The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-03-04

/ l,di idhiHS Vi d Wal III anu caNoiv sup
per:
Nv mother was there and brother
Ben. Ben was Il great Swapping tel.
Low who uld bsat any other boy Of
his age for miles around, if it came to
Wrestling OF boxing, and as good hu,
mored a BOY as ever lived boy al
WAYS to mother and me, though he
mad exercised his right to v"te al
reAdy, in one presidential election
When supper was over and We had
chatted for an hJur, We went upstairs
together The moment Ben's head
touched the pillow he always went Ia
sleep. That night | followed his ex-
ample. But | did not sleep long with
out a dream-a dream in which |
fell rough grip on nv arm, and was
aroused by cry in my ears.
Wake up! You are wanted at the
or .ssrOads.
1T was SO real, so pal pable, that
when | became broad awake | actual
lv believed that some one was I'm the
room; the nan who had intended
robbery or violence. But when |
had arisen, and lit nv lamp, the room
was empty except myself and Ben.
who lay snoring on MS pillow. |
cent to the door; it was locked. |
went to The window, the rush of rain
against the panes was all heard. |
even went across the passage to nv
mothers room She was awake :;
there had been no unusual sound, she
was sure.
Only a dream born of my meeting
the strange man in the road. felt
had awakened me. | went to bed and
fell asleep again. Again | was awak-
ened by the ssme words this time
shrieked In my ear by an unearthly
voice
Wake up. wake up. You are
wanted at the cross r, ads
| was on my feet once more, and
caught Ben's hand as he came over
toward my bed.
What alls you =? he cried.
Nothing, said |. Did you hear a
voice?
Yours, said Ben, yelling woke me
up You fairly frightened me.
Ben. sid |, wait till | light lamp.
| heard another voice. There must
be someone in the house or outside.
s. again | lit the lamp, but we
searched in vain.
Nightmare, said Ben, when | told
him my story.
Ben, said |, what is there at The
cross roads?
A house, said Ben He had lived
in the neig hborhoOd long while, and
| not long.
One little house beside two oak
trees and fence. An Old man lives
there-a rich man and bit of miser
they say. His granddaughter keeps
house for him.
Ben, that fellow may have meant
harm TO them. may be wanted at
the cross roads.
Brother, said Ben, GO to sleep. You
had a nightmare, and Ben plunged in
between the blankets and was snoring
again.
/ also, in ten minutes, slept as
souudly as before, but the awakening
very soon came again.
| opened my eyes to see girl stand
ing at the foot of my bed. A girl
in white robes, with golden hair all
about her shoulders, who wrung her
hands and cried
O, wake up, you are wanted at the
cross roads.
This time | started out of bed bath
ed in :, cold perspiration. | tremb'ed
ike leaf. | had no doubt that |
received supernatural warning.
Ben, ] cried, Ben, for the third
time | have been told that | am want
ed at the cross roads, and am going.
And | began to dress myself as.
speedily as possible, listening toe
while TO the storm raging wilder and
wilder than al any other period since
Its commencement
Ben demonstrated with me in vain.
At last he also began to huddle on
his clothes.
If you have gone mad | must 90
with you and take care of you, ne
said.
But fancy another man going out
in a Storm like this to the crossroads
because nightmare caused him TO do
so, and what would you think of
him?
| said nothing. All could have
answered would have been:
| am compelled to go; must 60.
| dare not refuse, whatever may be
thought of me.
In ten minutes we were Splashinr