The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-05-02
"A Long Sleep
BY LOUISE B. CUMMINGS
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.
BY LOUISE B. cUMMIN,


asleep or in a trance, and there is
one instance of a girl who lay eleven
years In such condition. Therefore
there is nothing improbable or. at
BEAST, impossible In the following story:
Jennnette De Forest when she was
ten years old was run over by a
wagon. She was picked up uncon-
ecious. carried home and n physician
called in Immediately He examined
the little girl carefully, found no se-
we're contusions. no bones broken and,
go far us he 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 sons mar
riage the family property had been
lost, and Jeanette had never known
anything but poverty. She loved to
hear her father talk of the "halcyon
days" as he called them, when the
family had lived In big house in the
center OF extensive grounds and had
everything Que could desire. She had
heard the homestead's various features
described so often that she had gained
quite correct picture Of 1t 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
khe little girl would soon return to
consciousness she lay In a 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 dingy little room she had
been accustomed to, but one furnished
with every luxury. Moreover, she
could look out Of window and see the
leaves unfolding on the trees, whereas
when she had gone to sleep IL was
winter. At some distance was very
high chimney, nearer the arched wire
and glass of large conservatory, be-
sides other things her father had de-
scribed to her. could be seen from the
room he designed for her In the old
homestead.
2" Thinking she must be dreaming, she
blinked her eyes and tried TO move.
The latter was difficult. and somehow
she felt very differently from when
she had gone TO sleep. She noticed
that she very nearly filed the whole
length of the bed. Managing to raise
herself on her arm. she caught sight
of her image in the mirrored door of
a wardrobe. What was her astonish-
ment to see the reflection of n woman
instend OF chidl
Falling back on her pillows, she COW
cred her eyes with her hands that she
might collect her scattered senses
Surely she must be dreaming and yet
everything was ns clear to her as 1t
had ever been when she was awake.
What could II mean - In the home
stead. and woman apparently be-
tween eighteen and twenty years OF
ageI
had been asleep she had had visions
of people passing and repasslng about
her. An old man had often sat by
her bedside. looking at her curlously,
as II studying her. He had often put
his fingers on her wrists and had felt
gently of her head Later young
man had replaced him. He had put n
sponge to the base OF her brain, and
shc had felt n pricklinI all over her
body. This young man had often
looked down upon her. not curlously
as the old one, but piylngly, wiatfully,
and with an unrepressed love In his
eyes. This was the only part Of her
long sleep that seemed TO Mt all real,
though all her visions were hitting,
and as TO the time between them she
could take no account of that
She lay wondering how she had
been removed In one night. This was
all she knew of the interval-from
her tumhledown home into this fine
mansion, how she should have so in
creased IN size. and thinking OF the
young man who had looked at her
lovingly. Suddenly the door opened
and she heard voice say:
'Examine her carefully today, doc.
eor. She has shown signs OF awaken
tng since you were last here"
II WILL" replied voice thnt sound
ed familiar TO Jennnette, and In walked
the young man who had appeared &c
her IN her sleep.
When he saw her looking at him
wide awake he started. Then a sud
den Joy lit up his face, and, raising his
eyes. he exclaimed:
"My God, thank theew
Reopenlng the door, he ran out into
the ball and called:
''She has awakenedw
Then Jeannette's mother camo In
and, seeing her daughter looking at her
would have thrown herself upon hel
had not the young doctor restrained
her.
He sent every one out OF the room