The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-01-17
TOLD IN 4 DREAM.
By WALLACE Z. REED.

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 a fool of myself" he said bitterly
Hero am a young lawyer, without prac-
tice, in a little country town, and with
no hope of lettering my condition. Instead
OF waiting patiently for something to turn up
l have had the audacity to fall in love with
the wealthiest heiress in the place, and to-
night l forever disgraCed myself by asking her
TO marry me- Tomorrow L am to see her
father. There can be but ono result. Mr..
Howard is a millionaire. He will ask me
about my property and my prospects. We'll 1
have about five dollars in my pocket and l
owe five hundred. The old gentleman will re-
gard me as a fortune hunter and request mo to
discontinue my visits. Yet, the Lord knows |
love Alice, and l would devote my life to her"
Blair looked around the Office and took q
survey of his scanty possessions. A few articles
of furniture, and perhaps a hundred law books
this was ALL
cit will be useless" he said, "to tell man
like Mr.. Howard that l 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 embarrassment. He had
TAKEN q reap Ill tlle dark ana was already re-
| GREETING 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 a whirl, At last
| he fell into feveriSh and disturbed slumber.
In the course of the night a strange thing oc-
CURED. Just how it happened he did not
| clearly understand, but he had late visitor,
| who introduced himself as lawyer from Lon
don.
The stranger made profuse apologies for his
untimely visit.
"Mr. Blair" he said, 'I will net detain you
with any preliminaries. You are the heir to
the estate of John Blair, one of your uncles
| who ran away from home when mere boy,
and settled in Liverpool Your uncle was re-
marlably lucky. lie found friends, went into
business and in the course of time made a for
tune He died a month ago and left you half
! a million dollars"
Julian proceeded to ask for further infer T.
| ton, but the london lawyer pleasantly fe-
! marked that good news would keep.
Il must leave in half an hour for New
| York, he said, ''but you may expect me back
in q week or so. and then the necessary ar
engagements Will be completed for placing you
! in possession of your Inheritance"
With this the strange visitor vanished, and
Julian Blair as he raised himself ON his elbow
and looked about the room asked himself
whether he was awake or dreaming.
A sudden drowsincss overcame him, and
when he again opened his eyes it was morn
ing.
"Was it a dream ?' he cried PC he dressed
himself. ono, it is impossible. 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, 1t was
no vision it was q reality"
Julian found, after making h toilet. That
he was still little feYerish, with strange
fulness in his head, but Il glance at the mirror
showed that he was looking unusually we'll.
One thing startled him not a little in the
coarse of the morning. After brief inter
view With one OF the bankers of the town, he
walked out on the street with five hundred
dollars IN his pocket.
4 sudden doubt struck him as he reached
the sidewalk. Had he made a mistake in tell
ing the banker OF his good fortune? If the
whole thing was only dream, as he some
times suspected, he had done u very bad
thing.
"Pshaw" he said % himself, ~ am sick
and nervous. How can it be drcam?"
BY degrees lis confidence was restored, and
later in the day when he saw MI Howard his
manner was well calculated to impress the
millionaire. lie told the story of his legacy,
and tho rich man tool, him by tho hand and
told him that no man in the wide world would
suit him better as a son-in-laW.
a week passed away delightfully."-. Blair
found himself the lion Of the town, but he
spent most Of his leisure time with his ani
/ arncJ