Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-07-28
wssAr 4 HEfcs. uEp.
AM BY Mrs, smith toto
the origin nj NiGsstn.srcS-Stns,
Resuits fran, an Exceedingly Staple

AM by Mrs, smith isio
the origin nj NIgbtnssrcS-Stnv,ls
Resuits f~an, an Exceedingly Staple
Cause.
/ A g-u,ieu an living in the western
part oi The city underwent a some
wmat remarkable experience a few
nights ago. Tho indefinite name of
Smith will do well enough TO call him
ny. and his wife would undoubtedly
prefer to DO designated Mrs. Smith
rather than by the family title. Mrs.
Smith is sometimes troubled with rest.
lessnes5 at night. much to Mr.. Smiths
disgust. and he has always insisted
that it was bccansc she eat too much
supper. 10 charge woman with too
great an appetite is TO commit a grave
error. and to even go go lar as to say
that she absolutely eats 50 much as to
make her restless, is 10 breed tho spirit
a great revenge ia her bosom every
time. Mr.. Smith knows it now, but
he didn't short Time ago, and took
| great satisfaction in explaining learn
| cdiy Just how her rest wss disturbed
by ovcr-eating. He'd say that the
stomach would contain more than tho
sccrctions for digestion could operate
upon, and that the pressure of an ad-
ditional weight Of food actually pre-
vented the proper circulation of the
blood, and the adequate supply Of that
desirable liquid to all parts Of the
body, and then he'd branch OIL into a
disquisition on the functions Of or
gans in general. that would almost
throw Mrs. Smith into tpasms with
its prosiness. She didn't comprehend
much of what her husband said, and
she didn't believe his explanation of
her waketulness the correct one, but
her curiosity was somewhat aroused.
and sho determined tn learn for her.
self 1t weight upon The stomach
| would really cause waketulnesa or a
disposition to nightmare. After much
deliberation she resolved 10 try the ex.
pertinent on Smith,
"Itll serve him right, anyhow" she
said to herself, "for his uafeeling lam
gnage to me when Two been in such
pain .,
What Mira. Smith resolved to do,
was to put brick upon Smiths stom-
ach when he was asleep, and then no to
II symptoms OF rcstiessness followed.
III it makes him have awful Dreams
she remarked to herself, "l'll believe
there may be something in all hia both
| ersome talk about tho overlooking Of
the stomach"
Upon the very first night after maxi
ing up her mind to try the expert
ment, Mrs. Smith carried the thing in.
NIT mn hE, lof.
found Mrs. Smith intent upon some
woman's work or other, which she
said would occupy her tor an hour.
smith went to bed at once, and his wife
waited until his peaceful snorc revcr-
batcd through tho house, when she
slipped upstairs with n brick she had
secured for the occasion. Smith was
sleeping, flat on his back, the sleep Of
perfect health, his breathing was regu-
lar, and the bcnignant expression up
on his cohnienance, indicated that if
he was dreaming at all, it was of pleas
ant things. Once he moved little,
and from his lips came softly tho NUT
tering, MARY Ann" This was name
unfamiliar to Mrs. Smith, and she hes
itstcd no longer. "You wretch, she
muttered as she proceed with her Gu
terprisc. bcft,y shc turRetl DOWN the
counterpano and the sheets. and dcli-
cateiy a placed the hsaYK TX, brick squarey
Then she turned back.the otu tiotnes
ana .sst st,onn. 10. saisf'rcsuits. .-.- What
ensued was interesting. For a few
moments after the application Of the
brick, Smith slept on rs before. but
gradually change came. There was
a twitching of the body, and the face
assumed an expression awfuily weird
and solemn. Smith appeared TO be
seeing ghosts. His lips moved, and it
became apparent that he was going to
speak. The sound was at first indis-
tinct, but rapidly grew louder. He
was quoting CHASTITY poetry
OH stood on a swanpy iiel,l OF battle,
And of bones and skulls made n rattle
To irightcn the wolf and caIrion crow.
Anu The hungry doE-but they wonldn t go. 1"
Then the sleeper quiveled all over,
and started and gasped, and the look
on his face grew wcirder than ever.
The brick was evidently getting very
heavy, and in his dreams. Smith was
transformed into something dismal.
He broke out again
,,IIa! my greatest Joy Is to lure and tecoy
I 10 the chasm's slippery brink
The hunter bold, when he Is weary and old.
And then lei him suddenly sink
thousand feet Dead! lie fell like lta,ll
HaA he eonldn I heap like ne;
Willi.broken back, like felon on rack,
it hangs III split Pine ntc'
Smith was getting worse, and Mrs.
Smith was getting nervous, but she
was afraid to approach tho bed to take
| the brick of. She crept up softly, but
kecled over backwards as Smith again
howled--
And there mid his bones that echoed with
| made me d nest of his hair;
The ribs, dry and hitc, rattle loud MS iu spite
Ad TOOK IN my cradle there
| The mans voice was rising with
every utterancc, and MIRA Smith began
| to think of insanity. She thought of
calling in the ncighbors, but was afraid
of an exposure by tho brick, she did
not know what to do, and was lust
approaching tho bed again when her
hair was raised by the shout:
| "WhOopi It's n ghost without any
skin on! Dodge it! Ring the bell
softly, there's Grape on the door. Scrape
ON the door!"
And then no Gained down for a
moment or two only to start again
suddenly and shrek:
When you get = black cat skin IL
to the tail No quarterl Hew them
down! Brain the women and chill
drenl
There was pause for moment,
when the face of tho sleeper turned
pale and ho hissed:
'ls this dagger which l soc before
me? Come, let me clutch ii, and
plunge it i'm me bowels! Ahar'
As he concluded the sentence, Smith
made wild plunge with his hands,
Mrs. Smith had crcpt up to tho bed
was feeling softly for the brick at the
very moment he madc tho dive. One
hand landed in her hair, the fingers
closed with the grip of = giant and
Mrs.. Smith was the next moment in
the grasp of the man:
"Ahai / have thee now!" he roareG
I'm tear thy false heart from til,
shnddering form, and rcnd thee liml
from limbw
And undoubtedly he would have