Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-12-03
My BedfelIOW.

4
of a weary day, passed in continuous
mud hole, studded with stumps and Orna-
mented with logs, that benighted coun-
| try called a road. Night had already
| closed in, and [ was guided to the hotel by
thousand and one boys of the place, and
noise issuing from the bar room, no less
disagreeable. [ found the landlord shut
up in a corner pen dealing out liquid in
sanity to his customers. To my request
for supper and bed, he responded that /
could eat my fill, but there was not a bed
unengaged or not occupied in the house.
l persisted until the wretch informed me
that there was " fellern in No, occu-
plying double bed, and I could roll in
| there" if so minded.
1t was dismal, but my only hope; SO, at.
| ter the evening indigestion, [ climbed the
rough stairs to No. 6. / was told by the
landlord to walk in without knocking,
and did so.
| 1t was cherries room, without carpet
on the floor, or curtains to shut out the
black night of the windows that seemed
to stare blindly in on one, and wink as the
candle flared in the wind. [ found my
companion measuring off his dreams by
snores, and undressing "rolled in, as the
landlord had suggested. My stranger
turned over with something like growl
and a grunt, as crept to his side.
| L
bed tick felt as if it were stuffed grasshop-
pers, and the pillows were of the sort to
! slip up ones nose in the night, and be
sneezed out during the day. Besides this,
my bed-fellow snored abominably. 1t
| sounded like giant trying to blow g Old
hundred" through a tin-horn, without
knowing exactly how. / bore this inflic-
| ton as long as L could, and at last gave
| my friend dig in the ribs, exclaiming at
| the same time:
Il say.n
"Hillo--ah-what is it? ~ he asked in
confused way.
al am sorry to disturb you, but I think
it my duty to inform you that [ walk in
my sleep"
"Well, walk"
"My Christian friend, am well aware
that this is free country, and if a man
wishes to walk in his sleep there is no con-
stitutional provision to prevent him. But
| wish to remark that if / do walk, you
had better not interfere with me-"
cob! walk; l won't say word about
it.u
"Well don't When addressed or inter-
fered with, L am apt to get furious. /
nearly Drained poor man with dog-iron
the other night"
1.-THE deuce you did,"
Eyes did,
low might, under any impulse, blurt out
something to you."
"Better not.n
mo, should think not"
A long pause followed this. At last the |
now wide-awake ledger asked abruptly:
"Did you notice my hat on the tlOor?"
II believe / did"
If you walk, you know, I'd rather you |
wouldn't step in it.
"Ill bear that in mind"
After another pause he again asked:
Ibid you notice that door on the left % |
81 saw door on my left.n
"Well, if you walk, I'd advise you not |
to go out there. 1t opens on a porch, only |
the porch hasn't been built, and it's twen-
ty feet down into the stable-yard.n
~ don't believe 1 shall walk out of that |
door,"
Don't think 1 would if L walked
much.n
/ suppose my inquisitive friend was |
dropping into sleep, when he again
II say, did you really brain a man with |
dog-iron?"
GO tried pretty hard"
Then came in a silence that was not |
broken. After little while 1 heard my
bedfellow creeping softly from the other
side of the bed. 1 could hear him feeling |
about for his hat and his clothes. Then /
had the satisfaction that the door had
closed softly on my retreating tormentor.
1 rolled over and slept the sleep of inno-
cence.
The next morning, on descending to
breakfast, found an old friend seated at
the table. We had not met for years. At
ter a cordial greeting, / said:
care you stopping hereW
81 have been trying but | am nearly
dead. slept on bench in the bar room,
amid a lot of drunken brutes, who sang
Bingo for wagers of drink all night"
"Could you get no bed ?n
Eyes, / had a double bed to myself,
when that stupid landlord sent up crazy
fellow, who walked and struck out with
dog-irons."
"Good heavens, Gillespie, was that you?"
"And hang you, Weston, you don't mean
to say that yON served me that trick?n
1t was a case that called for diplomatic
explanation.