St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-06
STORY OF A DREAM.
W. Thomson,

W. Thomson.
The account of the dream and the
events [ am about to describe is abso-
lutely true in every particular.
My friend. Phil Casey, was talking
about dreams one day in my office. He
is a muscular climb of the law" about
| thirtv-tive years Of age, with no non
sense about him. II know you don't
believe in dreams," he said, ''and neith-
| er do [. But now that we're on the sub
ject Fll tell you something which you
can perhaps account for-I can't" And
then ne told me story.
"a few years ago was living in the
| village of SaybrOOke, as you know.
| One evening, after had been wofNHIs
very hard all day over a compicaso,.
case, reached home with that pecul...l,
on't-care-a-cent, done-out kind of feel
ing which excessive brain work is apt
to produce.
After supper picked out the hard
est chair in the room and sat down to
read the daily papers, for was SO tired
that feared to fail asleep should | seat
myself in an easy one.
"My wife sat near me, quietly sewing
| ants-and the house, being Oil the very
| outskirts of the village, was still as an
| empty church. Absorbed, rather self
| ishlv, perhaps, as | was in reading up
| arrears of news, | was not a particularly
entertaining companion, presume, and
about O'Clock my wife rolled up her
work and said: Il think FL go to bed.
Phil. Don't sit up too late, and with a
| dainty goodnight kiss she disappeared.
"InStead OF following my better half.
| as | should have done. [ continued to
| read; but, by and bye, with the idea of
| brushing the coDWebs from my brain
before going to rest. L Strolled across
| the road and called upon my friend,
Frank Stayner. who proposed short
| walk, the night being warm and moon
| lit.
"This suited n.S exactly. and we set
! out by way of an Old bride path which
| led across the fields into the country.
| After a little chatting and laughing, as
| old cronies will, we came to small
| brook, which we passed over. dry shod,
on stepping stones, Frank being at the
moment some yards in advance of me.
''He was leisureiy ascending the op-
| poSite bank and had Just reached the
middle of clump of alder bushes, when
he was suddenly felled to the earth and
q
! the head from a masked man, who
| Sprang out OF the dense thicket.
Crank had fallen face downward and
| lay motionesS as a log. In an instant
| the ruffian was upon him, turned him
| quickly over and began rfiing his pock-
cts with skill and celebrity evidently
born Of long practice.
"'What was ] doing all this timeH
well, simply stood there. looking on;
| not in the least terrified, but, by some
strange influence. absolutely incapable,
not only of motion, but even of utterIng
a sound. Stranger still, although stand
ing in the broad moonlight, at less than
| thirty feet from him, the highWayman
seemed totally unaware of my presence,
and went on with his work as coollv as
| if his victim were the only human be-
ing within hundred miles,
He had emptied my friends trousers
and coat pockets and was now feeling
about his breast for his watch, very
valuable one, as | knew, which Frank
always carried in the inside pocket of
his vest, secured by a strong silk cord
passing around the neck.
"The rObber, always working in grim
| silence. soon found the watch and. not
| bothering to cut the string, jerked his
prize violently away. The shock seemed
| 10 restore TldHh " pdlliul COLSCltuS-
ness and he drOWSily murmured: Hello!
! what's up?
'At the sound of his voice all my be-
numbed faculties aWOke to instant life,
and, rushing forward, still unseen by
the footpad, dealt him a terrible blow
| on the back of his neck, and he fell in
sensible across the body of his PROSTATE
prey. Quickly rolling him aside pulled
off his Grape mask, revealing most
villainouS face.
"Then | assisted Frank to rise. He
seemed quite recovered, and none the
worse for the assault. After securing
the stolen property we took our pocket
handkerchiefs and tied the fellows
hands firmly behind his back. He was
still entirely helpless and unconscious;
so, one of us at the head and the other
at the feet, we carried him off to the
village unreslSting.
''On arriving at the little police sta
tion the officer on night watch asked:
| what have you got there, gentlemen?
Nothing very nice, [ guess replied
Stayner; he knocked me down, how
ever, aud picked my pockets in good
Style
THE officer flashed his light upon
our prisoners face. why, sure as you
live,' he exclaimed, it's Ike Berry "a no
torious crook Of whom Pd often heard
that we've been after for the last three
months. Dump him down anywhere
| .All right said |. Let go. Frank and
we dropped our burden with crash to
/ the floor. AT that moment a woman's
voice screamed out: Why, Phil,
what's the NATTER and | awoke to find
myself sprawling ON the carpet and the
whole affair dream.
IA rather live one, certainly, Phil"
| said |. "but I've heard lots as curious"
"Why, man alive! Pm only begin
ming my story. You don't suppose I'd
bore you with such stuff if that were
all? AS said before, Pm no believer
| in dreams-never in my life knew one
to come literally true-but somehow
this particular dream so impressed me
that couldn't get it out of mind.
Having dread of my wife's good
| humored raillery, did not tell her the
| dream But the next night l really did
| go over to Stayner's. ! took him into
my confidence and asked him to go with
| me over the ground which had, in
| Imagination, traVerSed the evening be-
! fore.
"Frank laughed. but readily agreed,as
| mere lark, to take the proposed walk.
Before starting out each of us armed
himself with heavy blacktborn shilla-
lain, two of which l had brought from
the 'ould sod the year before and pre-
Sented to my chum.
''On coming to the little creek, with
its clear water sparkling in the moon
light, Frank banteringly said: We'll,
everything looks quiet enough here, old
fellow. l guess your dream robber
| won't materialiZe.'
Even as he spoke thought l saw an
especially dense spot in the clump of
alders ahead; and although really had
no serious misgiving, | rather impress
| sively said: Wait for me, Frank.
Don't go up the bank alone.'
"'Oh, nonsense! he replied as he
passed lightly on.
HE had now gained fully sixty feet
on me and was walking earelessly past