The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-09-07
Aunt Prickett's Dream.
By Helen Forrest Graves.
"po yon belleve in dreams ."


which had fallen, in the old-fashoned
country stage-coach, which rumbled so
drowsily along the road. 1t was an
evening in December; the gray, storm
threatening day closing into yet gray
er twilight; the earth cleaning white
in its mantle of snow, save where dense
pine woods, like groups of black
draped monks, were huddled together,
their gloomy booths thrilling in the
bleak blast
My only companion was an old lady
in a quilted travelling dress of maroon
merino and a silk hood edged round
with swansdown, through which her
plump face beamed like ripe winter
apple. Old ladies are not always spec
tacled ogresses, and this old lady was
really and absolutely pretty, with her
fresh complexion, her bands of smooth,
silvery hair, and the blue eyes which,
even now, were bright and sparkling
enough for a damsel of 1G.
She had entered the stage at the
last stopping place, and was going on
to Wharton, which place happened also
been very chatty and social together,
until the dusk, and the lulling molten,
and my own weariness-for had come
from New York that morning-had
somehow half enticed me into that de-
batable land which is neither slumber
nor waking.
DO believe in dreams?' repeated,
tn1
"Well, do said my companion, who
had previously informed me that her
name was Prickett, and that she was a
widow, and that her deceased husband
was in the lumber business, and that
she was going to Wharton to attend
the wedding of a wealthy and favorite
niece, together with various and sundry
other items, equally interesting and
miscellaneous. Il think they're sent to
us like a kind o. warnin'. Prickett
never could see the thing as | did. He
always held out to his dyin' day, that
If you dreamed a thing twas nothin'
more than chance; and he hadn't no
superstitious feelin's bout Fridays,
neither-always claimed that one of
the Lords days was as coed as an
other"
81 think he was quite right in that
view of the matter" / observed.
Maybe he was; but for all that,
Mary Piner, my own second cousins
darter, was married on a Friday to
Gabrielson out in Iowa-a real stir
rim, forehanded young feller-and they
hadn't been man and wife year afore
a tree he was a-cuttin down fell on
him and crushed his skull. And Susan
Bean, she was born on Friday, and she
was the onluckiest creetur. Fell
downstairs afore she was two year old
and hurt her spine; had smallpox; lost
both her parents O. fever when she
want 10, and finally got killed in a
railroad accident"
"All these might have been mere
condolences" argued.
"That was just what Prickett used
to say; but, good land! life amt made
up entirely of condolences. But we
was a-talkin' about dreams, and | was
argoin' to tell you thing that most
shook Prickett's onbelief, two or three
years afore he died. He died on a
Friday, too" observed the old lady.
''Well, it was the day afore Christmas,
and he was goin' on a long journey by
rail to see arter a lot O. pine timber
that was TO be shipped somewhere
down south. The GAO train he was 60
in to take, so laid out everything the
night afore, SOS to be ready-Prickett
was alays a dretful punctooal man.
But in the night had the most awful
dream-dead bodies all lyin' round
with their arms and legs broken, and
great bloody. gashes on EN-, and
i, 'Prickett, for the good Lords sake,
don't go today! I've had such a
dream!' And up and told him; and
he poohpoohed me, and called me a sill
ly old woman to be disturbed by a
dream. And he was goin' all the same
But the horse that was to take him
down to the station broke his leg on
30 he had to wait till the IL express
and I felt SO worried like about him
nothin' would answer but l must get
ready and go along too. So when
Prickett saw how felt about it, he
didn't make no objection, for he was a
dretful considerate man, and we took
the 12 express. And don't ye think
when we got to Dayton, there had been
q awful railroad accident on the SAC
train that very morning, and there was
the cars all smashed up. and the peo-
pie lynn all round, just exactly as
had seen 'em In my dream, for hell
hadn't come till cur train reached 'em!
There-what do you think Of that?"
at was a very singular combination
of circumstances, certainly"
"And that amt the only queer dream
. had an has come true. There was my
sister Malina, that married Deacon
Ritter. l dreamed one night saw hei
2-countin' gold pieces into a earthert
brock. cosintin' up to 400. and 1t Wa,