Year: 1873

truss of straw in the loft at night"


Whereupon he went into the house
and sent out his daughter with the
bread and cheese md beer, and she sat
down beside the young man and asked
him to tell her Of the foreign lands,
and in return told him all the village
gossip.


Suddenly she rose, leaned toward the
stranger, and said:


"Pray tell mewhat those three leaves
re, sticking out of your waistcoat?"


The young man looked down and
found the twig, with three leaves,
which had fallen upon him while he
slept. 1t was caught in the lap of his
waistcoat.


eft must have fallen from the great
beech tree just outside the village" he
replied. "I had nap under it.


When he ceased speaking, she began
to question him narrowly, till she had
ascertained beyond doubt that he had
really fallen asleep under the great
beech tree, and that, moreover, he knew
nothing of the wonderful power and
properties attached to the tree. For he
was a sly dog, and pretended to know
nothing.


As soon as she had done questioning.
she drew him another jug of beer, and
pressed him to drink, telling him all
the lovely things she had herself dream
ed, and what pity it was they had not
come true.


Just then the shepherd came from
the field, driving his sheep through the
village.


As he passed the Crown Inn, he saw
the two sitting in the arbor, in earnest
converse, and he stood moment and
said.


"Ah, yes he'll be sure to tell you
the beautiful dream" And then he
drove on his sheep.


When the girl found that she could
not learn anything about the dream, her
curiosity knew no bounds, and she ask
ed him outright what he had dreamt
while sleeping under the beech.


Then the young man, who was mis-
chievous rogue, and in very higE spir-
its about his pleasant dream, with sly
look and wink said


"Ah 1 had a most glorious dream,
which must come true but I dare not
tell you what it was"


But she worried and teased him so
that at last he drew his chair toward her
and told her quite gravely:


81 dreamt should marry the daugh-
ter of the landlord of the Crown Inn,
and that after bit l should become
landlord myself"


On hearing this the girl grew as white
lily and then as red as rose, and got
up and walked into the house. Then,
after some little time she came again,
and asked if he had really dreamt it,
and was quite in earnest.


"To be sure, to be sure" said he
she who appeared to me in the dream
was most certainly just like you"


Then the girl went again into the
house. She walked straight to her own
room, and thoughts flowed through her
brain like water that runneth apace.
"He knows nothing about the tree, "
she said to herself, " he dreamt it, and
whether I wish it or not, it will surely
come to pass there is no possibility of
changing that" And with this she
went to bed. When she awoke the next
morning she knew his face by heart,
so often had she seen it in her dreams
during the night.


The young man had slept soundly on
his bed of straw. Dreaming Beech
dream, and all he had said to the land
lords daughter, were alike forgotten.
He stood at the door of the tap-room,
and was just shaking the landlords
hand, and wishing him goodbye, as the
girl entered. On seeing him ready to
start, an anindescribable feeling came over
her, and she could not let him 90.


Father" she said, "the beer has
not yet been tapped, and the young
man has nothing to do; couldn't he
stay 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 progress
ed 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 field work, and
when that was finished there was &c
many things to be done in the garden
that no one ever dreamt of before. So
week after week slipped by, and every
night she dreamt of him.


And so it came to pass that at the END
of the year the young man was still at
the house. And then the floors were
we'll secured and white sand fir twigs
were thrown in all the rooms, and the
whole village had holiday. 1t was the
wedding day of the young journeymar
and the innkeeper's daughter; and
everybody rejoiced at it, except JUS
the few who sulked because they were
Jealous, or pretended to be.


Not long after, the landlord of the
Crown inn was decidedly once more il
happy frame of mind. He had beer
eating and drinking to his hearts con
tent, and sat in his arm chair with his
snuff-bo on his knee. Long he slept
and at last when they tried to wake him
they found he was dead.


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