Connecticut western news., 1895-10-31


 "Very we'll" said Randall, rising and putting on his bat "I'm with you. But if were you I wouldn't give up hope by any manner of means y
 As the pair approached the house in which Brown had lodgings that gentle man opened the door and came down the steps. Ferguson gave cry of relief at sight of him. Randall laughed softly. ''You didn't take the boat then?" he asked.
 'No, was-er-detained, Brown stammered. "I'm going to Forty-second street now to catch train. {"
 "Have you seen the papers?" Fergu- son put in. "Great Eastern run up, and the Yaukeeland run down. Notice it?' "I've read the items" Brown con- fessed. Curious coincidence, so to speak, wasn't it? I-I don't know just what to make of it. !"
 You've been saved in spite of your self. You ought to be mighty thank ful," said Ferguson, little warmly.
 "Oh, I'll be honest with you," re- sponded Brown with an effort. 1T wasn't actually detained-that is, I might have caught the boat. But it had occurred to mel had four days 10 think things over, you know-that Ter haps by staying in town and waiting to see if the Yankeeland met with an acci dent I'd have just as good chance to prove the falsity of the omen." "Do you call it proved false?" "Uml Hardly, hardly said Brown. "An unfortunate incident, very unfor tunate, I must say. It has almost unset tied my convictions. '" And he glanced about him nervously.
 "You'll be taking a car at the cor ner," said Randall "We'll toddle along with you.'
 The three had advanced hardly 50 his companlons and ran to the gutter.
 "Loek outl'' he cried Don't you see those painters at work overhead? They re on a ladder. Don't walk under it. It's unlucky.' No sooner had this peril been avoided than he dropped to his knees and fell to picking at crack in the sidew ak. Horribly unlucky to pass that" he explained, lifting a pin from the crevice.
 "So I've been told," said Randall, with chuckle. Ferguson lacked words appropriate 10 the occasion. They halted at the corner, but Brown pretellded not to see the first car which passed The others saw it very plainly. It was No. 13. They put their friend aboard the next, which proved to have number above suspicion. "This affair beats me" said Fergu- son soberly. ''What ails Brown any way?" Nothing much," replied Randall, "only he's gone from one extreme to the other. He didn't believe anything. Now he believes everything. That's all.'
 "I don't blame him-after such an escape. {"
 "You think the spirits warned him?"
 "Who else?''
 "One Brown"
 "He warned himself? Impossible l"
 "Not at all His own memory did the business ''
 Memory of something to happen in the futurel That's nonsense. " "No more nonsense than his newborn fears. '',
 1T give up the conundrum. What's ] the answer?"
 II can't tell you in word. You rec | ollect the book he lent me the other night, don't you? We'll, he'd been read | ing it the evening before-at least so he | told me and that was the evening pre- ceding the vision. When I got home, l took. off the old newspaper in which the | book had been wrapped and fell to | skimming-skipping about, you under stand. Pretty soon found piece of | paper stuck between two pages, evident ly to mark the place where Brown had stopped. Not being much interes. ed in the book, begun to look over ths slip and what do you suppose it was? The very fragment Brown had seen in his | dreaml'
 ] "Eh?''
 "Yes, sir. The very same. Then thought of the paper which had been around the book, picked it up from the fioor''-
 "Go on, man. Go on r' cried Fergu- ! son.
 "And found that the small piece just | fitted hole in it. That newspaper was nearly six months old, as it had to be to contain quotation of Great Eastern at 20 It was clear enough what had happened. Brown, when he tore off the slip to stick in the book, read both sides of it without really knowing what he was doing. Then he must have dreamed about it, and you know as well as dc what resulted.
 But the accident to the steamer-it was a sound steamer"-
 ''Puget sound. The item was reprinted from a western paper and was duly credited. There has been curious coin dence, that's fact, but the warning theory is rather spoiled. ''
 The pair strode on in silence for Q time. At last Ferguson turned toward his companion with question:
 "When are you going to tell Brown?'
 'Not for some time," said Randall decisively. Mature has way of aver aging up things. Brown has a lot of believing to do to make up for his un- belief You wouldn't have me inter fering prematurely with the benevolent processes If nature, would you?' ?'-New York Times