The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-01

Il am not aware, replied l, pompously, that
/ am answerable to my children for my gongs-
1 out and comings-in;" then, sinking into less
majestic tone, Il have no objection to telling you
where 1 am going" This was not quite true
Il am going to call on Mrs. Smith,"
| Mrs Smith"
'Mrs. Smith,"
| What Mrs. Smith," in three different keys of
| disappearing astonishment.
| Mrs. Smith of Longmains."
| why, you do not know her."
| why, it is twelve miles off,
'Why, daddy and Mr.. Smith are not on speak
| ing terms
Il beg your pardon" replied /, gaining in firm
ness as perceived the weight of opposition
brought to bear upon me. II do know Mrs.
Smith. have no dislike to a long drive, and if
| the men of two families come to loegerheads it is
| the more reason why the women should try to
| keep the peace"
| The girls CAPPED at me.
But why to-day. in heavens names"
| why not today"
| 1t seemed as if the butler had taken
upon himself to answer my question for he had
again entered the room and speaking.
| IF you please, the coachman is very sorry, but
the roads are like hice and he has not had the
| horses roughed."
| hesitated
THAT settles the question:" cried my eldest
| girl, triumphanty
docs it!" said /, tonic-ed back into nstantane-
| Gus decision
Let him send for the blacksmith at once to
| rough the carriage horses as quickly as he can.
must have the brougham as soon as it can be
| got ready, whatever the weather"
| Servants never look surprised, and the girls
were too angry with me, and | suppose thought
me too greata fool to be worth spending any
| more breath upon so l had no further remon-
STRANGE from them to battle with.
| 1t was past o'clock, instead of 2, before
started but did set off at last; got my way!
| SCENE II.
got my way, always pleasant thing to do.
| But think in this the pleasantness INSOFAR
able from making ones will override the wills of
other people was reduced as low as it well could
De- was setting off on winter afternoon
with rising wind, falling barometer, and Trick
enlng snow upon a twelve miles drive along a
| rutty road, to visit woman whom-despite the
stoutness OF my assertions to the contrary to my
chlldren-l scarcely knew; against whose hus-
| band mine had rooted prejudice. and for bring
| ing her into more intimate relations
with whom | was we'll aware that he would be
| less than moderately grateful to me. Why
| then. was doing it? This is the question that
| am ABOUT to answer; and when it is answered
| you will probably think me an even greater fool
than did my girls, who were ignorant that | had
any reasons beyond native pig medicines.
lt would be putting the amount of thought
| that was apt to devote to Mrs. Smith far too
| high to say that thought of her cnce a year
| She had certainly never crossed my mind OH the
| previous day. Why, then, was it that no sooner
was asleep last night than l was with her? 1t
l.,
| all my waking hours. had been occupied with nv
| husband, his plans, his departure his absence
| his return, should, if dreamed at ALL have
| dreamed of him. He never once crossed my
! brain. l had other absorbing subjects of inter
| est, an attachment of Sues, that disapproved
Of and over which worried head and heart
through many an anxious hour; a budding taste
for play in my eldest boy; debts of his to be hid
| den from his father; wearing fear lest my ex-
celient younger should break down under
| the strain of his examination for the Indian
civil service.
| Yes, had choice of nightmares in my stable
row OF skeletons in my closet, any of
which would, might think have furnished
| the stuff for my sleeping thoughts as they did
increasingly for my waking ones. Not at all. /
| passed them all by, to dream wholly connect
| eddy, and with an astonishing vividness of Mrs
| Smith.
| was with her in a room-a room had never
to my knowledge, been in before presumably at
Longmains, whose doors had never entered. 1t.
was room simply. No feature of it impressed
itself with any distinctnesS on nv memory as |
have heard has often been the case in other
vivid dreams On reflection was not sure that
should know it again OF one only fact in con-
nectlon with itewas quite certain and that was
that as we sat together at the fire. the door, the
! only door the room possessed, was on our left
hand.
We were sitting as I say, together, by the
| IRE. There was clock on the mantel-piece,
| what kind of clock it was, was dim to me; but
| L
| tick. Mrs. Smith was sitting opposite to me-
| her back towards the door, facing which
was. could her features as
| plainly 1 had done Sues when she knet
| beside me at luncheon, asking why I was
80 mysterious l could not have believed that
knew Mrs. Smiths face we'll; her unmportant
| nose, her slightly indicated eyes, lustreless hair
| and characteress figure. But out of some lum-
ber-room of memory they must have started,
| conJured up by the strong spells of sleep. 1t
| was perfectly connected. rational dream.
was l. and she was Mrs. Smith. She was not
half Mrs. Smith, and half somebody else She
did not suddenly, and without exciting any sur
| prise In my mind-so eccentric are the laws of
observation-disclosures metamorphosed into another
person. She was, and continued to be, Mrs
| Smith, of Longmains
The one thing that clashed with probability
was the fact of my being sitting tete a-tete with
| Mrs. Smith, in any room late at night, for some
how knew that it was late at night. do not
remember looking at the clock, but was by
some means aware that such was the case. We
| were both working, and one of us had said some
thing about its being IL o'clock. This was fol
| lowed by Mrs. Smith making an observation
which l had forgotten. l was sure that had
| heard it perfectly at the time for immediately
on waking had recalled it, but afterward it had
escaped me, and, make what efforts I might
was unable to recapture it. After all, it was of
no great consequence whether l remembered it
| or not.
| What did remember, with startling distinct
ness, was that no sooner had she ceased speak
| ing than there came knock at the door, re-
mem ered thinking that it an odd time of
| night for any one to knock at the door, but Mrs.
| Smith showed no surprise. She said, phegmat-
| ically, Come in," and the door opened at once,
and in walked the butler For some strange
dream reason, l coald not see his face 1t was all
mist and blur to me. On waking l felt sure that
should not be able to recognize him again. was
only conscious that he was young man. He had
a coal box in his hand, and the next thing of
which l aware about him was that he was
| kneeling at the hearth, making up the fire.
Again it struck me that it an odd time to
choose to make up the fire. I had, as tell you.
| for some reasonless reason. not seen bis face
| though it must have been turned towards me- as
he entered the room; but as he knelt at the fire,
| | saw his back; saw it SO clearly that felt that
STOPPING in the same attitude over the fame