Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1910-05-19

less couch ana Chlleu himself nhIncB
for the hundredth time. the full moon
shining into his window brought
sudden recollection with It. Miss
Drake had once mentioned that on the
full of the moon she had been known
to rise, throw a wrapper around her.
and walk forth on the lawn In a state
Of somnambulism. Here was the full
of the moon. Might not she be walk
ing at this very minute? Why
shouldn't he walk too? He was on
the ragged edge, and that was next
door to somnambulism. Two somnam-
bullsts might accomplish what two
persons. awake, had failed to do.
With heart beating high, the young
lawyer hurried into his clothes. tip.
toed down the stairs and five minutes
later was two blocks away and gazing
at a human figure slowly walking
across lawn. II was the figure of
Mabel Drake. She was walking in
her sleep. There is no law laid down
in such cases. Attorneys must act for
themselves. Young Mr.. Egbert acted.
He became somnambulist and be-
gan pacing the lawn almost within
reaching distance of the girl.
For five minutes the two sleep-walk.
ers paced. They turned at goose
berry bush at one end, and at crab
apple tree at the other. Then the
sleeping Mr.. Egbert said to himself in
a sleepy voice:
Il shouldn't have said that to the
dear girl-no, / shouldn't"
There was a long.drawn sigh from
Mabel.
"She meant no harm, but in my jeal'
ousy accused herr"
Another sigh. and just as they
turned, the soft words fell from the
sleeping girls lips:
IF / had known-if had known
that he once called my George
young squirt of lawyer should have
told him that ! hated him."
Then the couple stood at the goose
berry bush a moment, as II listening
to the sad refrain of the katydids, and
George murmured:
II was wrong-I was wrong! Earth
holds no nobler girl than my dear
Mabel"
On the way to the crabapple tree.
with the distant watch dogs baying at
the moon and the tree toads keeping
up their Internal racket, Mabel sighed
again, and her voice was broken as
she said:
1.-TWO strings to my bow! How
could George say such thing to me!
I have loved one and only one"
After the turn at the crabapple.
George uttered a sort Of groan and
said:
Can she-will she ever forgive me?
It's more than can hope for, but l
will put my arm about her and tell
her how sorry I am, and that no such
words shall ever pass my lips again.
Miss Drake gave start and q
Jump aside and exclaimed:
"Who-what-where am /? Who Ii
this here?"
And Mr.. Egbert gave a backward
spring. looked wildly around him and
exclaimed:
.'Who-what-where am I? How
did come here? Is this you Mabel?
.Mr Egbert, what does this mean?
The last l remember was In my bed.
and now wake up to find myself
here in your company!
Just the same with me, Mabel dear.
went to bed with such an anxious
mind that | must have got up In my
sleep, and dressed and came here.
You once told me that you sometimes
walked in your sleep in the full OF the
moon"
How queer that we should both be
walking in our sleep on the same
night! Do you think we talked to
each other?
IL think we did, and If you will
ait down on this bench will tell you
all l can remember"
And when he had told her, and the
katydids and watch dogs and tree
toads were still for a moment. she
smiled and said:
Don't be foolish any more-at least
not until after we are old married
folks!"