Year: 1877

spherical form would not be damaged by
contact herewith. Now whether the good
lady had so unconsciously arrived ut this
conclusion in the course of her meditation
on the subject as to cause her mind to be
impressed with it in dream it is of no
Importance to inquire; most probably,
however, such was the case but she was Il
truthful woman, and to her dying day de-
clared that the idea came to her in a
dream, and in no other way.


-" The day broke, and my grandmother,
all lmpatience to test the truth of her
vision, determined at once to try the ex-
pertinent. Opposite her house was church
with lofty tower, which she selected rs
the most suitable place of operation. The
sexton was neighbor. From him she
borrowed the key, and by six o'clock in
the morning my grandfather had got his
apparatus ready, and with charcoal burn
er, some lead, II bucket of water, and the
shot-card, us the implement was called
through which the melted lead was pour
ed to form drops, both husband and wife,
with great secrecy, repaired to the old
church, and locked themselves in. The
staircase OF the tower was circular, so that
a wall of great distance from its summit
formed most convenient shot factory,
and at the top of it Mr.. Watts placed his
card, while at its bottom my grandmoth-
er stood beside the bucket of water, on the
contents of which, before long, so much
might depend.


"All was at last ready, and down came
the molten shower Of glisteniug metallic
drops. Kissing and spluttering, they fell
into the water, until all the lead was used,
and then, with eager haste. my grand
mother plunged her hand into the now
warm fluid and drew quantity of the shot
therefrom. Selecting one, she examined
it with microscopic eye, and then an
other and another were subjected to the
same scrutiny. Each and all were ascer-
tanned to be faultess in form and spheri-
city. The great triumph had been acbiey-
ed; the night vision was sober reality,
and when Mr.. Watts came down from his
extemporized workshop above, she flung
her arms around his neck and exclaimed:


"' There, my dear, what do you say to
my dream now?'


What he said in reply, gentleman, l
don't know, but know what he did. He
went off, after breakfast and applied for
patient, which in due time he secured.
He then built IL shot-tower in his native
city, Bristol, the first in the world and soon
acquiring a large fortune retired from
trade. But his prudent wife died, and
with her went his good luck. lie COM
menced building at Clifton II proposed
magnificent terrace, on which was to be
reared row of splendid houses. But
having sold his patient, he could not get
enough ready cash to carry out his inten-
tions, and on the foundations only of his
great work he expended every shilling he
had in the world. The luckless place is
called Watts Folly to this day.


The end OF my poor grandfather was
tragical. Having begged II bag of shot
from the person to whom he had disposed
of his right in the patient, he put heavy
charge into gun and shot himself through
the head. His son, my father, struggled
through the world in poverty and neglect,
till he died, leaving me penniless, and
that, gentleman, is how it came to pass
that ventured to this country, in hopes of
lettering my fortune. Now you will un-
derstand why it is that am here, and also
how it comes that that wild turkey is
browning so nicely before the fire.