The Washington times., 1918-07-26

whenever I have dropped on 70
sleep. I have not slept much for
the last ten days. but toward the
morning ! suppose I must 60 on
into a sort OF doze. II Is then that
the dreams come, and when awake
feel-oh. so tired and lang1i4.
II Is an effort to get MP, and have
always been such an active woman
Are Your Dreams UnpIcasanfR
"Are these dreams unplsasan1.
Esther" Lillian was sitting upoa
the edge Of the bed. and had taken
her friends cold hands into herA
Tell me about them"
81 can never really remembeP
them" Esther nestled closer =
Lillian as Is she had found protso-
ton 10 the contact II dom think
they are unpleasant. but they are
evil-that is the only word can
md for them can only ASSOCIATES
vivid coloring with them-a jumbo
Of lights and glowing INTERVENING
colors: circles OF deep crimssa and
emerald green expanding and mar
rowing into each other, zigzeg
flashes OF gold and queer indeserib-
able shapes. I know all the time
that I am In this room, but Il seems
to me like some rich Oriental tenn
pie, a place-as felt it-devoted
to weird, uncanny rites. Ny bed
becomes q gaudy-hued couch and I
lie upon II with q delicious sense
OF langour. During those moments
my one desire Is to remain as am,
never to return to the world
which I think Of as q repulsfVs
place-and to spend futurity in this
sensuous oblivion OF things The
awakening IL always painful All
the eoIors merge into q vast blur
OF crimson seem, as IL were, en-
veloped in a crimson veil, or In q
great sheet OF cold flame; II gets
brighter and-brighter, till my eye
cannot stand the glow. / shut them,
and all is blackness.
Then seem to be flaming, falling
from some dizzy height. with .
rushing sound in my ears like the
flowing OF water and q throbbing
like vast machinery at work Then
I wake up, and know that the throb-
bling was that of my own heart and
the rushing water the blood in my
own veins. I ind then that my
limbs are cold, and all the blood IN
my body seems to have been called
to my brain have q splitting
headache, and every moment Il an
agony. The eject passes on very
quickly, but can you wonder that
during the day l do not feel my
self?'
LtEiaa Il Awed-
She ceased speaking, and for
few moments Lillian, too, remained
silent. The IRE burned dimlys and
the small lamp upon the dressing
table cast a subdued glow over the
room: long, enVeloping shadows
crept up the walls. With such sur
roundIngs, with the bare arms OF
the trembling girl clasDing her
neck, with that faint grooming
sound stiL audible-more distaneE
now that she had been accustomod
to hear it-eVen Lillian. who has
disavowed all ideas OF superstiton,
felt an awe Of the unknown, the
inexplicable, stealing upon her.
There are evil things abroad,
Lillian, whispered Esther, and
they bode no good to me. I can
face the knowledge Of them hy
day, but at night it IL terrible.
and I feel so helpless"
II Will stay by your side -
night" said Lillian, after q pause
"and watch. You viii feel haDptR
then
She rose and went to her own
room, where she quickly prepared
herself for her nights vigil she
made certain that her door was
locked, and then she returned -
Esther, closing the partition door
behind her. In Esther's room she
made up the fire: then moved the
night lamp to a small table By her
side, shading the light from Es-
Tiers eyes by means Of the bed
curtains. Then, after affeetionats-
ly kissing the girl and smoothing
the pillow upon which the tired
head had fallen, she settled her
self down with a book, intending
to read tin dawn
The book was dun. It was I'm
fortunate that she had not thoughf
Of supplying herself with sons
thing more Interesting. She could
not concentrate her mind upon ths
page before her. She struggled -
do so, and for a long while read
steadily; then. after having turned
many pages, she realized that sns
had not the Vaguest notion OF what
she had been reading. SooSWhero
in the house q clock struck ? with
Earring sound
A short. Harsh Laugh
Esther was lying IN an uneasy
sleep. She tossed from side to
side, and now and again her lips
moved as IL she were talking 70
herself. She was resting her bead
upon one arm, and her hair had
become Ioosened and had fallen
about her shoulders. The uncanuy
grooming that had come from the
other side of the partition wall had
ceased, but now and again Other
sounds could be distinctly hoard
footsteps. the crea<ing of furnt-
ture, whispering voices, and once
Lillian thought she distinguished .
short, harsh laugh.
Is was a windy night; the windows
Of ESther's room ratified behind their
shutters, the staircase creaked, and
from some distant part OF the house
came the rhythmical slaming Of .
door Under other circumstances
what notice would She have taken Of
these sounds? Was It not possible
that, after all. she was allowing her
overwrought nerves to deceive her9
The footsteps on the stairs-hoW eaS-
lily such a sound could be sfmulateds
And everything else might be explain
ed away: perhaps tomorrow, looking
at matters In the light Of reason. Shs
would so explain them. The picturas
she would have a look at them b.
daylight. The idea that they were
being changed might all have sprung