The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-09-02
A STRANGE DREAM
By ELLEN HUMPHREY.
Copyright, 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa
per Syndicate.l

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Copyright. 1913, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
Mrs. Hill had been alone all day.
Even her hired maid was gone, as 1t
was her day of. She was very lonely.
It was her seventy-third birthday and
she had not even received card. Had
they all forgotten her? All she had, of
her very own, were her three grand
daughters, Laura, Bertha and Marion.
They were all married and had homes
of their own, so why should they think
Of her, although she had loved them
all.
A sadness had come over her today
that she had never felt so strongly
before, If some Of them were only near
her.
Jane came In and called to her q
cheerful goodnight. Jane was q good
girl and Mrs. Hill liked her, but she
was young and had friends Of her
own.
II will go to bed and forget" sighed
Mrs. Hill.
That night she dreamt she was on
the street Of the town In which she
lived and there was great excitement;
people were hurrying in one direction,
80 she asked a man what the trouble
was. He told her that the Leslie &
Marsh banking corporation had failed.
Why, that was the bank where she
kept her money. The excitement
awoke her and she was very glad to
find it had been only dream. After a
while she went to sleep again and had
the same dream, only 1t was more real
this time. When she awoke the Sec
ond time she could not quiet herself
enough to sleep any more that night.
The next day Mrs. Hill decided to
draw her money out Of the bank and
keep 1t in her safe at home.
Weeks passed, nothing had hap
pened in the bank and she told herself
she was q "superstitious old silly"
She had about made up her mind to
deposit her money in the bank again,
when one morning, after breakfast,
Jane came running in from her shop
ping trip all excited.
"Oh, Mrs. Hill, there's great excite
ment downstreet. The Leslie and some
thing bank has failed!"
''What bank?" exclaimed Mrs. Hill.
1.-THE Leslie and some other name I
didn't quite get-why, did you have
any money in tt7"
NO." answered Mrs. Hill quietly,
''but it Is strange"
Three days later she received three
letters from her three granddaughter.
They all knew her money had been in
the bank that had failed. She opened
Bertha's letter first and it read:
Dear Grandma-I have just heard
the awful news about the bank failure.
What are you going to dO2 would
ask you to come and stay with us for
while, but we are going away for the
summer and could not leave you alone
very well. Please write and let me
know what you are going to do, as I
am very anxious about you.
Lovingly, BERTHA"
Mrs Hill took up the next one and
read:
'rDear Grandmother-I was shocked
when I heard of the banks failure
where you kept your money. What
will you do? Can't you let your house
and keep a room in it? It would seem
more like home than anywhere else.
I will 60 to see you as soon as can.
"Yours, with love, LAURA"
"Well," said Mrs. Hill, and she took
off her glasses to wipe the tears out
of her eyes, II wonder what Marion
will want me to do?" and she opened
the third letter with trembling fin
gers and quivering lips"
Dearest Grandma" wrote Marion.
Il was very sorry to hear that the
bank where you kept your money had
failed, but that isn't nearly as bad as
if something had happened to you.
Now, grandma, dear, George and !
want you to come and live with us;
we have a nice room and you can
bring some of your things If you want
to. It Is beautiful here on the farm