The daily gazette., 1883-02-24
A DREADFUL MIsTAKE.
How the Sheep-COuntIng Cure for Sleep
lessness Failed to Work.

How the Shesp-CountIng Cure for Sleep
lessnO.s Failed to Work.
in the meeting of the Eclectic Medical So
cietV of San Francisco held recently, men-
ton was made of peculiar case Of insomnia
having come lately under the notice of one
of the physicians. The physician was asked
by reporter II he would give the details Of
the case referred to for publication. This
he was unwilling to do at present, but In
general conversation on the subject OF In
somnia the physician said that severe cases
of sleeplessness were of such frequent oc-
currence in San Francisco as 10 come within
tho notice Of every practicing physician. In
a majority Of cases insomnia resulting from
oyerwork or nervousness 10 amenAble to or
binary remedies, but occasionally cases oc-
cur in which the patient becomes insane, not
directly from the cause Of insomnia, but
from the loss OF sleep itself.
Among the folklore cures for sleepless-
ness are slow, low breathe, counting and
| trying to picture In the mind a flock of sheep
| jumping fence, one at a time. This last
| remedy does not always work we'll. A bust
ness man, troubled with sleeplessness, was
recommended by his partner to go to bed,
| close his eyes, picture green pasture and
the fence Jumping sheep. The next morn
ing he went to bis office, wild-eyed and
angry.
"Well, how dil it work, old man " his
| partner asked.
GLOW afd it work II don't go to sleep
tonight my suicide viii be on your head. /
tried your nice little pastoral picture last
night, and It nearly set me crazy. got the
sheep started all right; no trouble about
that--nlce, white, woolly sheep, standing In
| a pasture, waiting for their turn TO jump
| a fence. Mild-faced sheep they were; no
| trouble about starting them; but, sir, they
haven't stopped jumping yet Why, sir,
when l started In there were not more than
hundred sheep in that pasture, and
turned 'em loose jumned about two
thousand over the fence, and there's about Q
| million left. Sleepl why man alive, I'd
have given one thousand dollars not to see
those sheep jump that fouce. could nave
gone TO sleep right away but for the TIVE
million stupid, white faced sheep standing
in your blasted old pasture, waiting, like /
lot of fools, for me to jump 'em over thu
fence.
"Jump 'em, did l say ! had to boos
'em, Hit 'em, drive 'em, hoist every one o
those 5000 900 sheep over that pasture
f,nce of yours and when turned and lookeC
back IL ere were 13,O00,0O0 sheep, stupid
blank. faced, white, wholly imps waitinl
there, each saying Me, too; my turl
next l was tossing about in bed In
: streaming peTspiratiOn, starting whole com
: panies, battalions, regiments, brigadel
armies, sir, of sheep over the fence a. once
yelled and kicked so to hurry 'em up ths
! my wife got up and declared I'd been drink
I ing, and forced quart Of boneset tea dow
t my throat. had lines of sheep 1000
! miles long jumping the fence at once, an
worked away until thought they must
l. all over, when / turned round and sa,
y 81, 900 OOO, 900 sheep standing thert, wildl
i blinking, and all those had sent over th
v fence were jumping back. Sheep NJ
heavens, am desperate man, sir, for
know can never go TO sleep again In tn
i, world until l have sent all those sheep owe
= the fence, and then haven't any assuranC
d the darned fools won't all jump back int
Is your nice green pasture sgain."