, 1885-12-02
Il SHADOW Of DEATH.
Warning Dream Of tho nuner's wifs-A
White Horse and His Rider.

hfatAo aatA'' eao go" $500
Ist. Louis Globe Democrat
Twas q boy at the time, living at my
fathers home in Ohio. We were Just.
eating breakfast one morning, when our
nearest reighbor, the miller's wife,
came in. She was pale and excited.
and to our great astonisnment she at
once told us that her husband would be
drowned that afternoon. She said
''Only last night | dreamed that my
husband was drowned in the mill-race,
and that a man, riding a white horse,
had come about dusk and told me the
news. SO impressed was with the
dream that l warned my husband not
to go near the mill to-day. and told him
my dream, but he only laughed at my
fears. and said that we no longer lived
in the dark ages" We thought at first
That she must be crazy, but at last she
so far convinced the folks that they con-
sented TO have me stay with her during
the day, and | accompanied her to her
home, she muttering all the way, Il
warned him, but he only laughed at Inc.
! know he will never return home
As evening came on her anxiety in
creased. The approaching darkness
seemed to her the shadow OF death, AMI
her face grew paler as the last sun
tinted cloud in the west gave way to the
all ruling twilight. Although ! put no
faith In the woman's predictions, yet
her strange murmuIings had had an
effect upon me, and it was with some
thing almost like disappointment that I
saw the night close in and no messenger
appear. For you must remember that
was young then. and fond of
the exciting and marvellous, without
stopping to inquire the cause And so
it was with n sudden shock hat ! again
looked out of the window, more care
fully this time, and saw a white horse
come galloping over the hill at its ut
most speed. The woman saw my emo
ton and flew to the window. Down
the short hill, over the stone bridge in
the hollow, and up the long slope to the
house, We watched it come together,
and it would have been hard to tell
which was the more excited; for al
though no personal feelings moved
me, yet | was in a state
Of tho utmost uncertainty as to
the outcome, while the woman, al.
though agitated by tho terrible grief,
yet had not a doubt as to what the mes
sage would be. And it was no surprise
to either of us to see the man stop al
the gate and walk slowly up the e
leading to the house.
The lady met him at the door. AS
watched her standing there in the twi-
light, swaying back and forth in her
agony, with her hand on the door-knob
for support, | felt a great throb of pity
at my heart, and at the same time "a
certain awe for the two who we're play
ing so great a part in tho drama of
J de.th. The fact that the news had
been expected all day, and had been
foretold in dreams, which | knew of
only as belonging to the mysterious
past of King Arthur and Froissart's
Chronicles, placed the characters before
me on an equality with the ma
gicians of old Granada. / shrank
back, feeling that the cold wind
which came in through the open door
had carried me back hundreds of years,
and placed me in n different age. Even
the calm, prosaic farmer, with his snow
white hair and flowing beard, seemed
like some old seer, as he passed his hand
over his forehead and tried to collect
his scattered thoughts. The silence be-
came terrible.
The p~ale-faced sufferer was growing
impatient. Speak" she said, 81 can
bear it now as well as any other time. u
And then the farmer looked up "Ah,
yes / remember, | remember now,
madam" and his voice was low and
measured. "Madam, your husband
wants the calves turned into the little
pasture back Of the barn" Then he
turned and rode away as swiftly as he
came.