Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-01
The Daily
Short Story
A SLEEPER AWAKENED.
BY Sadie Olcott.

2iiARt Kill nEDt w SAtSV Ole nlrr+
and did not awaken for 10 years hu,
when she did awake she found ..
great a change in her surroundings
as did Rip Van Wrinkle after his jono
siumber.
One night as Corinne was going IN
bed she was very badly frightened
She had laid her doll on the bed
where it would be beside her when she
slept, and had said her prayers wben
a burglar entered the room. Corinns
lost consciousness and from. that ,ims
forward lived in trance Her mother
would not permit anything in the foom
TO be changed, and when 10 years
later Corinne awoke there about her
were the same walls. curtains. furs.
ture-indeed. everything just as Il
had been when she had gone to slsen
10 years before, even to her doll, be-
side her There was no one in the
room when she emerged from her
trance, and she was obliged to get her
bearings as best she could. She had
no remembrance of her fright. but il
seemed TO her that she had passed a
very bad night, sleeping heavily. She
drew her doll UP to her, but somehow
il did not seem to have the same
place in her affections as the night
before She sat up in bed. and there
in the mirror on her dresser. where
she had been used TO seeing herself
reflected, was the image OF girl
of 20.
Corinne started Who was that love
" creature with long coil Of plated
hair hanging over her shoulder: From
the image she turned to herself and
saw that her limbs and body had
grown, her breast had filled out-in-
deed, she was a woman.
It would be impossible to portray
the feelings of this girl, SO suddenly
awakened to the fact that since what
was TO her the night before she had
become a woman. On a chair beside
her bed was a complete set of cloth
ing which her mother had always
kept there, changing it as Corinns
grew older and larger. Getting out Of
bed, she sat on chair-for she did
not at once dare stand-put on the
clothes and as soon as she had done
so, holding on to the furniture as she
proceeded, left her room and went
downstairs.
When Corinne had gone to sleep she
had a little sweetheart, Bonnie Hoyt, d
fine little fellow 10 years old Bonnie
had watched the sleeper, seeing her
| grow from childhood to womanhood.
and the love of boy had passed to
| that Of man. He was used to COM
! ing TO the house where lay his sleeping
| love every morning before going to
business. When Corinnie reached the
| landing and was about to 90 down
! stairs the front door opened, and q
young man entered. Looking up, hi
saw her. A thrill of joy lighted up his
face, He stretched out his arms to hel
and exclaimed. Thank God"
Gorinne stood holding on to the ban
lister, while the man. quickly mounting
/ the stairs, took her in his arms, dreu
her to his breast and covered her fact
with kisses.
Corinne's sensations at this treat
ment were very different from any
thing she had ever experienced before
( There was nothing unusual in bein,
kissed by man-she had sat on |
mans lap, with her arms around hi
neck-but now these earesses brough
the blood to her cheek
TELL me" she exclaimed, who ar
you? Who am I? What does it al
mean?"
.You have slept for 10 years" n
said. 'Comel will tell you all abou
it
Young Hoyt was eager to spread til
good news that the sleeper had bee
awakened, but there was no one jus
then in the house except the servant:
so he led Corinne downstairs to tn
', library. where he told her OF he
scare of 10 years before, how it hs
thrown her into q trance
And now, dear heart" he sait
your love for me has stood still
shall have to win you as a man Thi
| hope to do, and soon you will be IN
wife
And shall we have little house c
our own. with dinner sets and furnl
l ture and place for dolly
2 The last few words were spoke
, hesitatingly, with a glimmer of cor
: seriousness that her doll would Civ
place to a coll of a different kind. Sh
: blushed and hid her face on her bress
Hoyt started. He had often though
t Of this awakening and had endesYore
: TO prepare himself for mind that Ia
not been developed with the body. Il
t had feared that Corinne's defcient
a would dissolve the love he here her.
|. Some one has said that lovers al
o nothing more than grown childre
! Hoyt discovered that. instead of Fist
: ing to bring Corinne up to his stsnt
/. ard, he, as lover, sank 10 hers. Sh
It vas TO him my sweet little girl m
d ewn pet dear bunny" A dezs
r times day he asked her: Are yf
growing TO love me?" Are you SUI
you don't love any one else?" Won
!. you miss me if l should go away
! What would | do if should lose B
!. little birdie?"
: The eourtship was a long enc, I
Corinne must condense eight or Mi
a years schooling into three or fot
r When she was % they were marri
= and began to talk about practie
~ things like men and women. But h
N il not been that lovers are childr
4 when she awoke Hoyt would have Il
Nd her for mentally developed woman