The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-06-29
A Remedy for Sleeplessness.

Mr.. Butterwick, of Roxborough, had
fit of sleeplessness one night lately, and
after vainly trying to lose himself IN
slumber he happened to remember that ne
once read in an almanac thata could
put himself to sleep by imagining that
he saw flock of sheep jumping over
fence, and by counting them as they
Jumped. He determined to try the ex-
pertinent, and closing his eyes he fancied
the sheep jumping, and began to count.
He had reached his one hundred and for
tieth sheep, and was beginning to doze
off, when Mrs. Butterwick suddenly
said:
"JosephP
20, whatp
81 believe that yellow hen of ours
wants to set"
20, don't bother me with such non
sense as that now Do keep quiet and go
to Sleep"
Then Butterwick started his sheep
again, and commenced to count. He
got up to one hundred and twenty, and
was feeling as if he would drop off at
any moment, when, just as his one hun
dred and twenty first sheep was about to
take that fence, one of the twins began
to cry.
"Hang that child" he shouted at Mrs.
Butterwick; "why don't you attend to it
and put it to sleep. Hush up, you little
imp, or I'll spank you'll"
When Mrs. Butterwick had quieted it,
Butterwick, although little nervous and
excited, concluded to try it again. Turn
ing on the imaginary mutton, he began.
Only sixty-four sheep had slid over the
fence, when Butterwick's mother-in-law
knocked at the door, and asked if he was
awake. When she learned that he was,
she said she believed he had forgotten to
close the back shutters, and she though.
she heard burglars in the yard.
Then Butterwick arose in wrath and
went down to see about it. He ascer-
tanned that the shutters were closed as
usual, and as he returned to bed he re-
solved that Mrs. Butterwick's mother
would leave the house for good in the
morning, or he would. However, he
might as well give the almanac plan an
other trial, and setting the sheep in mo-
ton he began to count. This time he
reached two hundred and forty, and would
probably have got to sleep before. the
three hundredth sheep jumped, had not
Mix's new dog in the next yard suddenly
become homesick, and begun to express
his feelings in series of prolonged and
exasperating howls.
Butterwick was indignant. Neglect
ing the sheep, he leaped from bed and
began to lombard Mix's new dog with
boots, soap cups and every loose object
he could lay his hands on. He hit the
animal with the bust of Daniel Webster,
and induced the dog to retreat to the
stable and think about home in 81
lence.
1t seemed almost ridiculous to resume
those sheep again, but he determined to
give the almanac one more chance, and
as they began to jump the fence he be-
gan to count, and, after areing the eighty
second sheep safely over, he was gliding
gently in the land of dreams when Mrs.
Butterwick rolled out of bed and fell on
the floor with such violence that she
walked the twins and started them
CRYING, while Butterwick's mother-in-law
came down stairs, four steps at time, to
ask if they felt that earthquake.
The situation was too awful for words.
Butterwick regarded it for minute with
speechless indignation, and then seizing
a pillow he went over to the sofa in the
back sitting-room and lay down on the
lounge.
He fell asleep in ten minutes without
the assistance of the almanac, but he
dreamed all night that he was being but
ted around the equator by a Coltswold ram,
and he awoke in the morning with a
terrible headache and conviction that
sheep are good enough for wool.-Mar
Adeker.