The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-12-13
A SIccnlng Car ROmnnCC.

III was IN tne CcudI IedpiuS siccVcI'
Outside, it was dark as the inside OF an
ink.bottle. In the sleeping car people
slept.
Or tried it.
Some of them slept, like Christian men
and women. Peacefully and sweetly and
quietly,
Others slept like demons, Indignantly,
hideously, iendishly, as though it was
their mission to keep everybody else
awake.
Of these, the man in lower number
three was the " boss" When it came to
a square snore with variations, you
wanted 10 count CLOVER three" in.
With a full hand and a pocket full Of
rocks.
We never heard anything snore like
him. 1t wa the most systematic snoring
that was eve done, even on one of those
tournaments Of snoring, a sleeping car,
He didn't begin as Don as the lamps were
turned down and everybody was in bed.
Oh, no. There was more cold-bl00ded
diabolism in his system than that. He
waited until everybody had had a little
taste of sleep, just to see how good and
pleasant it was, and then he broke in on
their slumbers like a winged, breathing
demon, and they never knew what peace
was again that night.
He started out with Il terrific
"Gur.r-r.t."
That opened every eye in the car. We
all hoped it was an accident, however,
and trusting that he wouldn't do it again,
we all forgave him. Then he blasted our
hopes and curdled the sweet serenity Of
our forgiveness by a long drawn
"Gw.a, h-h-h-hah !"
That sounded too much like business
to be accidental. Then every head in
that slcepless sleeper was held off the
pillow for a minute, waiting, in breath
less suspense, to hear the worst, and the
sleeper in lower three" went on in
long drawn, regular cadences that indi-
Gated good staying qualities
"Gwa.a-ah! Gwa-a-a-ah Gahwahwah
G%ahwahwah Gahwa-a-a-ah !"
Evidently it was going TO last all night,
and the weary heads dropped back on the
~pleepless pillows and the swearing began.
1t mumbled along in low, muttering
tones, like the distant echoes of a profane
thunder storm. Pretty soon lower
three" gave us a little variation. He
shot off n spiteful-
"Gw0ok !"
Which sounded rs though his nose had
got mad at him and was going to strike.
Then there WAS u pause and we began to
hope he had either awakened from sleep
or ~strangled TO death, nobody cared par
ticularly which. But he disappointed
everybody with a guteral--
"Gur0OCh "
Then he paused again for breath, and
when he had accumulated enough for his
purposes he resumed with n ste%ntorlous--
"Kowpf."
That nearly shot the roof off the car,
Then he went on playing such fantastic
tricks with his nose and breathing things
that would make the immortal gods
weep, if they did but hear him. 1t
seemed 4 matter incredible, it seemed an
utter, prep0sterous imposSibility that
any human being could make the mon
NlIOUN, HlVtUllS llDlStS WIN IN bIthJillS
machine that the fellow in lower three"
was making with his. lie ran through
all the rnnges of the nasal gamut, he
went up and down n very chromatic
pcale of snores, he ran through intricate
and fearful variations, until il seemed
that his nose must be out of Joint in a
thousand places. All the night and all
night through he iold his story.
"Gawoh gurrh gu-r.r.r! kowpH.
Gaw-aw-wah gawah-hah! gwock! gwarrt'
gwah-h'h-h-whoof"
Just AZ the other passengers had con
suited together how they might slay him,
morning dawned, " lower number three"
awoke. Everybody watchedthe curtains
to sec what name OF man it was that
made that beautiful sleeping car a pan
demonium. Presently the toilet was
completed, the curtains parted, and
4" lower number three" stood revealed.
Great heavens!
1t was a fair young girl, with golden
hair and timid, pleading eyes, like a
hunted iawn's!- burlington Hwkcye,