Year: 1873

ed SJralglb 10 lef own room anu
thoughts flowed through her brain
like water that runneth apace. First
one idea, then another chased it away
till back came the first thoughts.
There was no end to the confusion.
"He knows nothing about the tree, I"
she said to herself, 'Le-dreamt it, and
whether / wish it or NO, it will surely
come to pass there's no possibility of
changing that.H And with this she
went to bed, and dreamt the whole
night of the young man. When she
awoke the next morning, she knew
! his face by heart, so often had she
seen it in her dreams during the
night. And he was very good look
ing fellow too.


The young man had slept soundly
on his bed Of straw. Dreaming Beech,
dream, and all he had said to the
landlords daughter were alike forgot
4 ten. He stood at the door of the tap
room, and was just shaking the land
lerd's hand, and wishing him "good
bye, } when the girl entered. On see
ing him ready to start, an indescrib-
able feeling came over her, and she
could not let him go.


'rFather," she said, "the beer has
not yet been tapped, and the young
man has nothing to do; couldn't he
staya day longer and earn his board
and lodging, and get something beside
Tor 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 pro-
gressed but slowly. Then came bot
Ting 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 done
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 III the arbor by the house, and
when he told her how roughly stran-
gers had treated him, and what hard.
ships he had gone through, it was real
| ly very singular, but gnat or a 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 well secured, and white
sand and fir twigs were strewn in au
the rooms, and the whole village had
Ia holiday. 1t was the wedding day OF
theyoung journeyman and the inn
keepers daughter and everybody re-
joiced at it, except the few who sulk.
ed because they were jealous, or pre-
tended to be so.
Not long after, the landlord of the
Crown Inn was decidedly once more
in a happy frame of mind. He had
been eating and drinking to his hearts
content, and sat in his armchair with
his snuff box on his knee. Long he
slept and at last, when they tried to
wake him, they found he was dead


So the young jour1feyman became
really landlord of the Crown, as he
said he would in a joke. And, indeed,
all that he had dreamed under the
beech tree came true, for soon he had
two lovely children, one of which he
probably took sometimes on his knee
and fed with a spoon, and possibly
blew upon the food when it was too
hot. Perhaps the other boy ran about
the room with carrot; but the person
who told me this tale did not mention
this fact, and forgot to ask him about
it. But it must have happened so, be-
cause whateVer one drearnt nnder the
beech tree always did come true, to
the very letter.


One day, about five years later, the
young landlord, for such he now was,
mad come in, and was sitting in the
tap-foom, 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 Caspar, who is half-witted, and
eyerybodS pities and keeps only for
charity. What on earth will he do
with all his money 2"


"Wife," laughed the husband, show
can you believe in such rubbish? You,
q sensible woman! Just reflect for
one moment. How is 1t possible
tree can fortel the future-let it be
ever such an old and beautiful tree 2n


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


Husband, don't speak SO wiekedlyI
You ought not to joke on such sub
jects." --s-.1f .-efs -.tr


81 am not joking my DEAR" replied
the husband


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


'Why pretend what you do not
mean2 Surely, you, of all others,
have most reason TO be grateful to the
tree. Hasn't all you dreamt under it
come true ?n


'tGod knows,r said tue husband,
when she had finished speaking
sSGOd knows am grateful to Him and
nyou. Yes it was q beautiful dream,
and remember it like yesterday; but
everything is thousand times better
than / dreamt it, and you. love, q
thousand times prettier and deareT
than the young woman who appeared
| Ia my dream. But as regards the tree,
my darling, this is my opinion: If 3
man loves to dance, he will soon find
the music to dance to, and echo re-
peats the words that are spoken to her.
1 had been so many years wretched
and miserable amongst strangers, it
was no wonder if once in a way
dreamt pleasant dream"


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


81 never dreamt that All L saw
was young woman, with two child
rem, but she was not half as pretty as
you or the children either"


"Fie!n cried the wife; "do you
mean to deny me or the tree? Didn't
you tell me the first day we met? It
was in the evening, ont there in the
arbor. Didn't you tell me you dreamt
you were to marry me and become
landlord of the Crown Inn?"


Then the man remembered the joke
he had played his wife, aud said


at can't be helped, dear wife. II
did not really dream Of you, and If /
said so, it was only joke. I remem-
ber yOa-were-sO-iB4uisitiVe, and
wanted to tease you"


Upon this the wife burst into q food
of tears, and left the room. When he
followed her she was standing in the
court yard crying. He did an hecouid
to comfort her, but in vain.


"YOu have stolen my love, and
cheated me of my heart" she said,
''I shall never be happy again, no
never!


Then he asked her If she did not
iove him more than anybody in the
world, and If they had not been the
happiest couple in the whole village?


She could not deny this; but, never
theless, she remained sad and miser-