The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-05-03
MARKS BROTHER ORION.
And How His Dreaming Got Him into
Difficulties.

Difficulties.
He was always dreaming; he was I
dreamer from birth, and this characteristic
got him into trouble now aud then
once when he was % or u years ola
and was become journeyman, he con
ceiyed the romantic idea OF coming t'
Hannibal without giving us notice, IN or
der that he might furnish TO the family
A pleasant surprise. II he had gwen no
lice, he would have been informed Una.
We had changed our residence ana tna'
that gruif old bass.voiced sallorlnan, Ut
O.. our family physician, was living ~
fbe house which we had formerly occupied
and that Orion's former room IN tha'
house was now occupied by DIR. G''s two
middle.aged maiden sisters ORION arrived
nj Hannibal Der steamboat in the middle
of the night, and started with his cnsto,
mary eageiness on his excursion, ms lninu
mn ON fire with his romantic project anu
building and enjoying his surprise IN adj
vance. He was always enjoying Things
n advance; il was the make OF MN. ne
never could wait for the event, nut must
build it out OF dream,stuif and ENJOY ~
beforehand consequently sometimes wheh
the event happened he saw that u was
not ns good as the one he had invented
in his Imagination, and so he had lost
profit by not keeping the imaginary one
and letting the reality 60,
/ When he arrived at the house he went
around TO the back door and slipped OIL
/ his boots and cTept upstairs and arrived
/ at the room Of those elderly ladies with
ont having wakened any sleepers. lie un,
l dressed in the dark and got into bed ana
Struggled up against somebody. lie was
/ a little surprised, but not much-ior he
/ thought it was our brother Ben. IL was
/ winter. and the bed was comiortaple'
/ and the supposed Ben added to the com
/ fort-and so he was dropping oil TO sleep
very well satisfied with his progress so
I far and full Of happy dreams OF what was
going to happen in the morning. But
/ something else was going TO happen soon
er than that. and it happened now. Inc
maid that was being crowded TUNED ana
fretted and struggled and presently came
TO a half.waking condition and protested
against the crowding. That voice paral'
wed Orion. lie couldn't move limb;
he couldn't get his breath; and the crowd.
ed one discovered his new whlskers ana
began 10 scream. This removed the paral'
ysis, and Orion was out OF bed and claw
ing round in the dark Tor his clothes IN
fraction Of a second. Both maids began
TO scream. then, so Orion did not wait to
get his whole wardrobe, He started with
such parts OF 1t as he could grab. lie
flew TO the head OF the stairs and started
down. and was paralyzed again at that
noint because he saw the faint yellow
flame of a candle soaring up the stairs
from below and he judged that DIR; q.
was behind it. and he was. He had no
clothes ON to speak of. but no matter, he
was well enough fixed Tor an occasion Ike
this. because he had a butCherknIie IN
his hand. Orion shouted to him, and
this saved his life, for the doctor recog-
nizci hi voice. Then in those deep-sea-
going bass tones of his that | used to adj
mire so much when ! was a little boy, he
explained to Orion the change that had T.
been made. told him where to ind the /
Clemens family, aud closed with some /
quite unnecessary advice about posting
himself before he undertook another adj I
venture like that-adyice which Orion /
probably never needed again as long as /
he lived.
One bitter December night, Orion sat
up reading until three o clock in the morn
ing aud then, without looking at a clock.
sailed forth to call on a young lady, He
hammered and hammered at the door;
couldn't get any response; didn't under
stand it. Anybody else would have re-
garied this as an indication OF some kind
or other aud would have drawn differences
and gone home. But Orion didn't draw
differences. he merely hammered and ham.
mered. and finally the father Of the girl
appeared at the door in a dressing gown.
He had a candle in his hand and the
lressiug-gown was all the clothing he had
ln-except an expression Of unwecome
which was so thick and so large that it
extended all down his front to his instep
and nearly oblterated the dressing gown.
But Orion didn't notice that this was an {
unpleasant expression. He merely walked !
n. The old gentleman took him into the !
aarlor. set the candle on a table, and \
tood, Orion made the usual remarks /
lbout the weather, and sat down-sat 5
Town and talked and talked and went on
alking-that old man looking at HIM vim !
iictvely and waiting for his chance !
Waiting treacherously and Indignantly for I
lis chance. Orion had not asked for the |
Dung lady. 1t was not customary. 1t d
vas understood that a young fellow came {
o see the girl OF the house. not the found d
r Of it. At last Orion got up and made a
ONE remark to the effect that probably @
he young lady was busy and he would 20 h
ow and call again. That was the Old
lans chance and he said with fervency; t
Why good land, aren't you going to stay T.
D breakfast mark Twain's autobiogra- Ii
nv in the North American Review. n