The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-11-29
Hosv He Found
Sleep.

BY sALLIE MENDEEM.

The way got out of the burglar line
was this: had mighty good nerve and
wasn't afraid Of any one. I seemed to
know what kind of a crib to crack and
how TO do II without waking anybody
up and getting away between midnight
and dawn, when the cops are most
drowSy. While | was doing a Job !
thought of nothing except my work
and was both cool and watchful. ]
wasn't one of those blokes who scare
people TO death or who are ready II
necessary to add murder to robbery.
The truth is never liked the prospect
of facing either charge.
AS I was saying, while engaged at
my work, however dangerous, l was
steady as monument. but when dan
ger had passed and | had nothing to do
7 but think | went downhill very fast.
What bothered me most was that ]
couldn't sleep nights-that is, when
comfortably slowed away in bed. /
once took nap in a gentleman's par
lor and was only Weakened by the sun
coming up and shining in my eyes.
4
But when lying on a soft mattress,
with warm covers and no chance Of
being disturbed. sleep wouldn't come
to me. l lay awake thinking of the
time when would hear prison doors
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 till
the next time went to bed. was so
desperate that | got up with the IN
tention Of going into some house where
I had no right and there snatch an
other couple Of hours sleep. l had a
crib In view, small house with not
much In it. But I was looking for
sleep, not plumber. / went there, took
out q pane of glass, entered and went
upstairs to find a place to settle down.
I stood In a dark hall looking into a
room where a night lamp was burning.
In the room q woman was in bed with
a child, both asleep. The child was
sleeping on the front Of the bed, very
near the edge. He was boy and, ]
think, about five years old.
On q narrow lower bed, close beside
the other, slept another child, a 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. 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 it looked to me as il be e2as
about to fall. He was restless ana
knew he would be over very soon.
Somehow | wanted to see him fall
though I kept In the dark so that be
wouldn't see me if he woke up. The
next kick he inside sent him over. HI
fell a couple of feet. but didn't wake
up He landed partly on the little girl
but she didn't wake up either. l ex
pected she would, as she moaned once
j or twice in her sleep and turned over
: but finally she slept as peac~aully as
before.
1t was such a delightful picture tC
one suffering from insomnia that
, kept on watching tho children. The
boy continued his kicking and crowded
the girl pushing her with every move
to the front edge Of her bed 1t must
i,.af ~ 10y
this up, when there WIS t4umP. anC
the girl lay on the floor. But sht
seemed to be as comf0Yta blc there as
on her bed. - any ratc, she showed
not the least si-n waking
Meanwhile | heard the mutfeFiag o-
distant thunder. and while WAS look
Ing at them III there came one terlii,
crash loud CROUCH To wake the dead
The mother turned over. but neithe
of the children moved Then followed
one crash after another. and / expect
cd that nj least the mother woult
wake up aid take Il look at her chil
dren. But she slept on. She must have
been very tired or had lost lot o
sleep or she couldn't have sleD
through those terrible bolts. Neye
bad heard such thunder before.
The only effect the storm had on an.
Of them was to increase the restless
ness Of the boy He rolled and tum
bled in his sleep like a ship tossed b,
the waves. sometimes lying for a FEY
minutes close against his mothers bed
then rolling over TO the outer edge o
his own was sure he'd In time tum
BILE out Of this bed, as he had out o
the other. and | was bound to see hir
do it. Sure enough, before l expecte
lit he gave a lurch and landed plum
on top Of his sister.
Neither Of them awoke.
F~reckCn women know In their slice
what's going on with their children
for. now that the storm was over an
everything was still As the toms, tn
mother sat up in bed, glanced at be
children. got up and put them in the
proper places. Then she went back
bed herself and was asleep In a me
ment
We'll" 1 said 10 myself, IF that
-hot n oIoor nopcofapoo mill ftrrniS