Mexico Missouri message., 1903-12-03

he felt himself falling failing from
an immeasurnble height--and wolfei
what a hideous dream" he
thought. "fIow weird--how awful--
how reall | would rather lie awake
the whole night through than dream
Just such another. wonder what the
time is7D
He felt for his watch and the
matches, and struck light. Just half
past three-no more. AS he restored
the articles again to their places. he
thought he heard faint sounds Of
movement in the next room.
Evidently I am not the only rest
less person." he said to himself as he
lay down again. Il have companion
IN misfortune. Tomorrow morning
we shall be able to compare expert
ences. Suppose l we're to knock at
the wall and speak to him? But then
/ might disturb someone else and
alarm them. That would never do. l
expect 1t must have been the cucum-
Der that gave me the nightmare. 1
hope l sha'n't have another such
dream; II do, I'll never touch cucUm-
Der any more as long as live" His
eyes closed, and in few moments his
deep and regular breathing showed
that he had again fallen asleep.
And again he dreamt, and the
dream was as follows:
He was lying in his bed, or at least,
so he thought, and, after a while, 1t
seemed to him that it became very
hard and narrow, so that he had no
dark. He tried to turn over upon his
side, but found, as in the other dream
that he could stir neither Hand nor
foot. And what appeared to him
long time, he began to hear sounds
over his head. Sometimes in one
place, sometimes In another, and at
the same time he began to experience
a difficulty in breathing. And still the
sound went on-the sound of some
one hammering-of some one ham
mering nails
The sound of some one hammering
nails into a coffin!
And with that, all at once, the awful
truth broke upon him. He was dead,
and they were mailing him up in his
cofln-dead!
His heart stopped beating as he
grasped the full horror of the situa-
ton.
They were burying him alive! Oh,
orrible!-horriblei
In vain he tried to burst the bonds
of the insensibility in which he was
held. In vain he made frenzied eff
forts to cry aloud. The most frantic
endeavors were unavailing. He was
unable to utter a sound or produce the
smallest movement. Then it seemed
as though some one were trying to
raise the lid of the coffin. There was
a faint, creaking sound-a faint glim-
mer of light was perceptible overhead.
1t increased and Yidened! Oh, Joy!
He was saved-saved! The cofin-lid
was raised little by little-higher and
higher-in another moment he should
be free!
It was done. He saw a face bend
ing over him-a familiar face-the
face of an old friend. Already he hail
Gu uAlAl III llD AAGdA eln lib b0AGAaCNOAt
his deliverer. Then-what were those
words he heard? Words he had heard
before-when was it?
"You can ruin me whenever you
please, but now you are in my pow
er!''
The lid was clapped down again,
leaving him in utter darkness. The
hammering began again. He made
one last tremendous effort and woke.
Woke to find himself sitting bolt
upright, with the Precipitation stream
ing from him. Woke to find the man,
whose voice even now seemed to ring
in his ears as he bent over the open
coffin, standing beside his bed, in the
faint, grey light OF morning.
what brings you here?" gasped
Mr.. Burritt, as soon as he had realized
the fact that the terrible ordeal he
had just passed through was only q
| dream.
II couldn't Sleep" was the response,
''and 1 couldn't lie still any longer,
SO came to see whether you were
awake"
ITO be continued.)