The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-02
A WHITE NIGHT.
Oh. if I could only sleep.

on, II 1 could only sleep
The partner Of my joys and SORROWS
has been sIumbering peacefully for hours
it seems; whilst I. utterly worn out inert
and helpless. lie longing for unconscious
ness that viii not come.
o, if I could only sleep
Thoughts in troops ike little devils
crowd my brain Thoughts unbidden
and unbiddable. Thoughts 1 cant con-
troll or drive away. Nay, worse, they
coerce. bind me, make me work I'm
periously they. point the way. I am
forced to do their bidding, and, oh. so
weary. II is inevitable. but rest may lie
beyond. See. here they come:
It is an clubhouse that have just plan
ned and now must build. How heavy
the timbers are. The frame must be
constructed at first. How can / lift both
ends at once? This middle piece must
be sawed in half 10 hold the door frame.
Then the window fits in here, and win
slide back-so. The roof is slanting, all
these joists are cut to the proper angle
/ figured that out carefully. This IS the
end one. See, it fits in here; but no, IL
viii not reach the king beam. the angle
is all right but IL is cut too short. I
must have planned It wrong.
Oh. if I could only sleep.
Here they come again. It Is a Trial
Balance now. 1t is not my Trial Bal
unns are endless and I am so deadly
weary. Three times 1 lose my total be-
fore I reach a hundred and must each
time go back and start afresh. Now l
Will try and concentrate my WOrnOut will
L have more luck: carefully l carry my
total from one figure TO the next An,
they re coming easier now. It's like car
rying a precious burden up high and
dizzy fire escape. Slowly and steadily
Bah. but the thought has queered me.
Where was I, three ninety-six, three nine
t. six and seven. Three ninety-six and
seven. Oh, this is maddening.
With an awful wrench I break away;
shake up my pillow and turn over.
oh, if ! could only sleep.
Here comes another. 1 know this one;
it's an old timer and not SO bad.
Ny last football match at school in
England. On five minutes more and not
point on either side. I'm captain of the
team and play three-quarter back. Red
Lewis, Lewis the slut; lanky, long-ieg-
Sed Lewis, whom l can neither dodge
nor down. The ball is in our half, well
over 10 the left side touch line. They
form Up for the scrimmage. I'm ten feet
behind it and toward the right. 4 flag
hands me q handkerchief and I wipe
the blood from my face and throw it
down. The ball shoots to our half and
he passes it to me like a fash I'm of
clear OF the scrimmage and running like
mad diagOnally 10 the right. Lewis
and their quarterback are going strong
in the same direction, thirty feet away
from me, and viii cut me of. 1 alter
my course suddenly and start forward.
They overrun themselves; Lewis espec-
Tally, but the quarter grabs my left wrist
He is a 1.-THE, light little fellow, but spry
as a cat. I draw him toward me as we
run and twist my wrist clear. duck and
catching him about the floating hibs hurl
him bodily at Lewis, as he reaches over
to grab him. I'm clear of both of them
now. Twenty-Five yards from the goal.
right in front of it and only their two
full backs to pass I might make run
ming drop" for nothing has been scor-
ed and it would be safer than trying to
get by them. But, no, It would be in
glorious. I throw my last ounce Of speed
into my heels and lower my head for the
charge. Ye gods, but this is glorious.
With both of them on top of me I strug-
gle on a few feet before fall. The ball
is well under me and they cant get their
hands on it. I even make a little dis
lance stretched out On the ground before
it's held Held-and I can almost reach
out and touch their line. Rapidly the
scrimmage line forms up: five yards from
the goal. Two minutes shouts the UNI
pire. The monitors have quit keeping the
crowd outside the lines and it surges up
close. to US The ball is out. Lewis has
it and starts to run, but the forwards tear
him down, Ike hounds tear down stag
The ball is muffed, passed, and thrown
TO me. Close up to their posts and al
most under them. The teams are all
mixed up: TO get through for a touch
down is impossible. l must try a drop
kick that viii go straight up like a punt.
A wild chance. I am jerked down from
behind jUst as the ball bounces, but the
fan does not come soon enough TO alto
gether spoil my kick. My foot just
reaches the ball with sufficient force TO
send it webbing uncertainty If the air.
a gust Of wind helps it over and it falls
beyond the cross beam-clear by an inch.
A GOAL.