The Lamar register., 1891-08-29
DREAMED. OF HIS MOTHER,
uls wish Was Granted and the Party
Was Broken Up.


Was Broken Up.
1t was in the early days of the gold
excitement in the Black Hills that a
party of us started overland from Can
ada, bent upon making our everlasting
fortunes. We never reached the Pah
Sappa Gas the Indians called our in
tended distination) and. as the story is
intere ting, l will tell you the reason.
We came into camp one night at the
headwaters of the Cheyenne river and,
rs was our custom, we had two or
three hours of storytelling before we
wrapped up in our blankets and went
TO sleep. On this particular night we
had taken turns at yarn spinning until
old Tom Roberts came next in order.
He stood up, his face lighted with a
kind of halo by the ilickering camp
Ere.
Boys" said Tom, I'm not goiu' to
give ye any wonderful stories of what
I might or night not have done. No;
I'm goin' to tell ye bout a dream had
last night
You remember where our last camp
WASP 1t was near a big marsh. The
night was jest as calm an beautiful as
this night is, an the crickets an frogs
sounded so sleepy-like, an the air was
so wet with dew an smelled SO fresh
that, somehow, was minded of my
boyhood home way back in New Eng
land.
II went to sleep thinkin' bout old
friends an the happy times when I
didn't know so much of the world as l
90 now. l don't know how long I
slept but all of a sudden, l heard
tinklin' of bells an / seen some spark
through the slough-grass. As they
come nearer, l could make 'em out to
be- little fays like my Aunt Mandy
used to tell about.
They flew round me, an one of
EN- says, steppin' in front of all the
rest, says she: " BE you Tom Rob-
srtsP'
"'Yes, ma'am, says l.
well, Tom, I've been watchin'
Tor you for some time, she says, an
think you're a good deservin' feller.'
al try to do what's right says /,
but / miss it sometimes.
No human is perfect, says she,
but I'm goin' to reward ye. I'll grant
you the dearest wish of your life, what
ever it may be. Do you want mag
nlficent fortuneP says she.
i" No, thank'ee,' says I, i want to
earn all the money | git
Then how about powerP Would
you like to be ruler? A king or
something like that?"
N
like me, with no eddication, do with
kingdomP I'd be like fish out OF
water, says (which I would, mates.
Then she says Supposin' 1 make
you as wise as Solomon"
" 'Twont do, says |. my head amt
big enough to hold all that
Would you like to be the happiest
man alive?' says she.
q 4 can't be no happier than 1 am
this mint says l.
"Well. what can give yep says
she, discouraged like.
"rll tell ye, says l; If you want
to do me a real favor-somethin' I'd
like above everythin' else-why, jest
gimme glimpse of my old mother as
has been dead these forty years
Tom Roberts paused a moment and
there was a silence-a kind of speak
ing silence-came over the boys. At
last Bob Smith said:
"Did ye see yer mother, Tomp"
"No," said Tom, in sad voice.
ut was like all dreams, mates. They
never hold out. That fairy says, All
right Tom; Jest wait little, an then
she an the rest O. the fays disappeared
right In the dark, quick as wink,
I'd have given my life. boys, to have
her grant that favor"
That was all of Toms story and we
went to bed directly afterwards,
wrought up and little sad. And 1
dreamed, too, that night of old times.
But l was wakened suddenly by a
terrific yell. 1 jumped to my feet and
beheld an awful sight Our camp had
been surprised by Indians and Tom
Roberts was the first man to fall by a
tomahawk in the hands of painted
brave.
Taking in my peril at a glance, I
rolled off into the long grass by the
river. Then, dropping noiselessly in
to the water. l swan off under shadow
of the banks. 1 was the only man
that escaped and 1 remember how, as
1 swan off down the river, l looked
up and saw the bright stars. Quick
as flash, I thought of Toms dream
and muttered, 'Its the hand of God;
Tom has met his mother
Strange things have happened and
are happening in this world all the
time, but this story of the lost camp
and Tom Roberts dream is the strang-
est 1 ever came across in all my sixty