Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-01-25
MYSTERY or DREAMS.
the Wonders the Brain Sees In the
Fraction of q second.

It
Fraction of n second.
q 1t Is not unusual to hear one say that
he has been dreaming about something
all night. when possibly his dream &C.
.cupied only very short time Many
attempts have been made to measure
the time occupied In a dream, and rec
sords appear from time to time in the
papers showing that often elaborate
ones occupy but q few seconds. The
following incident is told by a gentle
man who Vouches for Its accuracy:
He was engaged one afternoon with
q clerk in yerify wing some long columns
of figures that had ybeens copied from
one book to another. The numbers,
representing amounts In dollars and
cents were composed OF six or seven
figures The clerk would read, for In
stance, ourteen, one forty-two.
tweiYe,y making the amount OF $14,-.
Sl42.l u, and the gentleman would an
swer, Check. - to ind icate that the
copy was correct. Page after age had
been read las rapid as the words
could he uttered, each number receivs
ing the check" The work was sdrowsy,
and It was with difficulty he could
keep his eyes open. .3'57
Finally sleep oyercame him, and he
dreamed dreamed OF an old horse he
had been accustomed to drive twenty
1--we or thirty years ago. He could not
recall any special Incident connected
withsthe dream except the locality and
the distinct sight Of the horse and OF
the buggy to which he had driven him.
He awoke suddenly and, az number
was ended, called Check. = He was
conscious Of having slept and Of hav-
ing dreamed and said to the clerk:
Charlie, have been asleep. How
many Of those numbers have j miss
ed r. s one,,' he replied You have
checked every one = Close question
ing developed the fact that of the fig.
ures $14,142.1 IL he had heard the four
teen and the twelve. but; Ind slept and
dreamed during the time occupied in
rapidly uttering the words zone forty
two. n He tried w reading other mum
bers to measure the time and thinks 1t
could not have beer more than half a
second. .ssS.s
Another story is told of man who
sat before his fire in a drowsy condi-
ton. draft blowing across the
room set large photograph On the
mantel to sWaYing. As slender vase
was In front Of 1t, and the man re
members wondering in a mood Of
whimsical indi frerence. whether the
picture would blow forward and serd
| the vase to the floor. rs II 4
Finally a gust OF wind did topple the
picture, and 1t struck the vase The
man remembers having been curiously
relieved In his state Of drowsiness that
at last the ssold thing was going to fall
and be done with il. e ss5$ 5s.
Presently he was In tie midstsof q
complicated business transaction In q
western city miles away. All the de
tails OF q new and unheard Of scheme
were coming forth from his lips; and "A
board OF directors was listening. The
scheme prospered. he moved his fam
fly west fragments of the journey
thither and glimpses OF the fine house
he bought came before his vision.
"A crash woke him. The vase had
struck the floor. He had dreamed an
unlived life covering years, and all In
The time It took for the vase which he
had seen topping before he fell asleep
to fall 6Fe feet and break. Youths
Companion. III