New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-28
ITISA FOOLISH THING TO READ ~ BED.
YOU MAY BE BURNED TO DEATH. YOU KNOW
THIS MAN HAD A STRANGE EXPERIENCE
Avn ,pp,prNrry WAS NOT To RI.ANE

YOU MAY BE BURNED TO DEATH. YoU KNOW
THIS MAN HAD A STRANGE EXPERIENCE
AND APPARENTLY WAS NOT TO BLAME
"Of course" said the with the automatic
glass eye as he blew out cloud OF smoke from his
cigar eft undoubtedly Is not only foolish but also
d. ngerous to read in bed with a lamp candle. and
4, IL an undoubted fact that serious fires have
been started In that way. and that number OK
lives have been lost. But while must confess to
the same bad practice. I have always been very
careful not TO go 10 sleep withou, putting out the
light and I had any trouble until last year.
when | came mighty losing my life In this very
house"
The man was on the piazza OF cottage on the
New jersey coast and the rays OF the bright MORN
ing sum- gancng up from the mirror-ke sea- made
the crystal eye blaze with unelrthly light.
HOY was that" asked his friend. short rat
man. whose eyes seemed anxious 10 fly away and DO
a. rest"
Don't be in such hurry remarked the man who
had spoken first. his automatic eye fixed on the
"bilowy deep" while the business eye glanced
lazly In the other mans direction. Now. I'll tell
you what I'll do" ne continued: times are mighty
| hard and can't go you much but I'll bet you ten
| bones that you can't guess how / nearly lost my
| lie that time
"Tll take you up said the with the promi-
nent eyes Perhaps you drank glass of water:
| wouldn't that be fata!?'
Only a look OF scathng contempt greeted this
brilliant sally. and the fat man, somewhat abashed.
| went on:
Well the natural suppostion is that you forgot
| to bow out the light No? Hum, Er-did you
er-dream you were at dinner and in trying to eat
! one Of the pillows choke yourself? No? Weller
er-did you have a nightmare and think you were
one OF the Princes in the Tower and try to crawl
| between the mattresses
"Oh GO; OUT" responded his friend. causing tho
| automatic eye TO revolve with great rapidly i
tell you | was nearly burned to death"
| "Oh, you blew out the lamp, DID you? And there
was no fire. of course. in the room you were
down here and yet you nearly burned 10
death. Spontaneous combustion? No? Well l
| might have known it-you don't think as heavily as
| that. Hum. 1t looks II you had those ten
| plunks. sure" with look OF deep detection, ana
| then with good deal Of interest: How ga you
| manage TO DO IT, anyhow
well thought you'd have to give it up and
you couldn't guess 1t. anyhow; I'm sure OF that
S in this way Nay and If any ane "a t0
should have called him crazy. .,
Il had been reading and when III got Si sleepy 81 M
side, as usual. / do not know JUS, how long !
slept. but It must have been several hours, when l
room was filled with sitting smoke; the table and
the pillow | was sleeping on were burning .; and
delay and doused the burning bed and table with
| two pitchers of water had In the room and then
got my steamer RIG and smothered what re,
maned of the flames I took up the pillow and
banged IL On the bed, and the result was that l
covered everything In the room with feathers It
was the awfullest looking room you ever saw,
! when got through with IT, | had a big black
| dog with me and he had got wet when / was
| throwing the water around, and then the feathers
| covered him until he looked Ike some four footed
| bird. Tho funniest thing about II was that no
else In the house knew anything about IL until
| the next morning. when Mrs. Rowe came up and
| when she opened the door she was fairly paralyzed
! with establishment. and couldn't imagine whether
had been killing and picking whole henyard
| OF chickens whether had gone clean crazy
and he smiled at the recollection OF the picture
she had made. He seemed TO think that was all
there was to tell, and relghted his cigar. which
had gone out. with the manner OF one who had
earned some money by hard work and was pre-
pared to enjoy IL.
As he lid offer to say more. his friend soon
burst out his eyes almost ready 10 pop out OF his
| head:
| And do you think you have got the bet? Not
bit OF IT, You have told all about the fire and what
| you did. and all that, but you haven't said WORD
about what caused H. That was what you bet on
That's so: I came forgetting that said the
| other why the table covered with tower:
| There was pitcher Of ice-water on the table ana
lying right by II full box of parlor matches.
NV expla OF the fire IT, that the moisture from
the pitcher ran down the towel. soaked the DOT
tom Of the box OF matches some OF the matches
sweled and by their friction ignited the other
matches. and then the whole box blazed up Dio
YOU ever hear Of such a thing beforey
Never replied his friend, sadly, and his prov
was furrowed with the thought Of his lost Slo as ne
| gazed at the sounding sea