From Wealth to Poverty; Or, the Tricks of the Traffic. A Story of the Drink Curse

e than one? Does thee not remember I told thee that on the first day, just before William Gurney d

and knoo some one was going to die, and that thee thought there was going to be more

t speaker, and there was an accent of tri

s going to be a death just before Martha Foxe's child died; and whenever thee has told me that such was to be t

be kind of easy like, I then know it will be quite a while. Now, I hearn three raps last night. I was awakened about one o'clock. I knoo it was one, 'cause I had the rheumatiz so bad I couldn't sleep, and so I got up and went to the fire to keep warm. I thought I would put my horn to my ear, and I jest caught the faintest sound of the roosters crow

nge; but God's ways are mysteri

ere is goen to be another death; for I never

nly, "I wonder who will

e, "and he ain't going to do wr

ago; for ain't we all jest like wheat waiting for the sickle, or like corn waiting till the time comes to be plucked by the Death Angel? I suppose my heavenly Father reveals more to me than He does to others, 'cause He, in His wisdom, has taken so much from me. He has left me here a poor old woman, deaf, blind, and lame. I can't see the faces of my friends through these poor sightless eyes, nor the beauties of the fields and sky

hey ever retained a profound respect for the Church of their childhood. In fact a great many of their relatives, and a very large circle of friends in the surrounding country, belonged to that

upon one of these visits. One of the parties present on this occasion

forgave James and Martha Gurney for leaving the Church of their fathers. She had been a widow for more than thirty years, her husband having b

t she was certainly a woman of great force of character-a living embodiment of the Scripture maxim, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might." And even now, in extreme old age-for she was more than four score-though in many ways she manifested

very superstitious, being implicit believers in signs, charms, apparitions, etc.; and most of them, also, entertain the opinion that the moon exerts an occult influence over many things of vital importance to the residents of this mundane sphere;

ll hours of the night are considered a "death call," and when heard by them they expect soon to learn of the decease o

seeing more visions, and dreaming more dreams, than any person in that section of country. She was also viewed by her friends as an oracle, in inter

ed as Enoch. He certainly was not the predominant spirit of the family; for he was so quiet and unobtrusive as to scarcely ever utter a word, except it might be to make a remark in regar

eculiar dreams latel

ad a perfectly awful

was it, Rachel?"

en very pretty when she was living. There were orange blossoms on her bosom and also in her hair. The features 'peared familiar, but I could not, for the life of me, make out who she was, nor can I yet, though I see her ghastly face ever before me, and think I shall thus s

humor, and he delighted to quiz Aunt Debie and her Quaker friends in respect to their superstitious fancies. But Aunt Debie could not look upon this levity with any degree of allowance, in fact, she vie

ad said, which so roused the old lady that she said to h

may be convinced some day in a manner that thee will not lik

see that some friend of ours will be getting married soon, and then thee will wonder how strangely contrary these kinds of dreams is. Why, before Jonas Head was married to Prudence Leggit,

other day about dreaming of Charles Dalton walking

and it was partially because of it that she asked the question; but the strongest motive power that moved her was that she herself was a strong believer in the supernatural. And though men will not acknowledge it, or rarely do so,

ghosts keeping watch. And then there seemed to be something gliding through the corn; at first it was nothing but a shadow, but after a little it 'peared more plain, and at last I could see the features-it was the face of Charles Dalton. And then

he exception of Aunt Debie, Mrs. Gurney explaining that the latter was blind and deaf, and telling Mrs.

spend the afternoon with them,

ved his chair over near her and asked: "Were you talking and thinking of Charles Dalton, and of his unfortuna

admission very reluctantly; for she immediate

he old lady was very partial to the edibles he mentioned, and suspected tha

s a sign of disease and death. You were talking of Charles Dalton and of his unfortunate drinking habits, also of his being nearly drowned lately. Now, what is more natural than that you shoul

Samuel of Eli's coming trouble? Likewise of Saul's? And to Nathan of David's? And is there not many other places in the Bible where it speaks of warnings given? Now let me ask, Is not God 'the

r not argue any further, Aunt Debie. Thee always gets the better of me anyway. But were not Judge McGullett and Sher

dy. But we will leave the remaind