The Washington critic., 1888-01-28
TOLD IN A DREAM.
ny WALLACE p. FEED.


exclamation he brought his hand
down upon his desk with tremendous
force.
The young man in his excitement
rose from his chair and paced the
floor of his Office.
81 made fool Of myself" he said
bitterly. "Here / am, q young law
yer, without practice, in little coun-
try town, and with no hope of better
ing my condition. Instead Of waiting
patiently for something TO turn up
have had the audacity TO fall in love
with the wealthiest heiress in the
place, and tonight | forever disgraced
myself by asking her TO marry me.
Tomorrow / am to see her father.
There can be but one result. Mr.. How
ard is millionaire. lie will ask me
about my property and my prospects.
| Well, / have about five dollars in my
| pocket and Lowe five hundred. The
| old gentleman will regard me as
| fortune-hunter and request me to dis
continue my visits. Yet, the Lord
knows love Alice, and | would de-
vote my life to her."
Blair looked around the Office and
took o survey of his scanty posses
| sions. A few articles of furniture,
and perhaps hundred law books
| this was all.
"It will be useless" he said, "to
tell % manlike Mr.. Howard that / will
wait for his daughter. He will simply
show me the door. and all will be
over"
The young fellows frank and
manly face wore look of panied en-
barrassment. He had taken leap in
the dark and was already regretting
his hasty action.
The town clock struck the hour of
midnight, and Blair retired to his
| chamber adjoining his office, and
made an effort to sleep off his trouble.
For some time he was wide-awake.
His eyes burned and his brain was in
whirl. At last he fell into O fever
ish and disturbed slumber.
In the course of the night strange
thing occurred. Just how it hap
pened he did not clearly understand,
duced himself as lawyer from
London.
The stranger made profuse apollo
L
"Mr. BlaIr,r ne said, 81 will not
detain you with any 'fgelithlnaries
You are the heir TO the estate of John
Blair, one Of your uncles who ran
away from home when q mere boy,
and settled in Liverpool. Your uncle
was remarkably lucky. He found
friends, wentinto business, andin the
course of time made fortune. He
diedla month ago and left you half a
million dollars"
Julian proceeded to ask for further
information, but the London lawyer
pleasantly remarked that good news
would keep.
81 must leave in half an hour for
New. York, !" he said, .'butSyou may
expect me back in aweek or so, and
then the necessary arrangements will
be completed for placing you in pos
session OF your Inheritance"
With this, the strange visitor van
ished, and Julian Blair, as he raised
himself on his elbow and looked
about the room asked himself whether
he was awake or dreaming.
Asudden drowsiness overcame him,
and when he again opened his eyes il
was morning.
"Wasit dream ?'' he cried, as he
dressed himself. mo, it isimpossible.
There is the chair the man sat in. ]
remember his features distinctly, and
! every word he said; and even the
tones of his voice. Thank God II
was no vision it was reality"
Julian found, after making his
toilet, that he was still little fever.
ish, with q strange fullness in his
head, but q, glance at the mirror
showed that he was looking unusually
/ we'll.
One thing startled him not q little
in the course ofthe morning. After
brief interview with one, OF the
bankers of the town, hewalked out on
the street with FIVE hundred dollars il
, his pocket. s
A sudden doubt struck him as he
: reached the sidewalk. Had he made
a mistake in telling the banker of his
: good forthneH If the whole thing was
only dream, as he sometimes sus
pected, he had done q very bad thing
"PshawP' P' he said to himself, 90
| am sick and nervous. How can it bt
a dreamT
81 BY degrees his confidence was re
stored, and later in the day when h,
|, saw Mr.. Howard his manner was wei
calculated to impress the millionaire
!. He told the story of his legacy, anC
the rich man took him by the han(
) and told him that no man in the wide
world would suit him better as son
in-law.
A week passed away delightfully."-
Blair,found himself the lion of the
l town, hllt he spent most Of his Leisure
Q time with his affianeed.
, One morning the young lawyer
. arose, cool, and clear-headed, with
' out trace of fever. He looked bacl
! upon the events of the past week il
: amazement. He no longer had an,
belief in the visit of the man from
London. 1t was dream and nothing
| else.
] 81 am in q disgraceful flx!r h
! groaned. II have lied to Mr.. How
: ard and to Alice. / have borrowe,
money under false pretenses. Moth
: ing will ever convince people that
/ am not swindler."
+ AS the days rolled on, Julian grey
9 thin and pale. He could not brin
! himselfto the point of confessiont
= Mr.. Howard and Alice. Then, toe
z some of his obligations were comm
J, due. There was apparently no wa
!, out of his trouble. The thought o
y suicide took possession of his mind
Q and he began TO nerve himself for tn
deed.
The card in Julian's hand bore tn
address of Henry Morley, Solicitor
= Middle Temple, London, and as tn
y | oUnar Of tha Onrd uaa sbarad int