Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-26
HIS FORTUNE
In A DREAM
But Everybody Is Not
Expected 10 Be
lieve the Story.

There lived at Swaffham, in Norfolk,
a hardworking, industrious man. Who
followed the trade of a tinker.
This man dreamed one night that if
ne took journey to London and placed
himself on a certain part of London
bridge he should there meet with a
person who would communicate some
thing to him of great importance to his
future prospects in life.
This dream made some impression on
the tinker's mind, and he related it very
circumstantially to his wife in the morn
ing, She, however, half laughed and
half scolded at him for his folly in pay
ing attention to such idle fancies and
told him he had better get up and go to
work.
The next night he dreamed the same
again and likewise the third night, when
the impression was so powerful on his
mind that he determined, in spite of the
remonstrances of his wife and the ridi-
cule of his neighbors, to ''go to London
and see the upshot of it.
Accordingly, having made arrange
ments as to the management of his bust
ness during his absence, he furnished
himself with sum of money and set off
Ou lOOI IOl luc uttIOpOllS' uicldhb ooOuh
90 miles. He reached the end of his
journey late ON the third day, and, hav
ing refreshed himself with a nights rest,
he took his station the next morning on
a part of the bridge which corresponded
with the description in his dream.
There he stood all that day without
any communication to the purpose of
his journey. The next day it was the
same and the third, so that toward night
his confidence in his dream as well as
his patience began to be considerably
shaken, and he inwardly cursed himself
for his folly in not yielding to his wife's
advice and resolved that next day he
would leave London and make the best
of his way home again.
However, he kept his station until
late in the evening, when just as he was
about TO leave il stranger who had
noticed him standing doggediy and with
anxious looks on the same spot for some
days accosted him and asked what he
was waiting there for. After some hesi-
tation the tinker told him his errand,
without, however, acquainting him with
the place he came from.
The stranger smiled at his simplicity
and advised him to go home and in fu-
ture pay no attention to dreams.
81 myself" said he, "if l were dis
posed to put faith in such things, might
now go 100 miles into the country upon
q similar errand. | dreamed three nights
this week that if | went to place called
Swaffham, in Norfolk, and dug under an
apple tree in a certain garden on the
north side of the town, l should find
box of money. but have something else
to do than to run after such idle fancies.
No, no, my friend; go home and work
well at your calling, and you will find
there the riches you are seeking here"
The tinker was astonished. This, he
doubted not, was the information he
was seeking but he said nothing fur
ther to the stranger than to thank him
for his advice and to declare his deter
mination to follow it. He Immediately
went to his lodging and the next day
set off for home, which he reached safe.
He said but little to his wife on the
subject of his journey, but rose early
the next morning and commenced dig
ging on the spot supposed to be pointed
out by the stranger. After proceeding
in his work few feet downward his
spade struck against a hard substance,
which, upon clearing the mold from the
top of it, proved to be an iron chest. He
quickly removed it to his house, and,
having with some difficulty broken off
the lid, to his great JOY found it full Of
money.
After securing this treasure he dis
covered upon the outside of the chest
an inscription, which, being no scholar,
he was unable to decipher. He therefore
hit upon the following expedient to as
certain its meaning:
There was in the town a grammar
school, several of the pupils from which
were constantly in the habit of passing
his smithy on their way to and from
school. The tinker judged that by plac-
ing the chest at the door it would excite
the attention of the boys, and thus he
should be able to obtain the object in
view without exciting any suspicion
among his neighbors.
He soon had the opportunity he sought.
A number of the boys having gathered
round, as was their custom, to witness
the operations of the forge, he took oc
casion to challenge their scholastic skill
in the translation of the inscription.
Some shook their heads; others, after
coming over it awhile, said it was not
sufficiently legible.
At length, one older than the rest,
ANXIOUS TO display MS superior learning,
after scraping and brushing off the rust,
gave the following solution of it:
Where this stood
Is another twice as good.
Overjoyed at this information, the
tinker next morning resumed his labor,
and, a little below the ground already
cleared, he found a second chest double
the size of the first, and, like it, filled
with gold and silver coin.
The account goes on to state that, be-
coming thus suddenly a wealthy man, the
tinker showed his gratitude to Provi-
dence by building a new chancel to the
church, the old one being out of repair.
And, whatever fiction the marvellous
taste of those ages may have mixed up
with the tale, certain it is that there is
shown at this day a monument in Swat
ham church having an efigy in marble,
said TO be that of the tinker, with his
dog at his side, and his tools and imple-
ments of trade lying around him.
Mirror.
pPfHEC tn HATHL TILE EVE