The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1911-07-13
A Long Sleep
BY LOUISE 2. CUMMINGS
Copyright BY American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

~A4cNF " ~ NAoA|~t aAo INV
F.. one instance OF girl who lay clever
years IN such condition. Therefor'
there Is nothing improbable or. al
least. impossible In the following story
Jeanette De Forest when she wal
> ten years old was run over By q
wagon. She was picked up uneOn
sclous. carried home and a physician
called In Immediately. He examined
the little girl carefully. found no So
we're Commissions. no bones broken and
50 far as be could judge. no internal
injury. He said that she had doubt.
less lost consciousness from the shock
she had received. but would soon come
to herself
Now Jeanette was the daughter Of
a very poor man. His father had been
wealthy. but soon after his asahs mar
riage the family properly haa been
lost and Jeanette had never known
anything but poverty. she loved to
hear her father talk Of the -haIcyon
days" as be called them. when the
family had lived In a big house In the
center OF extensive grounds and had
everything one could desire. She had
heard the homestead's various features
described 50 often that she had gained
quite a correct picture OF Il IN her
minds eye. Her father. who was a
visionary man. talked about buying the
old place when his ship came IN" and
Jeanette never tired OF hearing him
describe the room that would be hers.
Despite the doctors assurance that
the little girl would soon return to
consciousness. she lay In q comatose
condition. or one OF slumber. for she
appeared TO BE- sleeping, year after
year. without showing any sign OF
awakening.
One day. nine years after the acci-
dent. she opened her eyes. She was
not In the dlngy little room she had
been accustomed TO. but one furnished
with every luxury. Moreover. she
could look out OF a window and see the
leaves unfolding on the trees. whereas
when she had gone to sleep Il was
winter. At some distance was a very
high chimney. nearer the arched wire
and glass OF large conservatory, be- /
sides other things her father had de-
scribed to Der. could be seen from the
room he designed for her In the old Il
homestead.
Thinking she must be dreaming. she
blinked her eyes and tried 10 move.
The latter was difficult. and somehow
she felt very differently from when
she had gone to sleep. She noticed
hat she very nearly dlled the whole
ength Of the bed. Managing to raise
herself on her arm. she caught sight
II her image in the mlrrored door OF
J wardrobe What was her astonish-
nent to see the reflection Of a woman
instead Of child
Failing back on her pillows. she COW
red her eyes with her hands that she
night collect her scattered senses
lurely she must be dreaming. and yet
was a. clear TO her as it
ad ever been when she was awake.
What could II mean = IN the home
tead. and a woman apparently be-
ween eighteen and twenty years Of
ger
Now. all these years that Jeanette
ad been asleep she had had visions
people passing and repassing about
err An old man had often sat By :
er bedside. looking at her curiously.
} n studying her. He had often put
Is Fingers on her wrists and had felt
entity Of her head. Later a young
an had replaced him. He had put
,Onge to the base OF her brain. and
Ie had felt a prickling all over her
ody. This young man had often
Oked down upon her. not curiously
J the old one. but pityingly. wistfully.
I'd with an unrepressed love in his
'es- This was the only part Of her
ng sleep thak seemed to at all real.
ough all her visions were fitting,
d as to the time between them she
uld take no account Of that.
She lay wondering how she had J.
en- removed IN one night. This was =
she knew OF the interval-from n
= tumbledown home into This One
lnsion. how she should have 80 In 6
eased lp size. and thinking Of the y
ing man who had looked at her
1ingIy. Suddenly the door opened 4
d she heard a voice say:
Examine her carefully today. doc
:. She has shown signs Of awaken =
: since you were last here
! will" replied a voice that sound =
familiar to Jeanette. and IN walked
} young man who had appeared 10 r
! IN her sleep.
When he saw her looking az him 9
ie awake he started. Then a sud. y
} JOY W up bis face. and, raising his Y
.. be exclaimed: a
Ny God. thank theeg' &
'eopening the door. be ran out into
hall and called. ~
She has awakenedw
hen Jeannefte's mother came IN. -
!. seeing her daughter looking at her.
nd have thrown herself upon her -
not the young doctor restrained
e sent every one out Of the room
told Jeanette Of her accident. OF y
long sleep and Of q legacy that
enabled her father to buy back