Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1879-11-20
Phnntasms of tAe Walkers,

Nine cots with excelsior mattresses, stand
beneath the tents at the side of the track.
Weston and Rowell sleep in rooms at the
eastern end of the Garden. Guyon rests
in the Putnam House, near the Fourth
avenue entrance. All the other walkers
sleep in their tents. The hours of uncon-
sciousness are few. Up To midnight Mer-
ritt had slept only seven hours since the
opening Of the tournament. They can
hardly be called hours OF rest. The weary
! pedestrian il sponged or has bath. He
pitches in his cot. lie is wrapped in his
blankets. The lights in his tent are eXtin-
guished. He closes his eyes and enters a
world OF phantoms. The cheers of the
crowd, the music of the band, the clapping
| Of hands, the murmur of vast hive Of
bees, and the tread of MANY feet fit through
his sleep. His body is racked with pain.
There is an appalling heat in his feet. His
temples throb. The blood becomes stag
nant and frequently nightmare follows.
The dreamer is still on the track. He sees
his competitors passing him one by one,
and is unable to increase his own speed.
O'Leary says that during his walk for the
belt in London he never went to sleep with
out the shadow of Vaughn before him. 1t
would follow him around a phantom track
with looks of exultation in its eyes. At
times il would bar his way. 1t would
stand facing him at the curves, making
grimaces and contortions. Up to the mo-
ment of walking Vaughn's shade never left
his sleep. Guyon has similar experience.
On Wednesday night he slept the sleep of
the damned. The pain in his feet was so
intense that it had turned his stomach.
Weston was ever before him. When he
turned In Merritt had passed him and taken
second place. Weston was doing splendid
work, and rapidly overhauling him. A
ghostly Weston pursued him in his dreams
Whichever way he turned Weston was at
his heels. Nor was Weston the only phan-
tom. The dials assumed the faces of the
other contestants, and taunted him as he
passed. \ spirit krohne fifty feet high
was walking over him. Although he was
in the Putnam House, far removed from
sight or sound of the garden, he heard the
murmur of the crowd, the roar of brass in
struments, the tread of a thousand feet, and
peals of laughter. When he awoke toward
morning he found a tumbler beneath his
pillow. The pillow was drenched. He
was unable to account for it until he re-
membered that in his dreams he had a
spirited contest with Weston. The dreams
of the pedestrian are based on the cond-
tion of his stomach. When the stomach
refuses nourishment threatening apparitions
frequently appear. In one case a pedes-
trian fancied that he was rolling among old
logs covered with thousand-legged worms.
In another case the pedestrian thought him.
self on the track, but unable to walk
Upon glancing at his feet he was shocked
to see that they had turned into hickory
saphngs, and the saplings grew with such
rapidity that they raised hima@M the air.
The agony OF these hours of unrest is in
creased when the hapless walker awakes
His blood is still stagnant. There is a
prickly heat upon his skin. He feels as
though he was being pricked by million
of needles. Neuralgia pains throb through
his muscles. His joints are stiff. His eye
lids seem paralyzed. Worst of all, his feet
and shinbones are numbed. Every move
ment sends thrill of pain through the
body. He is oiled and rubbed. A swallow
of warm beef-tea, or some other decoction,
puts him into little glow and infuses him
with painful energy. He hobbies upon
the track, and the noise, the lights, and
him. The cold air strikes him unpleasant |
ly. He makes one lap, and the impulse to
re-enter his cot is frequently so great that
he finds it irresistible. Before coming on
the track he lies upon his cot in a semi-un-
conscious state while he is rubbed and clad. |
He hardly appreciates the situation before
he finds himself upon the track. If his
shoes have been changed during his rest,
his feet feel like Jumps of lead. The sore
spots smart more than ever, and 1t is with
the greatest difficulty that he can lift his
feet from the track. He occasionally feels
q nausea about the stomach, and his nerves
are strung to the utmost tension. The
swapping of a whip, deformed face, a
wide -brimmed hat or a peculiarly shaped
bouquet excites his mind, and he becomes
in measure insane Weston has peculiar
adherence of tobacco smoke. 1t probably
affects his stomach. AT times the sight of
pipe or cigar throws him into nervous
spasm, and he becomes so excited that he
frequently leaves the track.