The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1911-07-28

By sALLlE MENDEEM.

AiNn ll-l.L 1 WOKE Etf NJ lll0-l+-N b ~ TOR
having slept two hours and knew There
would be no more siumber f,.r mo, til
the next time I went 10 bed. vas 20
desperate that I got up with We ~
tention II going into some honse " lSeFe
had no right and there sn2tcs an,
other couple of hours sleep. h1l
crib IN view. n small house NTH mol
much IN IL But ! was looking fsr
sleep. not plunder. ! went there. took
out a pane ~ glass. entered and went
upstairs to find a place to settle down.
stood I'm a dark hall looking into
room where a night lamp was burning.
In the room woman was in bed with
a child. both asleep. The child was
sleeping on the front OF the bod very
near The edge He was a boy and. I
think, about five years old.
on n narrow lower bed. close beside
the other. slept another child. q girl Of
about three She was sleeping in the
center Of her bed on her side and had
her chubby fist up against her fat
cheek Ii 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 II looked 10 me as If he was
about 10 fall He was restless. and
knew he would be over very soon.
Somehow | wanted 10 see him fan,
though ! kept in the dark so that he
wouldn't see me IL he woke up. The
next kick he made sent him over. He
fell couple Of feet. but didn't wake
up. lie landed partly on the little 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.
II was such a delightful picture 70
one suffering from insomnia that !
kept on watching the children. Ehe
boy continued his kicking and crowded
Z the girl. pushing her with every move
TO the front edge Of her bed. II must
\ have been half an hour that he kept
7 this UP. when there was a thump. and
I the girl lay oh the floor But she
seemed to lie as comfortable there as
on her bed At any rate. she showed
not the least sign Of waking
Meanwhile | heard the muttering Of
distant thunder. and while l was dock
ing NJ 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 expect
ed 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 10 increase the restless
ness 81 the boy. He rolled and tum-
bled in his sleep ike a ship tossed by
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-
BILE out Of this bed, as he had out Of
the other. and was bound TO see him
do II. Sure enough. before I expected
II he gave n lurch and landed plumb
on top OF his sister.
Neither Of them awoke.
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 beck TO
bed herself and was asleep in n mo-
ment.
well" said to myself. ~ that's
what a clear conscience viii furnish
I'm going to have a clear conscience"
went back TO my room resolved new
er TO enter any mans house again but
my own. ut least not for plumber. |
went 10 bed and slept Ike n top for
twenty-four hours.
/ kept my resolution. found honora.
Bile employment and prospercd. But |
didn't forget the family that converted
mo. The mother was n widow. and.
having n hard time to get on. made
her acquaintance and married her.
But none OF my family know that I
had been burglar or how I came to
know them