The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-19
The Victim of Insomnia,

| self TO the top of your bent You're
not man. Yes, I know, I acted more
| Ike a brute this morning than you pos
| sibly could, but you must make some
/ allowance for a human being who hasn't
anything to wag. There, that's all right
don't jump on me; you're good deg
and there's no need of being so demon
/ strative, and everything is understood
| between US. I am sick. l came up here
| to do as you do and sleep it of in the
sun; but 1t didn't work worth a cent be-
! cause I'm only man and not fortu-
nate dog like you. Hist, what do you
| want TO bark for? Don't you know
! Charlie is asleep? I'll bounce you if YOU
| don't stop. You can just wag your tail
and talk can't you, quietly? What time
| do you suppose it is2 Wait till l look
| at my watch It must be nearly morn
| ing. Heavens, it's only half past three.
| What can we do for three hours? The
sun will not be up till six I'll tell you;
| lets light, that wood fire. A wood fire is
| company. Come on, there's some light
| wood in the kitchen, and / feel chilly
| I have learned that a dog apprehends
a mans meaning very much as a man
| apprehends the meaning of a sympho-
| ny. 1t is purely a matter of tones, and
not Of articulations. He seizes upon
your moods, not upon your ideas with
| the marvellous generalizing capacity of
! a sympathetic ear. He responds to the
allegros and andantes, appropriates the
rhythms without consciousness, and
keeps time TO the feelings as they slip
and merge
From o'clock in the morning till sun
rise is the time when invalids die It is
| the lowest point Of the great ebb. The
ooze of life lies stark and forb dding.
and nothing stirs in 1t. Then it is that
time lags, especially If you are alone.
I went out into the kitchen to look for
kindling, and as I pulled at the wood
pile, the yellow dog jumped to the con-
clusion that was looking for rats, and
1 had to choke him kindly TO prevent
Charlie from waking up and contemplat-
ing our nocturnal idiocy. I got down on
my hands and knees and blew at the
sticks and paper I had piled in the
fireplace and presently a lazy spiral of
smoke began to curl up the chimney.
Even that looked companionable. But no
sooner had the enlivening confiagration
set in than an unexpected runpus broke
out. The old chimney was alive. There
was a beating of wings, much peeping
and scratching. and down came a brood
of swallows, some of them flirting the
firebrands in all directions, and others,
circling round the room with twittering
alarm, knocking down all the small ar
chaos had broken loose with a brood
Of night imps in all of which the yellow
dog, with the exuberance of m:sdirec-
ton, In an animal that has no regular
conduits for her emotions began to make
the place ring with barking I under
stood PERFECTLY well every phrase of her
defamation. "Oh, say, master, 1 knew
that you were up to something, but I
never dreamed it was as lively as this
W.
had wings" And presently, as 1 got
the lamp lit and burned my fingers try
ing to pull one of the Internal imps out
of the ashes, and was dancing around
the room blowing my hands, with the
dog at my heels shouting, go it, this
is something like life" saw Charlie
sitting up in bed, rubbing his fists into
his eyes to get the smoke out, and try
ing to say with all the features he had,
whats broke loose?"
When this episode had quoted down I
looked at my watch. It was only four
o'clock / sat down in a chair and
laughed historically like woman, and
there stood that expectant yellow dog,
saying as plainly as an oscillating spinal
system could say: "Now, that was fine.
What next?"
I had never before in my life waited
for the morning. Many persons, l dare
say, have waited for ii every night of
their lives But 1 did not think of that,
nor of the other fact that to many of
them it never came.
BY and by the fame Of the lamp began
to grow greenishly dull, and a gray,
ghostly light stole in by degrees. I
heard the breath of dawn rustling the
leaves. 1t was like the footsteps of
returning friend-why not say an airy
herald? Griselle herself would be COM
ing across the fields presently, bringing
the sunrise with her. BY Jove, I'D
walk over and meet her. But when
I looked into the little mirror I changed
my mind, and calling the dog, I went
down TO the pool and had an early bath
BY this and other devices 1 managed to
fill in the time until I saw the muslin
skirt and the Florentine hat glancing
in the perspective, and, as I live, the
Doctor was with her, and was carrying
her milk-pail. He had come up the night
before, and stopped at the Hotchkiss
house. He looked me all over with
quick glance, and said:
what have you been doing? You look
as melancholy as If you had been edit
ing a comic paper"
AS Griselle slipped into the house, I
told him.
Going TO the city. Nature cure no
good. Theory don't work. Nature play
ed out. Had an attack. Just where
was when I started. If I must shuttle
off, I propose to do Il where my last
moments Will be cheered with the strains
of a hand-organ, and they can put me
up IN ice for keeps"
He did not pay much attention TO my
words He was reading my condition
and let me run on.
Couldn't possibly stick Il ont here all
winter In fact, have come to the
conclusion that l would rather go IN
the city and die than stay here and
live"
All right% he said: "that's easy. Did
you make up your mind since last
night?"
"Yes-had a second warning"
Just then Griselle came to the door
with the coffee-pot IN her hand.
why. whatever have you done with
full of grounds"
"Oh. I made coffee for supper last
night" I said carelessiy.
Let me look at IL" said the Doctor
He took the cofree-pot and looked in
TO II. Must have used about pound
didn't you?''
4 suppose so-that's about the usual
amount, ISL III
And drank the whole OF It. OF
course? -
Certainly"
He looked az me moment rather be
aignantly. and then he said.
Well, let's go in and get cur break
fast and wen talk II over Afterwards
Griselle has got some quan 70 hroil ard
Gabe has brought over = basket 4
csnteloupes that will make you mora
comfortable Then ven can pack Up AMI
q, "a 49, cl.r Il, s.rs--- n r.a- -rras-