ilI-trimmed. In tone of elaborate
eivihty he asked me the time, thanked
me for the answer, and, giving me good
night, passed into the black darkpess
which seemed to engulf him like a
grave.
turned for a moment to think of his
lonely walk in that grim obscurity. and
resume 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.
thought of him as 1 sat and smoked
my pipe over my fire, and felt comfort
able shudder steal upon me as imag-
med him facing the bitter blast in his
insufficient clothing.
In the course of week or two the
incident-triaing, enough heaven knows
faded from my memory and l thought |
no more of it.
In those days 1 was actively engaged |
In the timber trade, and the course of
my business took me good deal about
the county and brought me largely in
contact with the agents of the different
noblemen and countrymen of the dis
trlct. With one of these agents, who
resides in the county town of L,
had numerous transactions and I used
often TO run down to L TO meet him, ,
for the town was only fifteen miles away ,
and on line of railway. 1t was dull
little hole enough, that only warmed up
when the militia were out or the assizes
were on.
One night I returned from L,
having Just made large purchase from
my friend the agent, whose master,
sporting nobleman, was induced to cut
down the family timber. When / fell
asleep that night I had a very simple
but vivid dream. 1 thought was stand
ing on a lofty hill. By my side stood a
a yelled figure who, with commanding
gesture, motioned me toward the town
of L, which lay in the far distance
Then / awoke.
OF course explained the thing to my
self easily enough. had been good
deal engaged in the neighborhood of the
place and had large venture more or
less remotely connected with it Still |
the dream was so vivid that l could not
dismiss it from my thou ghts during the
whole day, and when I went to bed at
night wondered if it would again visit
me.
1t did come again; precisely the same
dream in precisely the same manner.
Once more found convincing expla-
nation. Doubtless 1 had been thi hiking
too much about the first dream, and this /
had given rise to the second. But nv
explanation did not convince me in the |
least; again was haunted by the thing
throughout the day, and when L 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 glad to unbosom
myself of what was now almost trouble,
I told her about the dream and its repe-
tition. She had the tact not to laugh /
at me, but was evidently little impressed
by the narrative.
The third night it came again, if any
thing more vividIy and startling than be-
fore. This time was utterly unhinged;
the pale face that fronted me in the look
ing-glass was hardly recognizable for my
own. / went down to breakfast filed
with forebodiEg 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
letter ON which was the l. postmark.
f'That breaks your dream, John"
Iopened it hurriedly. 1t was from
the agent, requesting me- to meet him at |
l. that day at 1 o'clock, to arrange
difficulty that had arisen in the per-
formance of his contract.
I was intensely relieved. Here was
an opportunity to go to l., and per-
haps the very fact of going would put
me right. There were two fast trains to
L in the morning, but decided to
go by the first, regardless of the fact
that should have some hours to wait.
So found myself shortly in frst-class
compartment, speeding away toward
my destination.
The carriage was full. Pipes exhaled
their fragrance, newspapers were turned
and flattened and there was that leisure
Iy kind of morning conversation that
prevails among men going off by an
early train to their days work. I soon
discovered that had fallen amongst a
party of barristers and their chief topic
was peculiarly interesting case which
was to be finished to-day at the l.
assiZes.
"He must SUM up against the prison
err" sad a gentleman with a fat, forid
face and long sandy whiskers, who wore
a light overcoat and shepherds plaid
trousers. "Tbe defense was a complete
failure aud deserved to be-