Show SHEEP OF NO AVAIL AT LEAST FOR THE PURPOSES OF A NARCOTIC if any one doubts it and will take the risk of asking mr butter wick about it he will be convinced butterwack had a fit 0 sleeplessness ane night lately and after vainly try ang to lose himself in slumber be happened to remember that he once read in an almanac aln anac that a man could tores himself to sleep by imagining that he baw a flock of cheep jumping over a fence and by counting them as they jumped he determined to try the experiment and closing hla eyes he fancied the sheep jumping and be gan to count he had reached his sheep and was beginning to doze off when mrs butterwack sud denly said joseph well what I 1 believe that yellow hen of ours wants to set 0 don t bother me with such truck as that now shut up and go to sleep then butterwack started his sheep again and commenced to count he got up to and was feeling as it he would drop off any moment when lust as his sheep was about to take that fence one of the twins be gan to cry blame that child he shouted at mrs butterwack why don t you tend to it and put it to sleep hush up you little brat or spank you when mrs butterwack had quieted it butterwack although a little nerv ous and excited concluded to try it again turning on the imaginary mut ton he began once more only 64 sheep had slid over the fence when butterwack s mother in law knocked at the door and asked if he was awake when she learned that he was she said she believed he had forgotten to close the back shutters and she thought she heard burglars in the yard then butterwack arose in wrath and went down to see about it he ascer talked that the shutters were closed as usual and as he returned to bed he resolved that either that woman would leave the house for good in the morn ing or else he wound however he thought he might as well give the almanac plan another trial and setting the sheep in motion he began to count this time he reached and would probably have got to sleep before the sheep lumped had not dixs new dog in the next yard suddenly become homesick and begun to express his feelings in a series of prolonged and exasperating howls butterwack was mad dropping the sheep he leaped from bed and began to bombard mix s new dog with boots soap dishes and every loose object he could lay his hands on he bit the animal at last with a plaster bust 0 daniel webster and induced the dog to retreat to the stable to think about home in silence it seemed almost ridiculous to re sume those adeep again but he deter mined to give the almanac man one more chance BO as they began to lump the fence he began to count and after the sheep safely over be was gliding gently into the land of dreams when mrs butterwack rolled out of bed and fell on the floor with such violence that she waked both the twins and started them crying while butter wicks mother in law came downstairs four steps at a time to ask them it they felt that earthquake the situation was too awful for words butterwack regarded it for a minute with speechless indignation and then seizing a pillow be went over to the sofa in the back sitting room and lay down on the lounge he fell asleep in ten minutes without the as sl stance of the almanac but he dreamed all night that he was being butted around the equator by a cota wold ram and he woke in the morning with a terrific headache and a conviction that cheep are good enough foi wool and chops but not worth a cent as a narcotic New york weekly |