Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-05-12

Saturday at 75 cents a day and soon thereafter was able to have a necktie and pair of fine boots and barber now and then to control the length of his hair.
 Trove burnt the candles freely and was able. but never brilliant, in his work that year owing, as all who knew him agreed, to great modesty and small confidence. He was kindly, big hearted fellow and had wit and a knowledge of animals and of wood craft that made him excellent com pany. His schoolboy diary has been of great service to all with wish to un- derstand him. On faded leaf in the old book one may read as follows:
 I have received letters in the handwrit- ing of girls, unsigned. They think they are in love with me and say foolish things. I know what they're up to. They are the kind my mother spoke of-the kind that set their traps for fool, and when he's caught they use him for thing to laugh at. They're not going to catch me.
 Expenses for seven days have been $1.1A Clint Mccormick spent 60 cents to take his girl to a show, and had to help him through the week. I told him he ought to love Caesar less and Rome more.
 Then follows the odd entry without which it is doubtful if the history of Sidney Trove could ever have been written. At least only guess would have been possible, where now is cer- tainty. And here is the entry:
 Since leaving home the men of the dark have been very troublesome. They wake me about every other night, and some- times wonder what they mean.
 Now an odd thing had developed in the mystery of the boy. Even before, he could distinguish between reality and its shadow that we see in dreams he used often to start up with loud cry of fear in the night. When small boy, he used to explain 1t briefly by saying. s'The men in the dark" Later he used to say, "The men outdoors in the dark" At ten years of age he went off on three days journey with the Aliens. They put up in tavern that had many rooms and stairways and large windows. It was a while after his return of an evening, before candlelight, when gray curtain of dusk had dlmmed the windows, that he first told the story. soon oft repeated and familiar, of "the men in the dark" -at least he went as far as he knew. |, .I dream" he was wont to say in after life. that am listening in the still night alone. am always alone. l hear sound in the silence, of what I cannot be sure. I discover then, or seem to. that stand in dark room and tremble with great fear, of what do not know. I walk along swiftly in bare feet I am so fearful of making noise. am feeling, feeling, my hands out in the dark. Presently they touch wall and I follow it and then I discover that I am going downstairs. It Is long journey. At last am in a room where I can see windows, and, beyond, the dim light of the moon. Now seem to be wrapped in fearful silence. Stealthily I go near the door. Its upper half is glass, and beyond it I can see the dark forms of men. One is peering through, with face upon the pane I know the other is trying the lock, but I hear no sound. I am in silence like that of the grave. I try to speak. My lips move; but. try as I may, no sound comes out of them. A sharp terror is prlcking into me, and I finch as if it were a knife blade. We'll, sir, that is thing cannot understand. You know me. am not a coward If I were really in like scene fear would be the least of my emotions, but in the dream tremble and am afraid. Slow ly. silently. the door opens, the men of the dark enter. wall and windows be- gin to reel. hear a quick, loud cry, rending the silence and falling into a roar like that of flooding waters. Then I wake and my dream Is ended for that night"
 Now. men have had more thrilling and remarka able dreams. but that of the boy Trove was as link in a chain, lengthening with his life and ever bind ing him to some event far beyond the reach of his memory.