The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1913-04-11
HosU He Found
Sleep.

BY SALIIE MENDEEM.

BY SALllE /,
copyright. 1909. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l /
The way l got out Of the burglar line
was this: 1 had mighty good nerve and
wasn't afraid Of any one. / seemed 10
know what kind Of a crib to crack and
how to do 1t without waking anybody
up and getting away between midnight
and dawn, when the cops are most
drowsy. While l vas 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 IL
necessary to add murder TO robbery.
The truth is I never liked the prospect
Of facing either charge.
AS / was saying. while engaged at
m work, however dangerous, 1 was
| steady as q monument. but when dan
| ger had passed and | had nothing to do
but think | went dOwnhill very fast.
What bothered me most was that j
| couldn't sleep nights-that is. when
| comfortably slowed away In bed. L
snce tool n nap In a gentleman's par
| lOI dllu was bull dhthtu ny LIZ "a
coming up and shining In ny eyes. I
Just got out i'm time TO save myself.
But when lying on n soft mattress,
with warm covers and nc q n OF
being disturbed. sleep wouldn't come
to me / lay awake thinking of the
time when | would hear prison doors
rlang behind me. The thought was
dreadful. I'm afraid 1 was too fine
grained for the business.
Month after . month my hours OF
sleep grew less till 1 feared insanity.
One night I woke up at midnight after
having slept two hours and knew there
would be no more slumber for me till
the next time l went to bed. l was so
desperate that I got up with the IN
tention of going into some house where
had no right and there snatch an
other couple Of hours sleep. l had q
crib In view, a small house with not
much In it. But l was looking Tor
sleep. not plumber. ! went there, took
J out O pane of glass, entered and went
upstairs to find a place to settle down.
= I stood in a dark hall looking into q
room where a night lamp was burning.
In the room a 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 a boy and.
think, about five years old.
On a narrow lower bed, close beside
I the other, slept another child, a girl Oh
about three. She was sleeping in the
. center of her bed on her side and had
her chubby fist up against her fa'
cheek. 1t was hot summer weather
: and none Of them except the woman
had any covers whatever.
What interested mt was that the
boys head was hanging over the side
7 Of his bed and so much Of his body
too. that 1t looked to me as II he ttas
about to fall. He was restless ana
= knew he would be over very soon
Somehow l wanted to see him fall
though I kept in the dark so that h'
wouldn't see me If he woke up. The
o next kick he inside sent him over. III
fell a couple Of feet. but didn't wax
up. He landed partly on the little girl
4 but she didn't wake up either. 1 e4
pected she would, as she moaned onc'
or twice in her sleep and turned over
but finally she slept as peac1ully a
L before.
It was such a delightful picture t.
e n suffering from insomnia that
kept on watching the children. Th
boy continued his kicking and crowde'
the girl. pushing her with every NOV
20 the front edge of her bed. 1t mus
have peer half an hOur that he KEEP
this up, when there was a thump, an
the girl lay on the floor. But sh
seemed to be as comfortable there a
| on her bed. At any rate. she shove
not the least sign Of waking.
Meanwhile l heard the muttering Q
/ distant thunder, and while was loof
\ ing at them all there came n terrih
y crash loud enough to wake the deat
The mother turned over, but neithe
Of the children. moved. Then followe
one crash after another, n / expec
ed that at least the mother woul
wake up and take q look at her chi
dren. But she slept on. She must hay
been very tired or had lost a lot {
sleep or she couldn't have sleI
through those terrible bolts. Nev'
had / heard such thunder before.
tie The only effect the storm had on az
w Of them was to increase the restles
ness of the boy. He rolled and tun
bled In his sleep like a ship tossed /
the waves, sometimes lying for a fe
minutes close against his mothers be-
then rolling over TO the outer edge
his own. | was sure he'd In time tur
BILE out of this bed, as be had out
the other, and | vas bound TO see hi
do it Sure enough. before / eXpect6
1t he gave a lurch and landed plum
on top of his sister.
Neither Of them awoke.
I reckon women know in their sle'
what's going on with their childre
for. now that the storm was over Al
g everything was still as the tomb, Il
y mother sat up in bed. glanced at h
children, got upeand put them N the
proper places. Then she went back
. bed herself and was asleep In a N