Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-10-30
SKErTIC BROWN.


saws ana ne jeered at omens. It was
his one hobby. his warfare with the
believers III signs aud porients There
was no mercy Ia him for the credulous-
He laughed at broken mirrors. Nothing
pleased Inn better than q see The new
neon over his left shoulder. The ever
recurring terror If 10 attn table he bad
reduced 10 a mathematical probiela %
be solved through the law of chances
and the stat sites Of life insurance actu-
aries Three mornings in the week he
put ON his right shoe first. On the other
four the left preceded the right. Last,
bnt not least, he had taken lodgings IN
\ rather poor neighborhood because II
nbounded in white cats. and the hkeli-
hood Of one. of the unlucky animals
crossing his path was thereby greatly
increased.
These things did not add to his popu-
larity. Most men Stunned him. So did
some women, though their aversion to
him interested no one but themselves,
for Brown would have been misogy-
mist had he been able TO cherish two great
hatreds simultaneously. Sometimes,
though, he longed for more friends OF
his own sex. He had but two or three,
and he could not preach TO them always.
There was a point at which they re-
belled, and when that point was reached
Brown felt alone in the world.
So at last, through growing dread OF
isolation, he came TO spare these two or
three, which proves that the man OF
one idea may learn in the school OF bit
ter experience Even when, out Of the
goodness of their hearts, they now and
then cleared the lists for him to break
lance in his favorite cause he declined
the. hallenge-sometimes And then
the others began to fear for his health.
Your trouble, Brown. is that You
lack an actual test, observed Ferguson,
ON one of these occasions of combat de-
clined. ''You'r re theoretical. You've
never faced a ghost nor heard a super
natural voice. Now, if you only could
have something uncanny happen.
Ferguson paused, partly because he
thought he had said enough in the way OF
encouragement but more because his CT
gar demanded attention. Randall nod
ded approval of the curtailed sentiment.
The three had been dining together and
were lingering over the coffee.
"No, I've escaped so far" Brown
answered slowly. AT least-well,
nothing has occurred to shake my COM
mon sense. Truth is, though, / may be
able to tell you something convincing
in a few days Last night had what
some fools would call warning.
"What?" cried Randall
"You had?" asked Ferguson incredu-
lousy.
81 had a Dream" Brown continued.
81 don't know where the scene was laid
or whether there was any. But held a
bit of newspaper with edges jagged, as
if it had been torn from the sheet. On
one side was what seemed to be an ac-
count of curious accident to a sound
steamer which was run into by a
schooner whose jib boom pierced the
wall of a stateroom and impaled the
occupant. The name of the steamer was
missing. F"
"And the passengers name?' que
ried Randall.
1T was not to be found in the part
of the article before me- /"
"Sure it was a sound steamer?" Fer
guson asked.
Eyes. Something in the context
made that clear. There was no hint OF
the date. | turned the paper over, but
found on the other side nothing but
part of table of stock quotations.
Great Eastern common had closed at 20
that s AL remember to have noticed.
"I'd like to see the stuff there even
in dream, said Ferguson feelingly.
He ventured into Wall street occasion
ally.
"No doubt you would, said Ran
dali But Brown, where's the warn
ing? Are you going down east?"
YES I'm due in Boston next Satur-
day morning. And always go by boat. "
''This time too?"
Certainly, /" responded Brown with
dignity. "This time of all times.
"Well, I'd stay ashore if We're you,
Randall counseled. ''As a boy / had
my fill Of trying to see if things were
loaded "
The skeptic smiled superior smile.
II have already arranged for the
trip, I" he announced. "This morning l
reserved stateroom ON the Yankee
land--shes next Fridays boat. In
short, propose TO prove so conclusiyely
the
Precisely" said Ferguson, rising
from the table in some haste, ''we real
ize what you expect to prove, old man.
l know you think it too good a chance
to be wasted; but, just as friend of
yours, I'd get out an injunction to keep
you from going-I would indeed-if it
were not for that quotation of Great
Eastern at 20 In view of such freak
of midnight phantasy guess ! won't
have you dragged into court. But you
ought to be fined for dreaming such
thing and unduly exciting the magma
ton of the honest poor, who've put good
money into that stock.
Browns friends babe him good night
at the door of the restaurant.
"Well, what do you Think" said Fer
guson to Randall. as they walked up
town together.
ooh, if anybody else had had such
dream I'd be worried, said Randall TO
Ferguson. g Bot Brown won't be even
frighiemed--more's the pity. BY the
way, he has loaned me enc Of his scien-
tific ant chest books. I'm going to read
it as a personal favor to him-that is,
If l can. rs heavy enough, though, to