Glimmer's Picture-Dream [pp. 399-405]

GLIMMER'S PICTURE- DREAM.
those who die in this way expire in their numbing your senses. But, beware!
sleep. In many such cases, if a friend The fatal hour of deficient vitality is at
were at hand to waken the sleeper when hand. Sleep now is fraught with deadly
the attack comes on, or if he were to be peril. Since you have been wakeful so
awakened by some accidental noise, he long, it is wiser and safer to protract
might, by the use of a few simple pre- your vigil until the shadows of night
cautions, prolong his life for many years; shall have been chased away, and the
for the shock which proves fatal to the golden dots upon your casement, and the
man wrapped in deep sleep, when the golden streaksuponyourwalls, announce
system is passive and relaxed, would be that the life - sustaining soul of Nature
victoriously repelled were it armed with has dispelled the shadows, and is again
all its waking energies. Men who do renovating the vital forces of all animate
brain-work, and who are on the shady things. Then you may sleep in safety;
side of forty, should be on their guard but if you yield now, there is danger that
against this insidious enemy. They you may never wake.'."
should beware of five o'clock A.M., for I stared at Glimmer in blank amazeit is a perilous hour. Do you find your- ment, as he poured forth this strange
self unable to sleep, when you retire for rhapsody, in a monotonous chant, beatthe night, exhausted with your day's ing time with his head to the measured
work? Do you, in vain, turn from one cadence of his voice. Whatever lingerside to the other? Does your brain per- ing doubt I may have had, up to this
sist in working when you would fain have time, in regard to his mental condition,
it rest? Do old saws, and scraps of was now resolved.
rhyme, repeat themselves in your mem- "And you don't know," he resumed,
ory with wearisome iteration, defying after a moment's pause, "what I mean
your utmost efforts to silence them? by'picture-dreams.' I will tell you.
Then, I say to you, beware! You will Among the earlier symptoms of cerebral
be sure to sleep at last. It is only a disease is the occurrence of dreams in
question of time; for, soon or late, Nat- which the most vivid and beautiful picture will assert her rights. The bell tells ures of natural scenery are presented to
one, and your brain is still feverish and the vision of the sleeper. Scenes more
restless; it is still active, and fertile with lovely than painter or poet ever portraythronging fancies that never come by' ed, landscapes bathed in the light that
the broad light of day. Two! and your'never shone on land or sea,' pass in
eyelids are not yet weighed down by panoramic show, as distinct in outline,
sleep. Three! and you are composing as definite in color, as any that the waka story or a poem, which you know will ing eye ever rested upon. These picthave faded from your memory in the ure - dreams differ from the normal
morning, as frost-work on the pane van- dreams of health in this: there is nothishes at the rising of the sun. You long ing vague or confused about them, nothfor some mental telegraph by which ing that wavers and fades as you gaze.
these bright conceptions might be ar- Gradually the dreamer is impressed by
rested in their flight- for some photo- the unearthly beauty of the scene, and
graphic process by which they might be the suspicion dawns upon him that he is
seized and preserved. Four! and now, dreaming. But at the same time he beat last, you feel the drowsy spell creep- comes conscious that he has the power
ing over you. You can sleep, now, if of election whether he will awake or
you will but surrender yourself to the prolong his dream. If the experience is
influence that is sealing your eyes and novel to him, and he has not yet learned
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[Nov.