The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-04-03
Hote,. He Found
Sleep.

BY sALLIE MENpEEM.


how to do il without waking anybody
up and getting away between midnight
and dawn, when the cops are most
drowsy. While | was doing a Job l
thought of nothing except my work
and was both cool and watchful.
wasn't one of those blokes who scare I
people TO death or who are ready II I
necessary to add murder to robbery. I
The truth is | never liked the prospect 1
Of facing either charge
AS was saying. While engaged at
my work. however dangerous, | was
steady as monument, but when dan
ger had passed and had nothing to do /
but think l went downhill very fast.
What bothered me most was that !
couldn't sleep nights-that is, when
comfortably slowed away in bed |
once took Il nap in a gentleman's par
/ lor and was only Weakened by the sun
coming up and shining in my eyes. |
lust got out i'm time TO save myself
But when lying on a soft mattress,
with warm covers and no chance OF
being disturbed, sleep wouldn't como
to me. | lay awake thinking Of the
time when I would hear prison doors
clang 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 | feared insanity.
One night l woke UP at midnight after
having slept two hours ard 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. | had a
, crib In view, n small house with not
much in It, But | was looking for
sleep, not plumber. I went there, took
out pane Of glass, entered and went
upstairs to find a place to settle down.
stood in a dark hall looking into a
room where night lamp was burning.
In the 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 boy and,
think, about five years old.
On n narrow lower bed, close beside
the other, slept another child, 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,
l. and none of them except the woman
had any covers whatever.
J. What interested me was that the
boys head was hanging ever the side
1, of his bed and so much Of his body,
too. that il looked TO me as ii he t3as
y about to fall. He was restless, and
knew he would be over very soon
# Somehow 1 wanted to see him fall,
though | kept in the dark so that he
II wouldn't see me if he woke up. The
next kick he msde sent him over. He
IS fell couple of feet, but didn't wake
up. He landed partly on the little girl,
I. but she didn't wake up either. l ex'
pected she would, as she moaned once
# or twice in her sleep and turned over
but finally she slept as peacs5ully as
IS before.
1t was such a delightful picture to
- one suffering from insomnia that
kept on watching the children. The
- boy continued his kicking and crowded
the girl, pushing her with every move
CT 10 the front edge of her bed. 1t must
have been half an hour that he KEEP
this up. when there was q thump, ant
the girl lay on the floor But sh'
seemed to be as comfortable there a:
on her bed. At any rate, she showed
ie not the least sign Of waking.
Al Meanwhile | heard the muttering o.
II distant thunder, and while 1 was look
10 ing at them all there came one terrific
% crash loud enough to wake the dead
~ The mother turned over, but neithe
10 of the children. moved. Then FOLLOWED
u one crash after another, and expect
y ed that at least the mother woul'
" wake up and take a look at her chi
III dren. But she slept on. She must hav
Sc been very tired or had lost a lot o
III sleep or she couldn't have slep
% through those terrible bolts. Neye
a had 1 heard such thunder before.
We The only effect the storm had on an
~ of them was to increase the restless
~ ness of the boy. He rolled and tun
ne bled in his sleep like a ship tossed b
d the waves, sometimes lying for a fe'
Is minutes close against his mothers bee
" then rolling over to the outer edge c
Is his own. was sure he'd in time tun
VI BILE out OF this bed, as he had out {
the other. and l was bound to see hin
do it. Sure enough, before / eXpecte
1t he gave a 1urch and landed plum
&c on top Of his sister.
- Neither of them awoke.
l reckon women know In their siee
ily what's going on with their childrel
ei for. now that the storm was over an
We everything was still as the tomb, ii
w. mother sat up in bed. glanced at h'
Ter children, got up-and put them in the
proper places. Then she went back
up bed herself and was asleep IN m
ment
= WELL" / said TO myself, 'ff that
what a clear conscience will furnis
I'm going 10 have a clear conscience
VI went back TO my room resolved ne
liu er 20 enter any mans house again b
." my own, at least not for plumber.
Ups 20 Ho6 a0d clanf 1il-a n ton z