Year: 1873

came over her, and she could not let
him go.


.. Father" she said, "the beer has
not yet been tapped, ard the young
man has nothing to do +; couldn't he stay
a day longer, and earn his board and
lodging, and get something beside for
the journey home?'


The landlord had no objection to make
to this proposal, as he had just had his
morning draught, and was in the best of
humOr.


Somehow the beer-tapping progressed
but slowly. Then came bottling the
wine, and when the cask was empty and
the bottles full, then the girl thought
he could help in the feld-work, and when
that was finished there were so many
things to be done in the garden that no
one ever thought of before. So week
after week slipped by, and every night
she dreamt of him. In the evenings
she sat with him in the arbor by the
house, and when he told her how
roughly strangers had treated him, and
what hardships he had gone through, it
was really very singular, but a gnat or
hair was sure to get into her eyes, so
that she was obliged to wipe them with
the corner of her apron.


And so it came to pass that at the end
of the year the young man was still in
the house. And then the floors were
secured, and white sand and fir twigs
strewn in all the rooms, and the whole
village had holiday 1t was the we'd
ding day of the young journeyman and
the innkeeper's daughter; and every
body rejoiced at it, except just the few
who sulked because they were Jealous or
pretended to be so.


Not long after, the landlord of the
Grown Inn was decidedly once more in
a happy frame of mind He had been
eating and drinking to his hearts con-
tent, and sat in his armchair with his
snuff-box on his knee. Long he slept
and at last, when they tried to awake
him, they found he was dead


So the young journeyman became
really landlord of the Grown, as he said
he would in joke. And, indeed, all that
he had dreamt under the beech tree
came true, for soon he had two lovely
children. one of whom he probably took
sometimes ON his knees, and fed with a
spoon, and possibly blew upon the food
when it was too hot. Perhaps, too, the
other boy ran about the room with the
carrot; but the person who told this
tale did not happen to mention the fact,
and I forgot to ask about it. But it
must have happened so, because what
ever one dreamt under the beech-tree
always did come true, to the very let
ter.


One day, about five years later, the
young landlord, for such he now was,
had come in, and IVES sitting in the tap
room, when his wife ran in, and said to
him


"Only fancy yesterday at noon one
of our mowers fell asleep under the
Dreaming Beech, without knowing it,
and what do you think he dreamt !?
Why, that he was immensely rich and
only think who it was-Caspar, old Cas-
par, who is half-witted, and everybody
pities and keeps only for charity. What
on earth will he do with all his money!"


Wife, laughed the husband, chow
can you believe such rubbish? You, a
sensible woman! Just reflect for one
moment. How is it possible tree can
foreten the future-let it be ever such
an old and beautiful tree ?'


The wife gazed at her husband with
wondering eyes, shook her head, and
said slowly:


" Husband, don't speak so wickedly !
You ought not to joke on such SUBJ
jects.


" I am not joking, my dear, replied
her husband


For time the woman was silent, as if
she had not rightly understood him.
Then she said:


Why pretend what you do not
mean ? Surely you, of all others, have
most reason to be grateful to the tree.
Hasn't all you dreamt under it come
true?"


"God knows, replied the husband,
when she had finished speaking God
knows I am grateful, grateful to Him
and to you. Yes, it was beautiful
dream, and / remember it like yester-
day ; but everything is thousand times
better than dreamt it, and you, love, a
thousand times prettier and dearer than
the young woman who appeared in my
dream. But as regards the tree, my
darling, this is my opinion If man
loves dancing, he will soon find
the music to dance to, and echo re-
peats the words that are spoken to her.
[ had been for so many years wretched
and miserable amongst strangers, it was
no wonder if once in a way I dreamt a
pleasant dream" I"


But still it was strange that you
should dream you were to marry me-"


a." [ never dreamt that All [ saw was
a young woman, with two children, but
she was not half as pretty as you, or the
children either"


" "Fie p cried the wife; edo you
mean to deny me or the tree? Didn't
you tell me the first day we met !? It
was in the evening, out there in the
arbor. Didn't you tell me you had
dreamt you were to marry me and be-
come the landlord of the Grown Inn ?'


Then the man remembered the Joke
he had played his wife, and said


1t can't be helped, dear wife. I
did not really dream of you, and if I
said SO, it was only joke. I remem-
Der you were so very inquisitive. and I
wanted to tease you"


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