The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-11-27
tilar cou5.
MISSING EVIDENCE.

On cold December night some 90 years
ago. when the earth was bound in black
frost and the bitter wind blew strong and
shrily, l was returning from spending
the evening at friends house, situated
some three four miles out of town. The
sky was so black, the country lanes were
so dark, that | was truly thankful when
the scattered lights of an outlying suburb
began to twinkle in the distance, and it
was with sigh of relief that l stopped
under the first lamppost l came to and
looked ut my watch
It was no easy task, for the lamp glass
had pane broken, and the strong wind
blew the glass in all directions and almost
extinguishCd it. | read the time, at least
three minutes to land looking up
from my watch face l started to see a
man standing opposite me. l had heard
nothing of his approach. We looked at
each other but for /! moment, yet 1t was
time sufficient to imprint his features in
delibly on my memory.
a tall, shabby man, in q threadbare
black frock coat and u Seedy tall hat, his
face lantern jawcd and salIow, his eyes
sunken and lusterless, his beard long and
i'll trimmed-in tone of elaborate civil
the answer, and, giving me Good night,
passed away into the black darkness,
which seemed to ingulf him like grave.
l turned for moment TO think of his
lonely walk in that grim obscurity and
resumed my way homeward, laughing at
myself for tie start he had given mo and
rejecting that the strong wind had blown
away the sound of his approach. Thought
of him as ! sat and smoked my pipe over
my fire, and l felt n comfortable shudder
steal over me as l imagined him facing
the bitter blast in an insuf1iciency of cloth
ing.
In the course of IA week or two the Incl
dent faded from my memory, and thought
no more of it. In those days | was active
" engaged in the timber trade. and the
course of my business took me a good deal
about and brought me largely in contact
with the agents of the different country
gentlemen of the district. With one OF
these agents, who resided near the county
town of Leham, had numerous transac-
tions, and l used often to run down and
meet him. for the town was only 10 miles
away and was on Il railway.
1t was dull little hole enough, that
only warmed into life when the militia
wcro out or assiZes We're on. One night 1
returned from Leham, having just made
large purchase from my friend, whose
master, Il sporting nobleman, was reduced
to cut down the family timber. When
fell asleep that night, had very simple
but vivid dream. l thought l was stand
ing ON lofty hill. BY my side stood a
yelled figure, who, with a commanding
gesture, motioned me toward the town of
Leham, which lay in the far distance.
Then l awokc
OF course 1 explained the thing to my
self easily enough. l had been Il good deal
engaged in the neighborhood of the place
and had large venture more or less re-
motely connected with it. Still the dream
was so vivid that 1 could not dismiss it
from my thoughts during the whole of the
day, and when went to bed Wondered If
it would again visit NE. 1t did come again
precisely the same dream in precisely the
same manner. Once more [ found con-
vincing explanation. Doubtless L had been
thinking too much about the first dream,
and this had given rise to the second.
But my explanation did not convince
me in the least. l was haunted by the
thing throughout the day, and when l
came home at night my preoccupation was
so evident that it attracted the attention of
my wife She questioned me upon the
cause, and only too thankful TO umbosom
myself of what was now almost IL trouble,
told her about the dream and its rcpcti-
ton She had the tact not to laugh mt me,
but was evidently little impressed by the
narrative.
The third night it came again, if any
thing more wildly and startling than it
did before This time l was utterly I'M
hinged The pale face that confronted me
in the looking glass was hardly recogniz-
able as my own. l went down to break
fast filled with u foreboding of some mis-
fortune-bad news in my letters-I knew
not what The maid entered with the let
ter bag.
There" said my wife, passing me a
letter on which was the Leham postmark,
"that breaks your dream, John. "
quickly opened it. 1t was from the
agent, requesting me to meet him at Le
ham that day at / O'Clock to arrange diff
ficulty that had arisen in the performance
of his contract.
was intensely relieved. Here was an
opportunity to 60 to Leham, and perhaps
the very fact of going would put me right.
There were two fast trains to Leham in
the morning, but l decided to go by the
first, regardless Of the fact that l should
have some two hours to wait. So found
myself shortly in a first class compartment
speeding away toward my destination.
The carriage was full. Pipes exhaled
their fragrance, newspapers were turned
and flattencd, and there was that leisurely
kind of morning conversation that prevails
among men going off by an early train to
their days work Their chief topic was
peculiarly interesting case which was to
be finished that day at the Leham assizes.
HE must sum up against the prisoner
surely" said a gentleman with a fat