The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1890-05-16


the secret cause of his great men
tai depression at odd times, when
at Others he was so seemingly |
light hearted.
at is nothing worth mention
ing" he said, with lugu brious
smile, "merely an ngly dream
that has been haunting ME ever
since | have been in the mines.
II is nothing, of course, and Pm
fool 10 notice il; but SOMEHOW
can't help it-every time 1t occurs
to me, it still takes a stronger hold
upon my imagination than before"
He unlocked his satchel as he
spoke and handed me the minla.
ture of maryelouoly beautiful
girl.
"She is the daughter Of a rich,
proud man, but she is my sweet
heart. and we were alIianced be-
fore l started. But what now
troubles me is, in connection with
The dream have been having, is a
presentiment | shall never see her
again. Oh, Kitty, my darlingw he
added. receiving back the picture,
and kissing it raptuously. Even
TO dream Of such thing is rank
torture"
"Your dream must, indeed, be a
hideous one" | said, ITO produce
such an effect upon your spirits. L
wish Won would relate il"
"There is not much to relate, "
said Marlin, "onIy it is The same
thing over and over, and that, i
suppose, is the reason why 1t has
made such an impression on me.
In nv dream 1t seems as though
some hideOusly venOmOus reptile
had bitten me, and |, lying at the
point of death, call upon Kitty, in
the agony of despair, to come to
me once more, when suddenly, il
nv dream, behold her hovering
downward through the azure field;
of space, borne lightly upon ange
wings, till her great sorrowful or6'
look into mine, when mist gath
ers over my eyes as of death, my
senses swim in confused chaos
and | awake in cold sweat, an'
with horrible dread and slnkln;
at The heart"
"Its recurrence" | said, "Is prob
ably in consequence OF your dive
ling so much upon it. In The frs
place, no doubt, it took a yer
strong held upon your mind, an
the impression thus made, as wa
quite natural, has never been alb
sent for moment from your wax
ing thoughts. Is that not so y
Marlin allowed that it might be
and filing our cradles with tn
Yuba sand, we rocked them til
they yielded virgin gold.
We had extraordinary success
and on the approach of the rain,
season we took our scraplngs L
San Francisco, and secured chea
lodgings. We sold our dust an
made company deposit Of littl
over nine thousand dollars, whic
was good, even Tor those earl.
days of rapid fortune making, con
sidering that we had been on Ou
gold quest but a matter OF tel
weeks. Our pile had really beguI
10 assume the proportions of fol
tune, and dt the rate we had beeI
working, a couple Of years more
would make us both tOlerably III
!. dependent for the remainderoi on
lives.
In our chosen quarters we mad
ourselves as comfortable as posi-
n BILE through the dismal season Q
|. rains, which is, indeed, the onl
i dismal period you will experlenc
a. through the whole year in Calltol
l. MIA
a During this time we stuck to ou
\, quiet lodgings, avoiding the trap
rs and snares of the city, alread,
s. grown strong and rampant j
IS every variety of vice and iniquity
,e and about the middle of March W
% returned TO our old tcGshngs o
er the Yuba.
While we remained in San Fra
of cisco Marlin had not once bee
RS troubled with the dream whiC
is had formerly haunted him. b
Id no sooner we've we we'll back aga
,e than the same hallucinaiiOn 7
st turned to him; and, as before,
y. again sank into those occasion
fits of melancholy which had forl
IT. erly characterized him. .
an II don't know but | am FOOLISH
| he said to me one day, about Z
"a middle of summer, "but this o
yn recurring dream, always the san
,rs is beginning to assume the FOL
and all the significance of a pl
el- mouition. | don't believe | sh
rst ever return to the States, or IL
In do. | shall not find Kitty alive.
its. | sirove to rally him from
Mi gloom, but nothing would arol
in him.
VS. The day had been excessive
r a sultry and oppressive, but tow
zen the close of the afternoon a bre'
wn. sprang up, which soon beca
est quite chilly; so much so, lnde
that we were obliged 10 have
-ou. course 10 our blouses, which
Iese on the grass a short distance Fl
as the bar we were working.
2" When Marlin drew on his bio
wer he uttered a sharp cry OF p
ling and clasping his right hand 81
oon medically over his left arm, iuT
deadly white.