The times., 1900-12-25
THE WEARS CONVERSION.

he vas walking on the trim gravel path
between the lych- gate and the church
door had heard that church clock strike
six on every morning Of his seyenty-two
years.
These are fancies. Jan, and repre-
hensible. 1t is disheartening TO notice
how the traditions of ignorance still live
in distant Villages. In olden times there
was more excuse, and to be sure in
stances were more common. An uneX-
pseted draught of wind on q calm day
and a rustic of the trees, and at once it
IVES the fairies calling. Horse and Hat
took as they were transported from
place to place. To see ones self in
dream divided into two-fold person
was 4 sign of DEATH doubtless because
such a vision had happened TO man in
a 1elirium and near his end. Supersti-
tion was an excuse, too. for quacks, and
by them encouraged. There was a miller
in Norfolk who owned Z beryl set in
circle OF silver, on which were engraved
the names of four angels-Ariel, Raph-
ael, Michael, and Gabriel-and in this
beryl he professed to see prescriptions
written on the images of herbs, and so
to cure the sick.
Jan shook his head in admiration OF the
Wears harangue.
There's book-larr in every word,
said he.
Then there are-the phantasmata
proper" continued the vicar, such as
corpse-caHdles, which, rightly under
stood. are ne mere than Will-o'-the-
wisps or marsh fires and exhalations of
the soil, and when seen in church yards
are indeed an argument for cremation.
The vicar was enjoying his lecture too
much to remark the look of dismay on
Jams old, wrlnkied face, or TO pay any
heed to his expostulation against that or
any argument for cremation. He bore
Jan down with knowledge.
Besides these, there are the appari-
tions, reserved, ii would SEEM he con-
tinued, with a severe look at Jan, Ito
those who have the second sight. The
Scotch are the chief offenders in claim
ing that gift, and they tell many >-ridicu-
lous stories about meeting people on the
high road with winding sheets up 10 their
knees or necks according as they are to
die, Immediately or only soon. There is
a legend told of the Maeleans, whose
child's nurse began suddenly to weep
when she saw Maclean and his lady
entering together. She wept, it seems,
because she saw between them a man in
a scarlet cloak and a white hat, who
gave the lady a kiss. And the meaning
of that rubbish was that Maclean would
die and his lady marry again, and marry
a man in a scarlet cloak and a white
hat"
AN did she?" interrupted Jan.
Ibid she!" said the vicar, with 5corn.
Would any woman marry a man III
scarlet cloak and a white hat?"
"She~lnight be daft Ioike, said Jan.
The vicar waved the suggestion aside
THE Scotch. indeed, make the most
absurd pretensions. Aubrey writes that
in the Island OF Skye they offered iE his
day 10 teach second sight for a pound of
tobacco"
They couldn't du that" said Jan.
''Tisn't to be larned. 'Tis born in
body. so 10 speak. My feyther had it
afoTe me-
Now, JAM" interrupted the vicar, Il
cannot lister to you. II is mere pre-
sumption for you to speak in that way"
BE sure. vicar replied Jan. 'oi aren't
proud o. the gift. Would git rid of il if
oi eud. 'Tain't pleasant to sit supping
your yale with them as you knows are
corpses already, so to say, and many
years olive never been near church yard
at all on New Years Eve. so as OF
moightn't knsw. But when Oh du come.
sure enough all who are goin' to dol
durin' the year comes doan the lane.
through the gate. and up the
path into church. An those who'll dol
first comes first. They don't wear no
sheets or trappfn's. but they comes in
their cloathes. opens gate, and so into
church. An Oill prove it to yeu, vicar"
"How2''
"Oi1l watch tomorrow, bein' New Years
Eve, and Oi'll wrote down the names of
the three who first go through the. gate.
Then Oi'll put the names in envelopes and
mark 'em outside one two three and
give you the envelopes. Then, when The
first person doies you open the first en-
velope. and there you'll find the name.
and same wi the second and the third"
The vicar was in quandary. Il was
undignifed to accept the challenge; it
would seem cowardIy to refuse il. He
compounded with his dignity and ac-
cepted-
Not because 1 have any doubts myself"
he said to Jan, but in order to convince
you of the absurdity of your pretension."
On the first OF January the three en-
velopes we're delivered TO him by Jan.
They were sealed and numbered The
vicar tossed them contemptuously into a
drawer and locked them up He forgot
them altogether until the end of the
month, when he was summoned hastily to
the bedside of laborer who was i'll with
influenza The man was very oId-etynty
four, the doctor said
Is there chance of his Hving?" asked
the vicar when he came out Of the cot
taer with the uoctor.
Not one in ten thousand He has been
breaking for months. Last autumn I
1idn't think he would see another sum-
D1er.'
The Yic.= met Jan in the street and
remembered the envelopes. He shrugged
his shoulders at the recollection of the
ridiculous challenge and went home to |
his study. His uncompleted sermon Law |
on his desk and he sat down to it. In a |
minute or two he went to his bookcase
for reference and. standing before his |
shelves, forgot why ne had risen from
his chair. He vas thinking. after all
old Peter Stewer's death was an easy
guess" He went back to his table and
unlocked the drawer 1t wouldn't be a
proof if Peter Stewer's name was in en-
velope No. l." He took out envelope No
J. Anyone, ii seemed, might have known
in the autumn that Peter Stewer was
breaking" And his next thought was.
These envelopes are very Thick He woke
UP with start to realize that he was
holding the envelope up to the light of
the window, and ne tossed 1t back i'm
patiently and snapped the drawer to |
Peter Stewer died at o'clock In the |
morning, The vicar heard the news al |
,. as he was walking to the cottage. and
he suddenly turned back as though he |
were going home. He changed his mind
however. and turned again, continuing |
his walk to the cottage
He was eighty-four" said Peters |
daughter, phlegmatically
"a ripe age" replied the vicar.
He repeated "Eighty-four'' TO himself |
more than once as he went home Eighty /
four. Very likely his names in the en- !
velope. There's no proof in that" ard |
he felt himself grabbed by the arm. II |
was the doctor who had caught hold of |