Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-06-25
MISCELLANEOUS.
Wasted Presentiments.
CURIOUS CASES OF THE MARvEIoI

CURIOUS CASES OF THE MARVELLOUS.
Everybody likes a good ghost
story, and still more popular, per-
haps, are those quasi-supernatural
histories which treat of presenti-
ments realized, of dreams fulfilled,
of words lightly spoken, but carried
out in manner that the reader lit
tie expected. A list of stories is at
everybody's fingers ends; but it
has been my lot, writes a cores
pondent, to meet with several in
stances Of another class of stories,
much less frequently commented on,
but to my mind even more curious !;
cases, / mean, in which a peculiar
warning has been-all but, and yet
not quite-bOrne out by subsequent
events, so that the intimation could
not be passed over as altogether
trivial, and yet missed its mark.
Several such occurrences have been
related to mo by witnesses in whose
testimony l have full confidence,
and / will proceed to give them
without further preface.
DR.. j., a retired physician in deli
cate health, resided, some years ago,
i'm one of the principal towns in the
west Of England. He was one night
seized suddenly with violent illness,
and within an hour or two was pro-
nOunced In hopeless state. DIR. j.
being Roman Catholic, the Rev.
DIR. w., a priest of that communion,
was sent for to administer the last
rites of religion; and, soon finding
that his presence could be of no fur
ther use to the unconscious sufferer,
he hethought himself how he could
best procure female companiOnship
for the poor wife, who was quite
stunned by the sudden blow. With
this intention, he FASTENED in the
early morning to the house of an
excellent elderly lady, a pious men,
ber Of his congregation and a friend
of Mrs. ].
The lady had not yet left her
room, and ne simply sent up word
that he wished to speak to her. In
few moments she came hurrying
into the room, with every appear
ance of agitation /; and, before he
could explain his sad errand, she
seized his hand, breathlessly ex.
claiming:
"Oh, DIR. w., how thankful / am
to see you, have had the most
frightful, vivid dream about DIR. and
Mrs. J.!" DR.. v. might we'll start.
bnt she hurried on. 81 dreamed
that l went to call at her house, and
that Mrs. j. came down to meet me
in Widows cap, with her face all
swollen with tears, and she said to
me, 'Oh, Mrs. NJ, my, dear husband
is just dead and he desired me to
say that you will he the next"
"And how did you tell her ?" DIR.
V.'s auditors were wont to ask at
this part Of the narrative; to which
the reverend gentleman invariably
answered:
81 dare say it was very cowardly,
and dare say 1t was very foolish ;
but / did not tell her at all; /
bOlted ~
SO far, the story is like many an
other tale of the marvellous, but the
usual sequel is wanting; for though
DIR. J. died, Mrs. NJ. lived on for
many years and certainly was not
the "next," unless in some mysteri.
Gus sense confined TO the world of
spirits.
In the early days Of the New Zea-
land colony, Mr.. p, younger son
of an English peer, settled there
with his family. Having hurt his
arm, he was advised to try rest and
change of air, and accordingly he
set out for a trip to another island,
leaving his young wife, whose nu'
merous and constantly increasing
nursery duty kept her at home.
The time fixed for his return was
drawing near, when Mrs. p. was one
night awakened by scream from
her eldest child, little girl four ol
five years old, who was sleeping ir
the same bed with her mother. TIL,
child had awakend suddenly in ,
paroxysm of terror, and for some
time no soothings we're of any avail
all she would do was to point per
sistently to one corner of the room
while she sobbed out, "Oh, poo
papai Poor papa! All dripping
with water! All dripping with wa
ter -
or course she was first petted, ant