The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1886-09-01

so; the journey was wonderfully real. l
went through the carriage-ride, the wait
at the station, and the long railroad Jour
ney afterward, exactly as il it was real
life; there were endless stoppages and
delays all the time that worried me
dreadfully, but I got to Philadelphia at
last.
'It seemed to be just coming on dusk,
and was alone, but our home was not
very far from the station, and knew my
way very well.
81 thought reached the house and
found the front door standing open,
though no one was to be seen inside or
out, and l entered without knocking or
ringing. Then it seemed as though l
were at the door of mothers room, though
| don't remember going up stairs; there
l saw mother bending over the bed, cry
ing and sobbing and making strange,
wild motions of grief. and on the bed,
stretched out as though she were lifeless,
was Bessie.
81 could not get step further than
the door, though it seemed as if / were
straining every nerve to go to her; and
while was in this state of distress, l
saw Bessie rise up slowly in the bed,
open her eyes and hold out her hands,
saying in strange, muffled voice, Come,
Katie, comet and then l woke up
81 woke up at once, and entirely;
knew exactly where was, and that all
l had gone through with had been
dream. 1t was light, though the sun
had not yet risen. l sprang out of bed
and dressed myself as fast as my trem-
bling hands could accomplish the task.
"Without any reasoning or conscious
mental action, l had made up my mind
to go home as fast as 1 could get there; I
felt absolutely certain that Ihad received
a mysterious summons which, if 1 did
not obey, should never see Bessie again
alive. l hurried down stairs and sur
prised my cousins, who, early risers as
they usually were, had themselves but
just left their room.
II told them of my strange dream and
of my desire to go home at once; of
course they were astonished and hurt,
and at last actually angry, but nothing
they could say made any impression upon
me. | was as uncomfortable as an insane
person, and at last Cousin Susan said
You'll have to take her. John; she will
fret herself into fever if you don't;'
and poor Cousin John, seeing no other
way to quiet me, departed to make ready
for the journey, muttering as he went out
that he would never ask other peoples
children to come and visit him again.
"Cousin Susan was kind to the last,
and seemed to have some sympathy with
my forebodings; but Cousin John said it
was all childish folly, and was cross and
glum through all our long ride together; /;
and after seeing me safely on the train,
and receiving the conductors promise to
land me safely in Philadelphia, took leave
of me with very brief and crusty good
by.
The impression my dream had made
upon me continued sharp and vivid as
ever through the whole journey; all the
time saw before me Bessie's white face,
aud heard the strange, mutfied call,
Come, Katie, comet All that l had
ever heard orAead of the mysterious con-
nection between twins-and that was not
little, for it had been a subject of great
interest to our mother as we'll as ourselves
came back to my mind during those
weary, anxious hours of travel.
81 had read of instances where twins
had died when separated, and I seemed
to have an instructive certainty that ours
was a case of the same nature; my only
hope was that the warning dream had
been sent in time to prevent a fatal cat
astroPheS and that by my rapid return 1
might reach home before it was too late
to remedy the evil. OF one thing l felt
sure; if 1 fopRd Bessie dead, | should
die. too. But She was not dead-she
could not be-else why should l still so
plainly hear in my mind the cry of
Come, Katie, comep
"The evening Of the long June day
was closing around me when my journey
came to an end, and / stood once more
in the streets of my native city My
| luggage, the conductor had assured me,
would be kept safely until called for, so
there was nothing to hinder me from set
| ting out at once for home 1t was lit
| tie later than the hour of my arrival had
/ seemed in my dream, otherwise all my
experience was the same; the WEAKNESS,
the trouble, the mental confusion. all
were repeated, and as l sped along the
well known streets, l seemed to be liy-
| ing my vivid dream over again.
~ reached our house, and, with my
heart beating almost TO suffocation, I saw
that the door was standing open. My
dream still verified darted in, and l
mounted the stairs and rushed into
mothers room.
''No one was there but mother, who
was lying on her lounge, a cripple, as
| had left her.
"fYou have got home, Bess, have
your said she; 1 did not hear you ring.
" 1t is not Bess, mamma; it is Z
Katie. Where is Bess? where is sheP 1
gasped; but before mother could get her
wits sufficiently collected to answer the
question, Bess answered it for herself by
bouncing up the stairs and into the room
in even more than her head-over-heels
fashion, crying: 'Oh, mamma we have
had such a splended day-papa and me-
if only you and Katie could have been
with us
''Then father came in, and the girl
with the lamp. and YOU NAV imagine. If