The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1911-11-03
Observation-Disclosures:

clang behind me. The thought was
dreadful I'm afraid I was too fine
grained for the business.
Month after month my hours OF
sleep grew less till | feared insanity
One night woke up,at midnight after
having slept two hours and knew there
would be no more Slumber for me TIL
the next time went TO bed I was so
desperate that ] got up with the in
tention Of going into some house where
had no right and there snatch an
other couple Of hours sleep. 1 had q
crib In view, small house with not
much in 1t. But / was looking for
sleep, not plumber. l went there, took
out pane of glass, entered and went
upstairs 10 find n place TO settle down.
stood IN a dark hall looking into a
In tho room woman was in bed with
child. both asleep The child was
sleeping on the front OF the bed, very
near the edge. He was n boy and. /
think, about five years old.
On II narrow lower bed, close beside
the other, slept another child, girl OF
about three. She was sleeping I'm the
center Of her bed on her side and had
her chubby fist up against her fat
cheek. 1t was hot summer weather,
and none of them except the woman
had any covers whatever.
What interested me was that the
boys head was hanging over the side
Of his bed and so much Of his body,
too, that 1T looked to rue az If he tsas
about 10 fall. He was restless, ana
knew he would be over very soon.
Somehow | wanted TO see him fall,
though l kept In the dark so that no
wouldn't see me If he woke up. The
next kick he made sent him over. He
fell couple OF feet. but di6rt wake
up. He landed partly on the title girl,
but she didn't wake up either. | ex-
pected she would, as she moaned once
or twice In her sleep and turned over.
but finally she slept as peacefully as
before.
1t was such delightful picture to
one suffering from insomnia that II
kept on watching the children. The
boy continued his kicking and crowded
the girl, pushing her with every move
TO the front edge Of her bed. 1t must
have been half an hour that he kept
this UP, when there was a thump. and
the girl lay on the floor. But she
seemed to be as comfortable there as
on her bed. At any rate. she showed
not the least sign of waking.
Meanwhile 1 heard the muttering of
distant thunder, and while l was look
ing at them all there came one terrific
crash loud enough to wake the dead.
The mother turned over, but neither
Of the children. moved Then followed
one crash after another, and l expect
eel that at least the mother would
wake up and take look at her chill
dren. But she slept ON. She must have
been very tired or had lost a lot OF
sleep or She couldn't have slept
through those terrible bolts. Never
had / heard such thunder before
The only effect the storm had on any
of them was to increase the restless
ness of the boy. He rolled and tum-
the waves, sometimes lying for few
minutes close against his mothers bed,
then rolling over to the outer edge of
his own. was sure he'd In time tum-
bic out Of this bed, as he had out of
the other, and was bound to see him
do ii. Sure enough, before ! expected
1t he gave lurch and landed plumb
on top of his sister.
Neither of them aVoke.
/ reckon women know In their sleep
what's going on with their children.
for now that the storm was over and
everything was still as the tomb, the
mother sat up in bed, glanced at her
children, got up and put them in their
proper places. Then she went back TO
bed herself and was asleep in mo-
ment.
We'll" I said to myself. eff that's
what n clear conscience will furnish
I'm going 10 have clear conscience"
! went back 10 my room resolved new
er 10 enter any mans house again but
my own. at least not for plumber !
went TO bed and slept like top for
twenty-four hours.
/ kept nay resolution. found hoRora-
bic employment and prospered. But
didn't forget the family that converted
me. The mother was a widow. and.
having hard time TO get on, / made
her ACQUAINTANCE and married her.
But none Of my family knoV that ]
fhad been a burglar or how tscams to