The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1895-09-11
SKEPTIC BROWN.

Brown was the sworn foe of supersti
tition. He derided all the good old
saws and he jeered at omens. 1t was
his ono hobby, this warfare with the
believers in signs and portents. There
was no mercy in him for the credulous.
He laughed at broken mirrors. Nothing
pleased him better than to SEQ the new
moon over his left shoulder. The ever
recurring terror of ID at a table he had
reduced to mathematical problem to
be solved through the law Of chances
and the statistics of life insurance actu-
aries. Three mornings in tho week he
put on his right shoe first. On the other
four tho left preceded the right. Last,
but not least, he had taken lodgings in
q rather poor neighborhood because 1T
abounded 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 ono 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 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 tho man of
ono idea may learn in the school of Bit
ter experience. Even when, out of the
goodness of their hearts, they now and
then cleared tho lists for him to break a
lance in his favorite cause he declined
the challenge-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. your theoretical. You We
never faced ghost nor heard 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 moro because his ci-
gar demanded attention. Randall nod
| ded approval of the curtailed sentiment.
| Tho three had boon dining together and
were lingering over the coffee.
"No, Two 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 few days. Last night had what
some fools would call warning. "
"What?" cried Randall.
"You had?" asked Ferguson ineredu-
lousy.
"I had dream" Brown continued.
81 don't know where tho scene was laid
or whether there was any, But held a
bit of newspaper with edges jagged, as
| IL it had been torn from the sheet On
ono side was what seemed to be an ac-
| count of curious accident to sound
steuner which was run into by 0
| schooner whose jib boom pierced the
wall of statoroom and impaled the
occupant. The name of tho steamer was
missing.
"And tho passengers manner" que
ried Randall
1T was not to be found in tho part
| Of tho article before me. "
"Suro it was sound steamer" Fer
| guson asked.
Eyes. Something i'll tho context
| made that clear. There was no hint OF
tho date turned tho paper over, but
found on tho other sido nothing but
part of table Of stock quotations.
Great Eastern common had closed at 30
that all remember to have noticed. I"
"I'd like to SEQ the stuff there even
in Dream" said Ferguson feelingly.
He venturod into Wall street occasion-
ally.
"No doubt you would, :" said Ran
dali. but, Brown, where's the warn
ing? Arc you going down east?'
eyes. I'm duo in Boston noxt Satur-
day morning And 1 always go by boat. 4"
"This time too?"
Certainly" responded Brown with
dignity "This timo Of all times. -
"Well, I'd stay ashore if Iwero you,
Randall counseled "As a boy / had
my fill of trying to see if things wero
loaded. "
The skeptio smiled % superior smilo.
"I have already arranged for tho
trip" no announced. "This morning /
reserved stateroom on tho Yankee
land-she's next Fridays boat. In
short, propose to provo so conclusively
the''-
Precisely" said Ferguson, rising
Al. -,
ize what you expect to prove, old man.
know you think it too good u chance
to be wasted; but, just as II friend of
yours, I'd get ont an injunction to keep
you from going-I would indeed---if it
were not for that quotation of Great
Eastern at 30. In view Of such freak
Of midnight phantasy guess | won't
have you dragged into court But you
ought to BIO fined for dreaming such
thing and unduly exciting the imagina-
ton of the honest poor, who'vo put good
money into that stock. -
Browns friends babe him good night
Mt the door of the restaurant.
"Well, what do you think?" said For.
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 "But Brown won't BIO even
acknowledgements tho pity. BY the
way, he has loaned mo ono Of his scion
tific antighost books. I'm going to read
it as personal favor to him-that Is,
IL can. It's heavy enough, though, to
make mo doubt my ability to finish 1t. "
And he took tighter grip on tho neatly
wrapped volume no had tucked under
one arm.
To Randall, at work i'll his Office the
following Saturday afternoon, appeared
Ferguson, who thrust newspaper into
his hand and dropped into achair beside
his desk.
"Look at the stock table |" gasped the
caller.
"Umi What Of it?" Randall asked.
"Great Eastern at 90.
$50 observe. Insiders have boosted
the stuff, that's all.