The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1917-09-28
BY SALlIE MENDEEM.


Of facing either charge.
AS l was saying, while engaged at
my work. however dangerous, / was
steady as monument. but when dan
ger had passed and hal nothing TO do
but think l went downhill very fast
What bothered me most was that
couldn't sleep nights-that is, whep
comfortably slowed away In bed.
once took a nap In a gentleman's par
Tor and was only Weakened by the sun
coming up and shining In my eyes. ]
Just got out in 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 would hear prison doors
clang behind me. The thought was
dreadful I'm afraid l was too fine
grained for the business.
Month after month my hours of
sleep grew Ices till feared insanity
One night up at midnight after
having slci hours and knew there
would be , re slumber for me TIL
the next T. went to bed. was so
desperate got up with The 'n-
tentl0n into some house : hele
had Il and there sna,ch M.
other couple Il hours slec.N ,N,ad a
crib I'm view, q small hon. : Nth not
much In II. Rut | =, r 0king for
sleep not plunder. -v"W there. took
out q pane &c gla. !, Q NT.rcd and went
upstairs To e." n'aco - settle down.
I stood In "r'. aall looking into a
room wher" ~ Vt lamp was burning.
In the ro".,' oman was in bed with
child % sleep. The child was
sleeping lie front OF the bed, very
near the edge. He was boy and. j
think, about five years old.
On narrow loser 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.
and none of them except the woman
had any covers whatever.
What interested me xas, that fthe
Of his bed and SO much of ihis bedy.
too, that 1t looked to me asjif be tDas
about to fall. He was RESTLESS, and I
knew he would be oveS very soon.
Somehow l wanted to fsee him fall,
though / kept In the Dark SO thap he
wouldn't see me If he woke up. Thu
next kick he made sent him over. Hs
fell couple of feet. but. didn't wake
up. lie landed partly on the little gira
but she didn't wake up either. ex
pected she would, as she moaned foncs
or twice In her sleep andl turnedl over
but finally she slept alphabetically al
before.
It was snch delightful picture to
one suffering from Insomnia that
kept on watching/the children The
boy continued hisiSfcking and crowded
the girl, pushing her with evcrynaov'
to the front edge rof IN led Ir',ir II
have been half lfan hurr ! ne Aep'
this up, whenrthere was :, lurI,..a j
the girl lay on the Coe; Fat
seemed TO be as comfoi ole Gro
on her bed. 81 any rat. n she's,
not the leass.sign Of wakIr:.
Meanwhile / beard the ~ tier >, ,.
distant thunder, and y, Pc W ;. *
Ing ga them all there t4r.e o. te IL,
crash loud enough tn v axe rhe esS!
Yhe mother turned over. bu.. .cisl,a
Of the children moved. neryto,l.a's o.,
one crash after another anH eagaof
ed that 81 least the motIex vseui6
wake up and take aloolS at her chit
dren. But she sleppon. She. must have
been very tired (or had lost lot Of
sleep or shei couldn'y have slep
through those terrible bolts. Nevel
had heardfsuch, thunder before.
The onlyeffect the storm had on an!
OF them/was/to 'inerease the restless
ness (of the.'boy,i He rolled and tun
bled' in his sleeptlike a ship tossed b.
the waves, sometimes lying for few
minutes closA aSainstihis mothers bed
then rolling over to the outer edge Of
his/oWns I was sureihe'd 80 time tum
Die ouagof this bed, as he bad out Of
the Qseer. and Twas bound to. see hin
DO Il. Sure enough. before | expected
| ( betgave - lurch snd landed plumt
on top OF his sister.
Neither of them awoke
/ reckon women know In'their SIR,
what's goirg IN with thor chilssger
for. now thai the storm, was!"ver an
Everything was still aStthe ltornh sfs
Imotber SIT up in bed jvlars ed = re
children. got up and Dft tbr.rni1a tf.el
proper places. ThenfheweribacSj I
bed herself and was asleen1fnh mc
ment.
We'll" saId!to myself - that
what clear conscience fxt1l furnis
I'm going 10 hove afclear5 conscience
1 went back tofmyfroorAreselved ney
er TO enter any uan's nonse, again HI
my own, at kas6 aotkfor plunder
went to bedTandYslep5 Ike top f.
wenty-four/hours.
I kept ny fresy utf11 found honor:
bic employ ment and xospered. But
didn't forget tnej1arsiy that conyerte
mo TYs ru,tp~.- 49,. n,aoA ~.