The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-10-07
do you'believe in dreams?"


started from the half doze into
which had fallen, in the old-fashioned
country stage-coach, which rumbled sc
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 quilted travelling dress of maroon
merino, and silk hood edged round
with swansdown, through which her
plump face beamed like a 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 damsel of 16.
She had entered the stage at the
last stopping place, and was going on
to Wharton, which place happened also
to be my own destination, and we had
been very chatty and social together,
until the dusk, and the lulling motion,
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,
''Yes-no-I really can't tell"
well, do" said my companion, who
had previously informed me that her
name was Prickett, and that she was
widow, and that her deceased husband
was in the lumber business, and that
she was going to Wharton to attend
the wedding of 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 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"
Il think he was quite right in that
view of the matter" l observed.
Maybe he was; but for all that,
Mary Piner, my own second cousins
darter, was married on a Friday to a
Gabrielson out in Iowa-a real stir
rim, forehanded young feller-and they
hadn't been man and wife a 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
a-goin' to tell you a thing that most
shook Prickett's onbelief, two or three
years afore he died. He died on
Friday, too" observed the old lady.
'Well, it was the day afore Christmas,
and he was goin' on long journey by
rail to see arter a lot O. pine timber
that was to be shipped somewhere
down south. The $40 train he was go
In to take, so laid out everything the
night afore, SOS to be ready-Prickett
was al'ays a dretful punctooal man.
But in the night had the most awful
dream-dead bodies all lynn round
with their arms and legs broken, and
great bloody gashes on 'em, and
walked up, all in cold sweat, and says
/. Prickett, for the good Lords sake,
don't go today! I've had such a
dreami' And / up and told him; and
he poohpoohed me, and called me sill
" old woman to be disturbed by
dream. And he was goin' all the same.
But the horse that was to take him
down to the station broke his leg on
the ice afore it ever got to our house,
30 he had to wait till the IL express,
and | 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 considerable man, and we took
the IL express. And don't We think,
when we got to Dayton, there had been
q awful railroad accident on the GAO