The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-05-27
HOW TO GO TO SLEEP.
MI. Bat,erwtck's Experiment
4 Geuntisg sheep. NJ

Mr.. Bat,erwick's Experiment
q Ceuntisg sheep. ~
Eromsthe Philadelphia Bulletin. 81.
Mr.Buttersick, oi HoxborAgh, had .
fit of sieeplessness one night, lately. and,
after vsinly trying to lose himself ip
slumber, he hsppened To- renaernber that
he once read in an almanac that man
could put himself to sleep BY imagining
that be 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 iancied
the sheep jumping, and began to count
He had reached his l40th sheep, and was
beginning to doze of, when Mrs. Butter
wick suddenly said; 4a. .s ..4is
"Josephp ~ gstl.a.
40, what?"
al believe that yellow hen of ours
wants to set - ..ril 1
40, don't bother me with such non.
sense rs that now. Do keep quiet and
go to sleep"
Then Butterwick started his sheep
again, and commenced to count. He got
up to l2O, and was feeling as if he would
drop of at any moment, when, just as. his
l2lst sheep was about to take that fence,
one of the twins began to cry.
"HaDg that child" he shouted at Mrs.
Butterwick; "why don't you tend to 1t
and put it to sleep? Hush up, you little
imp, or I'll spank your
When Mrs. Butterwick had quoted 1t,
Butterwick, although little nervous and
excited, concluded to try 1t again. Turn
ing on the imaginary mutton, he began.
Only sixty-fo four sheep had slid over the
fence when Butterwicks 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 thought
she heard burglars in the yard.
Then Butterwick arose in wrath and
went down to see about it. He ascertain
] ed that the shutters were closed as usual,
and as he returned to bed, he resolved
that Mrs Butterwick's mother would
leave the house for good in the morning
or he would. However, he thought ne
might as well give the almanac plan an
other trial. and setting the sheep in mo.
tion 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 Mixs new dog in the yard become
suddenly home sick, and began to express
his feelings in series of prolonged and
exasperating bowls.
Butterwick was indignant. Neglect
ing the sheep he leaped from bed and
began to lombard Mixs new dog with
boots, soap cups, and every loose article
he could lay his hands on. He hit the
animal at last with plaster bust of Dan
iel Web ter, and induced the dog to re-
treat to the stable and think about home
in silence.
1t seemed n most ridiculous 10 resume
those sheep ~ lin, but he determined TO
give the almanac man one more chance,
and so as they began to jump the. fence
he began TO count, and after seeing the
eighty second sheep safely over, he was
gliding gently into the land of dreams
when Mrs. Buttcrwick 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 Il
time, to ask if they felt that earthquake
The situation was too awful for words.
Butterwlck regarded it for minute with
speechless indignation, and then Selling
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 beng but
ted around the equator by a Cotswold
ram, and he woke in the morning with a
terrible headache and conviction that
sheep are good enough for wool ard chops,
but not worth u cent US a. narcotic.