Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-07-29
RELIEVED HIS:MtAD
Sumner Shaw Tells Of His Defeat
of Insomnia.
Possibly There Are Others Who Would
lsieep More Peacefully II They
Squared Up With Conscience.
m He Did.


was Willing away an hour In Squire
Marr's office, complained that he had
not been sleeping well lately. He dig
nifed his trouble by calling 1t 1nsom'
MIA. AS might have been expected.
the squire had specific.
'The thing to do" he said, us to
make your mind as near blank as
possible. When find that my MIND
is disposed to work overtime. l resort
to the old nursery Jingle: The House
That Jack Built repeat 1t rather
slowly from beginning to end, and 60
over It again and again. To me the
rhythm Is very soothing, and the pic
lures that the words call up are con-
stantly changing, just as In dreams.
Presently l begin to get a little tan
gled up, so that perhaps 1t Will De
the priest all shaven and shorn that
milks the COW with the crumpled horn.
II Is not long after that before / drop
into real slumber That lasts until am
awakened. may be, by the cock that
crows in the MORN"
ibid you ever try reckoning interest
as q means Of inducing sleepT asked
Sumner Shaw, the carriage maker.
"As rule. I'm not much subject to
insomnia" he went on. But got an
inkling Of what IL is like when l was
staying overnight at my nephew's In
the city. four years ago, or so. They
make long evenings, and 1t must have
been close on to ten before ! got of
to bed.
Remember that you don't have to
get up at some unseemly hour, Uncle
Summer says Susie. we don't have
breakfast until eight
"Well, I dropped right Off to Sleep
same as usual; but when / woke up
and turned on the electric light Mt
the head Of the bed, I found 1t was
only three o'clock.
"'Now, then says I to myself. I'll
have to get another nap
"But that was easier said than done.
The harder I tried the wider awake ]
was. guess 1t was insomnia. fast
enough. Finally got to thinking over
my past life. Well. probably I'd done
worse things in my life. but what
seemed to fasten on was little bust
ness transaction with the Widow Wig
gin. sold her q sleigh at my own
price; and the very next day l sold one
Just like 1t to Cap'n Gray, and he beat
me down five dollars. and I made some
thing at that. In the circumstances |
| felt as II II would be no more than
fair to go to Mrs. Wiggin and make
her the same discount. But you are
| apt to let such things 60. and pretty
soon she took sick and died. She had
no immediate family, and the property
went to distant connections out Of the
state. So kind Of let the thing slide.
as being of no great consequence. any
way.
"But It doomed up big there in the
dark, and at last had to promise my
self that II I lived to get home I'd get
clear of that five dollars somehow. At
that time Belgian relief fund was be-
ing raised. and concluded that II
would please her as much as anything.
II she could know 1t. to put down a
subscription In memory Of Mrs. Maria
ANiggln.
"Having settled that, felt easier.
but not renl sleepy. as II still seemed
long ways ahead to breakfast time
| Then II occurred to me that about
eighteen years interest ought to go
with that five dollars. and ! fell to
considering how much that would be-
| am pretty good Mt figuring In my
head, and I could have worked out the
simple interest easily; but compound
interest Is another matter. However
I began casting 1t up. and + got as
| far as the fifth year. Then the next
| thing I knew Susie was singing out !:
Breakfast, Uncle SumnerP
$50 you see. reckoning interest got
the better of insomnia that time.
Mebbe. though. purging my conscience
had something to do with 1t. You are
welcome to both Of these remedies.
Mr.. Jenkins" he added with friendly
wink, Gin case the squire's doesn't
work."-Youth's Companion.