Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-01-15
.Jasners insomnia.

sonISP
Certainly not,' replied Dir
William, with convlctlous. It Is
au exploded superstition
'Oh, is it, thenr answered Mr..
Ja,per. well, can tell you it is
nothing of the sort, but real'
certain fact, aud III proYe 1t to
you, and tell you why | ceuld not
sleep last night. Some. yeurs ago
knew a lawyer, he lived next door
to me and was reckOned a very
respectable member of the protes
sion. Now rhis man was an awfui
scoundrel and swindler; used 10
people to intrust him with their
uoney to invest, aud then make
away with it. Why, 1 knew three
sisters for whom he was trustee.
and whom he completely ruined
Well at last this man failed Tor L
DON'T know how many thousands,
and numbers were involved in bis
ruin, among others the three SIS
ters | have told you of. Then the
man shot himself. Now that man
had rot the soul of a man at allj
he had the soul OF rat, a miserable,
sneaklng vermln of a rat, and
when he died his soul went into a
rats body. 1t was late one eve
ming when l saw a big black
rat run through my room, which
was Oh the other side OF the wall
TO this. 1t was an enormous lat,
quite black, with long white whls'
kers, aud very bright eyes, ard IL
ran squeaking and shrlekipg
through my room, aud then dls'
appeared. l could not see where 1t
went TO.
The next morning l heard the
man had shot himself. Then
knew 1t was the mans soul which
hal gone into the body of this
black rat. OF course, they had an
inquest, and brought in the YER
dict. Temporary insanity and
they ha0 big funeral and all his
relations came. They invited me,
and | went, out of pJllteness, you
know, but when they came to that
bit of the service about the soul OF
our dear brother resting In peace
why, I could have laughed IN their
faces, for knew it was not resting
in peace at all, but careerlng
away somewhere in the body oil
that black rat
SIR Willlam, who had been look
ing very grave during this TRADE,
here broke into smile aud ob-
served: w ell, old fellow, I dare
siyyou are not tar out; it would be
the fittest punishment for such a
scoundrel as you describe. Bnt did
you never see the rat againr -
yes, many times; but the last
time of all was here, in this very
house, cried Jasper, excltedly.
'Iudeedp said Sir William
'Why, then, you must haYe brought
it with you.'
No such thing retOrted Jasper
scorpfully. "A rat like that does
not want,,to be 'hrougbP anywhere
sBut,' he continued, L am couhden'
il is also identical with a littl"
dark man w1O has taken the
LAWYERS house and goes to onsi-
ness every day carrying a black,
shiny bag. l watch him every day
as be passes, aud l always say
stiood morning. Sir Rat under
nv breath. You mark ny words,
though, and look out for that rat.
5 I got up and chased it all arouLd
the room and out into the passage
} and | am confident it disappeared
in the draiDs. You have not seen
J the last of it YETI
Before Jasper had been very
long in the house it become eyl
dent that his mental derangemen'
, was OF a more serious characttI
than had been imagined. At times
he was quiet and lucid enough anC
Z then would suddenly break ou
T. INTO some incOherent rodomontade
e BIS inconvenlent penchant Tor mi
j still continued and he woul6
l haunt the schoOlroOm with gifts o
J. flowers and fruits, or sweets an'
IN uslc, or anything for which h'
l. heard me express liking.
= One morning, soon after break
=, fast, was on the lawn with May
u shipping dead roses of the bushe
II and gathering a fresh supply 70
the tables.
Here comes Uncle Jasper; let
- hide,' SAID May.
,, / turned and beheld Mr.. Jaspe
=. advancing ia his peculiar ambllnl
fashion. Flight was impossible, 8
. - M