It happened a number of years ago, that aman who was known to draw "the long bow" to its full length, on concluding Tong yarn said to he a dream which had "come to him in the still watches of the night, a bystander remarked that he: must certainly have been asleep when he dreamed such a dream'as that. Whereat the narrator replied in anger: "Not a bit of it, I was as wide awake as I am this For fear that some one after reading the dream which follows should make the same remark, it may be well to say that the writer, a lady, is a well-known resident of a large city in the U.S., and that her husband is an instructor in a high-grade institution. The letter was written out for the benefit of a lady friend, and the Intter thinking it would be of some interest to friends in this Jand, sent it to them and they have placed it in my hands. In copying this narrative I have suppressed nothing, and changed nothing, except, the names of persons and places, not being Duite sure whether the lady would care to be the object of so much curiosity as it might create. It is not everyone. w would desire to be known as 'a dreame:
Tientsin, 15th August.
"Some fifteen years ago, I taught a Chinaman by the name of Shaman to read and write English. He was. very pleasant, well-bred young fellow, and devoted to his teacher, constantly bringing me some little "T had not seen him for "years until Inst summer I chanced to meet him while spending my vacation in P—. He asked me for my address and at Christmas time there came a box of Chinese lily bulbs for "Miss Lucy." These grew and blossomed, filling the whole house with their subtle fragrance.
"So much of explanation is necessary for the understanding of some of the details of the dream which follows.
"On the 26th of January, 1898, I went to bed shortly after nine o'clock, falling asleep almost immediately. Between that and midnight when I was roused by the entrance of my husband, 1 dreamed the following: iberi he came to take his last lesson, gave "T dreamed that rt ago Shamat to me two Chinese bracelets. 'They' were half-spheres of some kind of composition, resembling bisque, set closely together, blue, green, and yellow silk threads. They and from each hung " long tassel of pink, were elastic and slipped easily over my hand, fitting closely about the arm half-way between, the wrist and the elbow. One was light yellow and the other dull red, and in the dark they glowed as if rubbed with phosphorus.
"Shaman said they had been given to his father by a Chinese mandarin for some great service, and were said to date from the time of Confucius. They were very rare and had queer Chinese names; the one meaning 'The Yellow Badge of Safety,' and the other The Red Warning."
"Phe red one had queer Chinese characters engraved on it, which freely trans-Inted rend: 'When you hear the beat of the Grext Tom-tom, seek him who gave you the Yellow Badge of Safety.' Shaman either pretended or really didn't know what the words meant.
"IT was much pleased with. the queer things and put them away ina little Chinese cabinet, and in the rush'of other things for the time forgot them.
"Suddenly my dream changed to the present, and my husband was appointed to Some position in some educational institute in one of the seacoast cities of China. Just what or where was not clear, in fact no more definite than I have given it.
"We went there.to live, and a friend, Miss Beach, went with us. In the general upheaval consequent upon packing, Ifound my bracelets and tucked them into a corner, my husband laughing about taking coals "For nearly a year we had been settled ina tolerably comfortable home in the American-English quarter and thought ourselves thoroughly accustomed to the queer ways and queer sights of that strange city, when one day Miss Beach came in saying that a Chinaman wanted to see the lady. He had a basket of clothes and wouldn't leave without seeing me. As I left the room to see him, T passed a silver hook, on which hung my queer old bracelets. Some sudden impulse made me take them down and slip them on my wrists. AsI did so, Theatd the strangest sound. I can compare it to a throb in the air, a gigantic pulse-beat, It was not loud, but a deep low rythinic throb, impossible to describe.
"Listen to a heart beating under the stress of some atrong emotion, magnify that until it fills the world, and you will have some conesption of the sound I heard. as slipped on those bracelets. 'Grace,' Texclaimed, what is that?' She looked. up in most unconcerned fashion: What?' 'Why, that noise.' 'I don't hear any noise,' said she calmly. I looked at her in amazement, and then the lines Shaman had told meso long ago came tone: 'When you hear the beat of the Great Tom-tom, seek him who gave to you the Yellow Badge of Safety.' I slipped off the bracelets and handed them to Grace saying: 'Put these on.' She did so, and turned a startled face to me, with: Oh, what is it?' We tried the experiment again and again. Without the bracelets we heard nothing. but with the red one, exme again that awful throbbing. I thought of the name of the bracelet, 'The Rep Warning,' and utterly terrified went down "There I found a Chinaman whose face seemed familiar, but. not until he snatched my hand, saying 'Miss Lucy, Miss Lucy, why didn't you look for me?? did I know jim for Shaman. 'Oh, Shaman, what does it all mean?' I cried. Then he told me.
"The Great Tom-tom was the gigantic war dram in an old temple just outside the city. The Chinese regarded it superstitious awe, saying it dated from the time of Confucius and was guarded by spirits. Tt was never touched by mortal hands, and never heard except at n great national crisis when the Chinese should rise and drive out the foreigners and restore China to its old-time glory.
"No one of foreign birth could hear this beat unless he wore the Red Warning, although it was perfectly audible to any Chinaman, and no foreigner could hope to escape the veneral destruction unless he were guarded by the 'Yellow Bulge of Safety.' Shaman said he knew all this when he gave me the bracelets, but had never supposed I would need the knowledge. This Tom-tom had been heating nearly two weeks, and he had been hunting for me to warn me.
"Brerything was nearly revely now and for seven days T would not hear the haxt, but then it would again be heard, and h" would come and tell me what to do. H" could save me and mine, but only on condition that not one breath of this pasi-d my lips even to my husband.
"Te enuld do no gond to tell it. for the uprising was universal and did I disobey and give the least warning not even the 'Yellow Badge of Safety' would avail. Then Shaman went away, and my state of mind can be imagined. At one moment the thought of all the lives to ba sacrificed overwhelmed me, and I sprang up to give the alarm, then came the fear for my own little ones and for my husband, and I kept silent. I wonder I lived through those seven days, "At the coming of midnight of the seventh day, I heard again that terrible throb and all the next moming I watehewl anxiously for Shaman, He came about noon, and told me that the time had come. "Get together what you wish to take,' stid he, dress warmly and take some blankets. Make six small bundles include everything. You may tell thy other ldy to help you, hut do not tell anyone else, not even your husband, until after ten o'clock. As soon as necessary after that will come. You can give no warning that would avail. Tie streets under all the ign houses have been mined and filled with Chinese explosives, this is so in every portion of China where the foreigners live. At a certain time the mines will be all exploded together. The only safety, for you and your family is in your silend "Then he wont away, und Grace and I collected little things valueless except to ourselves, and made each bundle by rolling what we wished to take tightly ina blanket. Grace said 'Let us tike the gray blankets for the white ones soil so easily.' And then we laughed in a half-hysterical way at her thinking of that. Tt was centuries till ten o'clock and then I told my husband. He snatched his hat and rushed to the door. Close around the house shoulder to shoulder stood a wall of Chinese, and on x pole in front of the house wasa square of white canvas in th centre of which glowed faintly a circle yellow light—The Yellow Badye of Safer "With a groan of despair hie came hacks to us and then we wakened and dressed the children, gave them something to eat, put up a package of food, and waite. Tt was almost midnight when Shanvn came accompanied by five others.
"Each one bore " banner about two feet square, "f white cloth, in the centre of which glowed again 'Tha Yellow Badyo of Safety.' Telling us that our liv depended upon absolute silence, they suva rounded us and led us from the house, "That walk down to the wharves T shall never forget. " Absolute silence, almost absolute darkness, We could seo no one, but had the ever-present conscious ness that the streets were lined with Chinese. We knew they were there, could hear their breathing, hut only o sionally woul face flash forth into the pale yellow light from the banners.
"And over all [could hear that terrible throbbing. We reached the wharves amt" were put on board a Chinese junk. Befuro parting Shaman gave my husband n small heavy canvas bag, 'It is the money you hind in the bank' said he, 'I got it tonight"
"This Chinese junk was to take us out on the ocean till we met an English homeward-bound steamer to which we would be transferred. 7 We sailed out of the harbour. Tt was cold. The smell on board the jak was villainous, but we wrapped the children and ourselves in the blankets, and thanked God we were so far safe.
"The little ones soon fell asleep and soon " Chinaman brought us sums toa. We sat still, thinking. - I wonder we did not go mad' at the thought of those left behind, when we were conscious that the junk had stopped. Suddenly, there was 8 terrific roar and a terrible gare and then the junk sailed away faster than ever.
"We clasped the children d-ser, all other thoughts lost in thankfulness for safety.
Ail that day and night we sailed. Wo were supplied with food, but otherwise were left to ourselves. ' Early on the morning of the second day we sighted a steamer. We were put inn row boat and after the junk captain had signalled tha ship we were ordered to row towards her, while the junk made its way as quickly as possible out of sight. The steamer picked up and we told our story, which was at
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.