Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-10-26
The Sleepwalker
By ARTHUR EDWARDS.
Copyright. 1870 by American Press
Association.

And so, my boy. you're going TO the
city TO take position in business. It's
more than seventy years since l did
the same thing myself
When was your age was appren-
ticed 10 a New York china merchant.
The apprentice usually lived in the
family of his employer. and 1 lived
with the Van Horns. Mr. Van Horns
of &c was on the ground floor of his
house. TIE living rooms being upstairs
The house stood on the bank Of the
East river and from it we could see
the ships in which he was Interested
come in to the slips on the other side
of the street, poking their bowsprits
almost in at our windows
was but fourteen years of age when
was apprenticed 10 Mr.. Van Horn.
He had but one child, Katherine, who
was twelve, to whom | soon stood as
brother Before the term of my APP
premiership had expired we had be-
come lovers, and / preferred 10 remain
where l was rather than accept POI
sition that would separate me from
Katherine. But OF this Mr.. Van Horn
was ignorant.
Meanwhile Mrs Van Horn had died,
and her place In the household man.
agement was taken by housekeeper,
middle aged widow named Clark.
Mrs. Clark had no sooner come into
the family than il was apparent that
she aimed at marrying MIR. Van Horn.
By that time | was nineteen years old
and Katherine was sixteen 1t was
natural that we should unite against
the common enemy, for Katherine was
up in arms against any one who aspir-
ed to take her mothers place.
During my boyhood / became a SOM
nambulist The first time l walked in
my sleep l awoke TO find myself stand
ing before mirror brushing my hair.
was terribly shocked and, running to
my bed. covered my head and lay
trembling till morning. Another time,
when the bowsprit OF large ship ex-
tended over the house. | found myself
one night on the bowsprit saved
myself from falling into the street by
catching rope l had gone on TO the
roof. got on TO the bowsprit and was
shining down.
At that time there were no safes
such as we have now. A modern safe
compared with the strong box of that
day is like an ocean liner compared
with one Of the caravels in which Co
lumbus crossed the Atlantic. | well
remember the strong box Mr.. Van
Horn kept in one of the rooms on the
main floor of his house, room he
used for his private Office. 1t was COW
cred with strips Of iron interlaced like
| basketwork But 1t was opened by a
big iron key that would now serve for
a stable door
All of sudden Mr.. Van Horn began
to miss important papers from his
strong box. He confided his loss 10
| Mrs. Clark. and there was mt once a
| great change in his treatment of me.
! 1t was plain TO me that she had not
only opened his eyes to my relations
with his daughter. Of which he had
been oblivious. but she led him to sus-
| pect that was stealing his papers.
She herself was obllvious TO othing
| that was going Cd and had not only
discovered that katherine and / were
lovers. but that we stood in her way
| to become Mrs. Van Horn. But MIR
! Van Horn was a secretive man, and
though he was seriously poisoned
against me and was ambitious for his
| daughter to become the wife Of an emil
nent man. he pretended TO disbelieve
the charge against me, preferring to
! set a watch upon me without letting
any one I'm the house Know that he was
doing so, He slept with his door open
at the other end OF the hail. on which
my room also faced. and since he was
| a light sleeper 1t was almost impossi-
BILE for me to leave my room without
! his knowing 1t.
Well. one night | woke up from one
| of my somnambulistic walks and my
establishment was as great as. II not
greater than. ever before / was
standing In the counting room on the
main floor, Mr. Van Horn was stand
ing in the door that opened into his
| private office. while by the light OF
candle Mrs Clark was seen kneeling
beside the strong box
'Go to your ROOM" said Mr.. Van
| Horn to me.
/ lost no time In doing so, but soon
recovered from the shock of my sud
den awakening from somnambulism,
| for | saw that my physical defect had
made great change IN the situation.
The next morning I saw Mrs. Clark
packing to leave. and before noon she
was out Of the house. never TO return.
AZ soon as she had gone MIR. Van
Horn called me into his private office
and told me Of the loss Of his papers,
| his consultation with his hOusekeeper
and her turning his suspicious against
me The night before be had heard
me get out of bed and. going himself
| into the hall. had seen me start oa
| what be COON became convinced was
a somnambu'lstic tour fIe and ! were
| both in our bare feet and moved with
| a oa4IfLa froad When he raw Isp 90