Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-04-13
An Unsuccessful Experiment.

Dir. Butterwick, Of Marlborough, had q
| I'll Of sleeplessness one night lately, and
after vainIy trying 10 lose himself in
slumbcr he happened 70 remember that he
once read In an almanac that man could
put himself TO sleep by imagining that he
saw a flock Of sheep jumping over y fence,
| and by counting them AZ they Jumped.
| He determined to try the experiment. and
closing his eyes he tancied the sheep
| jumping, and began 10 count. He had
| reached his one hundred and fortieih
| sheep, and was beginning TO doze off,
when Mrs. Butterwick suddenly said: p
"Joscphi"
] 20 whatY"
II believe that yellow her of ours
| wants 10 set
80 don't bother me with such non.
| sense ~ that now. DO keep quiet and go
| TO Sleep
Then Butterwick started his sheep again
and commenced 10 count. He got up To
one hundred and twenty, and was feeling
/ rs ii he would drop off Mt any msmcnt,
when, just as his one hundred and twenty
| iirst sheep was about TO take that fence one
of the twins began TO cry.
Hang that child" he shouted at Mrs.
Buterwick; why don't you tend 10 IL,
and put It 10 sleep? Hush up, you little
imp, or III spank youl" s#
When Mrs. Butterwick had quoted II,
Butterwick, although little nervous ard
excited, concluded TO try II again. Turn.
| ing on the imaginary mutton, he began.
Only sixty.iour sheep had slid over the
fence when Butterwick's motherin law
knocked ut the door and asked IL he was
awake When she learned that he was,
she said she believed he had forgotten TO
close the back shutters, and she thought
she heard burglars In the yard. g. q
Then Butterwick arose in wrath, and
| went down 10 see about II. 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
thought he might AZ well give the almanac
plan another trial, and setting the sheep
In motion 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 sud
| denly become homesick, and begun 10 ex-
press his feelings In series OF prolonged
and cxaspcrating howls.
Buttcrwick was indignant. Neglecting
the sheep, he lcapcd from bed and began
to lombard Mixs new dog with boots,
soap-cnps, and every loose object he could
| lay his hands on. He hit the animal at
last with II plaster bust Of Daniel Webster,
and induced the dog 10 relrcatto the stable
and think about home In silence.
IL seemed almost ridiculous to resume
those sheep again, but he determined 10
| give the almanac man one more chance,
and so rs they began TO jump the fence he
began To count, aad after seeing 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 10 ask If
they felt that earthquake. u " $40
The situation WAS too awful for words.
| Butterwick regarded II for minute with
| speachless indignation, and then seizing
| "a pillow he went over 10 the sofa In the
back sitting. room and lay down on the
| lounge.
| lie tell 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 aCotswold ram,
and he woke In the morning with ter.
rifle headache and conviction that sheep
are good enough for wool and chops, but
not worth a cent rs u narcotic. Philadet-
phia Bulletin.