The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1878-01-15
One Night of Swearing.
The Fearful Sound that Kept q
SIeeping.Cnr Awake all Night.

| SieepluS. .Sur NhsshC oAA ~ fs'
1t was in the Cedar Rapids steamer
Outside it was dark as the inside Of al
NIX bottle. In the sleepiugcar people
slept.
Or tried it.
Some of them slept like Christian
men and women, peacefully and sweet
ly and quietly.
Others slept like demons, malignant
ly. hidcousiy, fcndishly, as though il
was their mission to keep everybody
else awake.
OF these, the man in tho lower num-
bcr three was the "boss'" When il
came to a square snore with variations
you wanted to count clover three" in
with a full hand and pocket full ol
rocks.
We never heard anything snore like
him. Il was the most systematic snoring
that was ever done, even on one Of those
tournaments of snoring, in sleeping in
a sleeping car He didn't begin as soon
as the lamps were turned down and
everybody was in bed. Oh, no there
was more cold-blooded diabolism in his
system than that. He waited until eve
rybody had had little taste Of sleep,
Just TO see how good and pleasant it
was, and then he broke in. on their slum-
bers like winged, breathing demon,
and they never knew what peace was
again that night.
lie started out with terrific
'Gn FRITZ
That opened every closed eye in the
car. We hoped it was an accident.
however, and trusting that he wonIdn
do it again, We all forgavc him. Then
he blasted our hopes and curdled the
sweet serenity Of our forgiveness by a
long drawn
"Cw-a h-h-h-hah ~
That sounded too much like business
to be accidental. Then every head in the
slerpless sleeper was held off the pillow
for a minute. waiting in breathlcss sus-
pcnse. to hear the worst, and the sleeper
in clover three" went on in loDg-drawn,
regular cadcnccs that indicated good
staying qualities,
"Gwa a.oh. Gwa a.a.ah! Ghwahawah.
Gahwahwah! Gahwa-a a.ah
Evidently it was going to last all
night, and the weary heads dropped
back en- the sleepless pillows, and the
swearing began. 1t mumbled along in
low, muttering tones, like the distant
echoes Of a profauc thunder storm
Pretty soon slower three" gave US a
little variation. He shot off spiteful
'Gwook !"
Which sounded rs though his nose
had got angry at him and was going to
strike. Then there was a pause, and
we began to hope he had either awakened
from sleep or stranglcd to death, nobody
cared very particularly which. But he
Disappointed everybody with cultural
"Gurooch ~
Then he PAUSED again for breath. and
when he had accumulated eoough breath
for his purpose he resumed business
with a s,entorian
"Kowpf"
He ran through all the ranges Of the
nasal eamut, he went up and down u
very chromatic scale Of snores; he ran
the intricate and fearful variations until
it seemed that his nose must be out of
joint in a thousand places. All the
night through he told his story.
"Gawoh gurrah gu.r-rr. kowsf !!
Gawawwah. gawah-hah! gwock gwart .
gwah-h hill whoofl
Just as the other passengers had con-
suited together how they might slay
him, morning dawned. and lower three
awoke. Everybody watched the cur
tain to sec what manner of man it was
that had made that beautiful sleeping
Car pandemonium. Presently the
toilet was completed, the curtains part
ed, and clover number three" stood re-
vealcd
Great heavens
1t was fair young girl, with golden
hair, and timid, pleading eyes, like a
hunted iawn's.