The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1857-10-28


incident of recent occurrence is related,
not without it's amusing side. Among
other peculiarties. we may state that his
antipathy to retiring, or, in plain Saxon,
going to bed amounts almost to a passion.
He frequently sits up all night, and will
never seek his couch when he can WOO
the drowsy god in any abnormal posi-
ton whatever As natural consequence
of this, he is, at times, very somnolent,
inclined to slumber under circumstances
not the most appropriate.
A few evenings, since, our young friend
was visiting young lady,in whom he was
particularly interested, on-strcet
but as her mother, a very worthy but
plain and practical woman, continued
in the drawing-room for two mortal hours,
and talked to the youth of meetings of
charitable sewing societies, and matronlv
plans for the relief of the poor, instead of
the fashionable world and the universe of
poetry-the drowsy fit came upon the
materially besieged victim, and he fell
into a profound nap.
The old lady ptoscd on--for like Yer
ges, she would be talking-and did not
perceive her supposed auditor had slipped
away from her dullness to dream-land's
delicious distances; but finally she saw
the true state OF affairs and concluded to
withdraw for the night with her daugh-
tiers, saying in her kindly way: "The
poor boy is fatigued; he has applied him,
felt too closely to his dutios-let him
sleen If will refresh him
About the second hour of the morning
our hero awoke, but with a singular re-
collection of time, place and circumstance.
Where was he? how came he there, and
when? were questions he could not solve
He'rose from the sofa and sat ercct-all
was darkness, not even glimmer of light.
He groped about for some time from one
article of furniture to another, and final
ly concluded he was in his own home,
where he frequently threw himself in the
parlor hall, and resigned his spirit to
Sonauss guardianship; he could not be
elsewhere than his own house, which, by
the by, in form and household arrange
ments closely resnbled that in which he
was. So he proceeded boldly up stairs,
con GLIDING. by way of variety, that he
would pass the night in his bed. He pass
ed two rooms in the dark he now felt
perfectly confident he was at home until
he came as he supposed, to his own
chamber. Before disrobing, he thought
he would turn down the clothes from his
couch, and in doing so, touched what felt
like the smooth cheek and soft hair CT a
woman. Alarm seized upon hin. Where
was he? What could he do-how to es-
cape? de had no tim for reflection, for, as
he permitted his hand in his agitation to
rest upon the face of the supposed fair
sleeper, she awoke, and screamed in me st
piercing alto, at least twenty times in as
many seconds.
He tried to calm her, but only increas-
ed her terror. and to add to the agreeable
ness of his situation, the young lady's ell
dest sister her sleeping companion, also
awoke and performed some vocal gymnas-
as prima donna.
Both leaped from their couch at the
same time, but from different sides and so
Il st each other in darkness. The ", 5er,
however, ran to the elder, as she thought,
but really to our hero for protection. She
threw her white arms about his neck, and
pressed him convulslvely to Der agitated
bosom, gasping, %, dear sister, we shall
be murdered? What shall we do? Save
me. save me-burglars are in the house"
Still more wildly she wound herself
about him; and he could not speak the
while, for establishment and trepidation,
and could not have been heard, if he had.
amid the ceaseless screams. But footsteps
were soon heard upon tho stairs and the
I CLEAN of the lights was seen in the dis
lance.
From the fair friend he could not tear
himself she was distracted with fright
and held to him with all her force, strange
ly increased by her alarm.
Quickly entered the father with a bla-
zing taper and a heavy cane, and the
brother with a drawn revolver. They
passed before the strange and not unin-