Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-05-23
A Shadow Cast Before.


Several years ago ] was travelling
in the state of Wisconsin, in the inter
est of southern tobacco factory At
that time the numbering industry of
central Wisconsin was in it's infancy,
and the now prosperous inland cities,
with their immense lumber mills,
were mere villages of lumbermen and
loggers.
Travelling men were corresponding
ly scarce. We grew lonesome, and
suffered many hardships of which the
travellers of to-day know but little.
Consequently I was glad to meet so
pleasant a companion as John Sturte-
want. Like myself, he represented a
tobacco firm, but our pyramids were
of an entirely different kind; hence
we were not competitors, and visited
the trade from town to town together.
Sturtevant was my senior by prob
ably ten years-a handsome man,
prematurely gray, clean shaven, save
for a mustache of a brownish color,
which cOntrasted queerly with his
rapidly silvering hair. His clothing
was costly, "but not expressed in fan
cy." He disliked a fop, and was strict
Iy business like in all his transactions;
kept close guard upon his tongue,
but spoke intelligently and to the
point when he spoke at all He was
we'll informed and, in short, gentle
man with whom almost any one would
readily have made friends at the first
opportunity he afforded them. He
seemed to take quite an interest in
me, and was proud of it and could
have assured him, had I chosen, that
the interest was reciprocated.
One pleasant summer night, a few
weeks after our first meeting, I invit-
ed him into my room Gust across the
hall from his in the little hoteD. He
accepted my invitation. We brought
forth our pipes, filed from our respec-
tive ''brands," lit them and iokingly
expatiated on the qualities and merits
possessed by each. Thus we chatted
pleasantly of our sales and failures to
sell; our plans for the coming week,
etc, until at last our conversation
turned upon some remark which 7
cannot recall, but in the same manner
that thousands of conversations have
turned before) into the supernatural
dreams especially.
He then related to me the following
story, which give in his own Ian
guage, as accurately as my memory
serves me, and | am positive that I
have forgotten no incident connected
with it. [ might further add that I
have no reason whatever to doubt, in
the least, its absolute truthfulness.
Laying his pipe on the table near
by, he began thus:
81 cannot say, even after the ex--
perience 1 am about to relate, that I
place much credence in dreams, this
one being the only one I have ever
been able to trace to anything like
tangibility. I am sure that [ am no
more superstitious than the average
of men, and I have always chosen to
attribute the fufillment of any dream
to chance or coincidence rather than
to any other cause.
Fourteen years ago last winter, [
was in identically the same position
which I now fill, excepting the fact
that L am now directing the move
ments of a few men. You will know,
of course, that at that time I was a
young man-to be accurate, % years
of age. At the time of which I speak
/ was on my maiden trip, and, as
though to inure me to the trials and
hardships of travellers life, my
house had kept me out almost year
without SO much as a twenty four
hours visit to the city in which my
parents resided, and which, for the
lack of any other, my parents being
dead, [ still claim as my home"
Here he hesitated and passed his
hand through his hair. He seemed to
be lost in meditation, or in trying to
think where he should begin again
Presently he said:
81 viii not worry you with the de-
tails Of love story, but suffice it to
say that this same city was the abode
of my sweetheart, Mary, whom I had