large/2093/ghost_stories_005_librivox_64kb_mp3/old_womans_tale_hawthorne_rkw_64kb_41
large/2093/ghost_stories_005_librivox_64kb_mp3/old_womans_tale_hawthorne_rkw_64kb
English
2093
One moonlight summer evening, a young man and a girl sat down together in the open air. They were distant relatives, sprung from a stock once wealthy, but of late years so poverty stricken, that David had not a penny to pay the marriage fee, if Esther should consent to wed. ONE MOONLIGHT SUMMER EVENING A YOUNG MAN AND A GIRL SAT DOWN TOGETHER IN THE OPEN AIR THEY WERE DISTANT RELATIVES SPRUNG FROM A STOCK ONCE WEALTHY BUT OF LATE YEARS SO POVERTY STRICKEN THAT DAVID HAD NOT A PENNY TO PAY THE MARRIAGE FEE IF ESTHER SHOULD CONSENT TO WED
of a dream becoming realized. Among other things equally probable, she was wont to assert that all the inhabitants of this village (at certain intervals, but whether of twenty-five or fifty years, or a whole century, remained a disputable point) were subject to a simultaneous slumber, continuing one hour’s space. When that mysterious time arrived, the parson snored over his half-written sermon, though it were Saturday night and no provision made for the morrow,--the mother’s eyelids closed as she bent over her infant, and no childish cry awakened,--the watcher at the bed of mortal sickness slumbered upon the death-pillow, and the dying man anticipated his sleep of ages by one as deep and dreamless. To speak emphatically, there was a soporific influence throughout the village, stronger than if every mother’s son and daughter were reading a dull story; notwithstanding which the old woman professed to hold the substance of the ensuing account from one of those principally concerned in it.  LIKE SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF A DREAM BECOMING REALIZED AMONG OTHER THINGS EQUALLY PROBABLE SHE WAS WONT TO ASSERT THAT ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THIS VILLAGE AT CERTAIN INTERVALS BUT WHETHER OF TWENTY FIVE OR FIFTY YEARS OR A WHOLE CENTURY REMAINED A DISPUTABLE POINT WERE SUBJECT TO A SIMULTANEOUS SLUMBER CONTINUING ONE HOUR'S SPACE WHEN THAT MYSTERIOUS TIME ARRIVED THE PARSON SNORED OVER HIS HALF WRITTEN SERMON THOUGH IT WERE SATURDAY NIGHT AND NO PROVISION MADE FOR THE MORROW THE MOTHER'S EYELIDS CLOSED AS SHE BENT OVER HER INFANT AND NO CHILD CRY AWAKENED THE WATCHER AT THE BED OF MORTAL SICKNESS SLUMBERED UPON THE DEATH BELLOW AND THE DYING MAN ANTICIPATED HIS SLEEP OF AGES BY ONE AS DEEP AND DREAMLESS TO SPEAK EMPHATICALLY THERE IS A SOPORIFIC INFLUENCE THROUGHOUT THE VILLAGE STRONGER THAN IF EVERY MOTHER'S SON AND DAUGHTER WERE READING A DULL STORY NOTWITHSTANDING WHICH THE OLD WOMAN PROFESSED TO HOLD THE SUBSTANCE OF THE ENSUING ACCOUNT FROM ONE OF THOSE PRINCIPALLY CONCERNED IN IT
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