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The Book of Dreams and Ghosts
·
Andrew Lang
54
THE
CORAL
SPRIGS
Mrs.
Weiss,
of
St.
Louis,
was
in
New
York
in
January,
1881,
attending
a
daughter,
Mrs.
C.,
who
was
about
to
have
a
child.
She
writes:--
"On
Friday
night
(Jan.
21)
I
dreamed
that
my
daughter's
time
came;
that
owing
to
some
cause
not
clearly
defined,
we
failed
to
get
word
to
Mr.
C.,
who
was
to
bring
the
doctor;
that
we
sent
for
the
nurse,
who
came;
that
as
the
hours
passed
and
neither
Mr.
C.
nor
the
doctor
came
we
both
got
frightened;
that
at
last
I
heard
Mr.
C.
on
the
stairs,
and
cried
to
him:
'Oh,
Chan,
for
heaven's
sake
get
a
doctor!
Ada
may
be
confined
at
any
moment';
that
he
rushed
away,
and
I
returned
to
the
bedside
of
my
daughter,
who
was
in
agony
of
mind
and
body;
that
suddenly
I
seemed
to
know
what
to
do,
.
.
.
and
that
shortly
after
Mr.
C.
came,
bringing
a
tall
young
doctor,
having
brown
eyes,
dark
hair,
ruddy
brun
complexion,
grey
trousers
and
grey
vest,
and
wearing
a
bright
blue
cravat,
picked
out
with
coral
sprigs;
the
cravat
attracted
my
attention
particularly.
The
young
doctor
pronounced
Mrs.
C.
properly
attended
to,
and
left."
Mrs.
Weiss
at
breakfast
told
the
dream
to
Mr.
C.
and
her
daughter;
none
of
them
attached
any
importance
to
it.
However,
as
a
snowstorm
broke
the
telegraph
wires
on
Saturday,
the
day
after
the
dream,
Mrs.
Weiss
was
uneasy.
On
Tuesday
the
state
of
Mrs.
C.
demanded
a
doctor.
Mrs.
Weiss
sent
a
telegram
for
Mr.
C.;
he
came
at
last,
went
out
to
bring
a
doctor,
and
was
long
absent.
Then
Mrs.
Weiss
suddenly
felt
a
calm
certainty
that
she
(though
inexperienced
in
such
cares)
could
do
what
was
needed.
"I
heard
myself
say
in
a
peremptory
fashion:
'Ada,
don't
be
afraid,
I
know
just
what
to
do;
all
will
go
well'."
All
did
go
well;
meanwhile
Mr.
C.
ran
to
seven
doctors'
houses,
and
at
last
returned
with
a
young
man
whom
Mrs.
Weiss
vaguely
recognised.
Mrs.
C.
whispered,
"Look
at
the
doctor's
cravat".
It
was
blue
and
coral
sprigged,
and
then
first
did
Mrs.
Weiss
remember
her
dream
of
Friday
night.
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