The Argosy — page 350: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

334 THE DREAMS OF ONE’S OWN FRIENDS. ( Concluded.) AFTER detailing in previous papers curious instances of varied types of historic or reported dreams, it may be interesting to give a few stories which we have heard told by those intimately con- cerned in them, in the writers own circle. In every case the narrators are high-toned and even religious people, moving in respect- able spheres of life, and whose veracity and good sense would certainly not be impugned in any other connection. In our first story, we will call the person subjected to the dream, Mrs. X. She is a quiet, gentle, middle-aged lady, much beloved and esteemed in her circle, the very last person to court anything out of the way or sensational. Part of her life has been spent in Australia and part in England, and she has made many voyages between the two countries, It was just before undertaking one of these that she had the following strange experience. She was about to say farewell to her husband, engaged in his pro- fessional duties, and return to her father’s house. Her father was an elderly gentleman in robust health. He had been twice married and twice widowed. Mrs. X. was the child of his first wife. So much by way of explanation. My friend went to bed and to sleep as usual. But in her sleep she dreamed of herself, as lying on her bed, while past its foot walked her father, with his first wife on his right hand, and his second spouse on his left. There was nothing peculiar in their appearance, nothing tragic in the group, except the strange mingling of the dead and the living. All three looked as they had usually looked, in health and cheerful. But when Mrs. X. awoke, the dream disturbed her with a vague fear of danger or distress overhanging her father. She could not put the vision from her mind, and presently she made a note of the date on which it occurred. She went through her voyage, her latest news from home having been that all there were well and happy, and in eager expectation of her arrival. But as the great vessel moved slowly into dock, there, awaiting her, stood only her sister, clad in deepest mourning. Ere they were even clasped in each other’s arms, the traveller had cried : ‘It is my father! And I know the time he died! ” She was right. The old gentleman had been going about in his accustomed health and spirits, and had dropped down dead, without one moment’s warning, just before (allowing for the difference of time CORNICE LOOKS (GO) i