“Oh,” says Catherine Fraser, “tell us a courtship; I dare say you will make great fun of it.”
“No, no,” says Jessie, “tell us a ghost story. Oh! I delight in them.”
“Oh,” said Janet, “tell us about a dream. I know one myself which came out as correct as provin’ a sum.”
“That’s it, Miss Janet,” said I; “do you tell me that story, please, and it’s hard if I can’t find one that will please you in return for it.”
“Yes, do, dear,” said Jessie; “tell Mr Slick that story, for it’s a true one, and I should like to hear what he thinks of it, or how he can account for it.”
“Well,” said Janet, “you must excuse me, Mr Slick, for any mistakes I make, for I don’t speak very good English, and I can hardly tell a story all through in that language.
“I have a brother that lives up one of the branches of the Buctouche River in New Brunswick. He bought a tract of land there four or five years ago, on which there was a house and barn, and about a hundred acres of cleared land. He made extensive improvements on it, and went to a great expense in clearing up the stumps, and buying stock and farming implements, and what not. One season, between plantin’ and harvest, he run short of money for his common daily use, and to pay some little debts he owed, and he was very dull about it. He said he knew he could come here and borrow it from father, but he didn’t like to be away from home so long, and hardly knew how the family was to get on or to pay the wages till his return, so it was agreed that I was to go the next Monday in a vessel bound for Halifax and bring him what he wanted.
“At that time, he had a field back in the woods he was cultivating. Between that and the front on the river, was a poor sand flat covered with spruce, birch, and poplar, and not worth the expense of bringing to for the plough. The road to the back field ran through this wood land. He was very low-spirited about his situation, for he said if he was to borrow the money of a merchant, he would require a mortgage on his place, and perhaps sell it before he knew where he was. Well, that night he woke up his wife, and said to her—
“‘Mary,’ said he, ‘I have had a very curious dream just now. I dreamed that as I was going out to the back lot with the oxcart, I found a large sum of money all in dollars in the road there.’
“‘Well,’ says Mary, ‘I wish it was true, John, but it is too good news for us. The worriment we have had about money lately has set you a dreaming. Janet sails on Monday, she will soon be back, and then it will all be right; so go to sleep again, dear.’