A FOOLISH YOUNG MAN.

NZ Truth, Issue 181, 5 December 1908, Page 6

A FOOLISH YOUNG MAN.

The Weary Watctt of \he Night.

A Ohristchurcß young man of darfc tomplexion, named Fred. Owens t whocantoti sleep, made an ass of 'himself the jthir day, when he took an overdose of jhlorodyne,. For some, time past 'Owens

has lain sleepless m his bed •and listened to the weird sounds that are to he heard m the city. He counts the trams as they pass, till the electric current is switched oil, then the various noises of the night beset his ears .• The slow-moving sanitary cart, the noise of a late motorcar or motor bike, the tread of the sleepless constable, the vocal efforts of the late drunk, the row made in ' the neighborhood by the torn cat \next door, the different i clocks striking the hour, and of . which there are seven, all keeping different time and striking after each other m ; a belat-' ed manner; the crow of the youthful rooster which mistook the waning moon for daylight, and which shut ;up when it got no response from the poultry yards adjoining; finally the first crow of the early male-fowl followed 'by other- cocks, until the din hammered upon the' sensitive brain of the sleepless- person like the fall of the crushers m a five-hundred-stamp battery. • By-and-bye he recognises the voices of familiar roosters, and^ueing nnisical he grades the various shades ; of vocalisation, till he classifies them as soprano, treble, basso, alto and numer-. ous discordant voices that are under tho heading of miscellaneous. Then comes daylight and the sound of biros 'm the garden or sparrows on the roof-top. "Truth" assumes that Owens had often | experienced the above, because he , can't sleep, but it was foolish of him to take on chlorodyne and drink so much of it. It was about 1 o'clock on Monday morning that the father of Owens discovered '■ that something was the matter— that Fred had. taken too much chlorodyne, m [fact. Pa immediately, ADMINISTERED A' HOMELY MUSTARD EMETIC, ; ! with satisfactory results, and when a doctor was called he found the young man : entirely out of danger. However, he suggested that it was a case for the police, and a brother rushed frantically round for a copper. Apparently it was necessary that Fred should be saved from ' himself , and he was removed to the booby hatch. Charged, before Magistrate Bisnop with attempting suicide, ■ Sergeant Johnston ex-r plained the above facts, and stated that Owens was of a literary occupation and had been m the employ of the Post and Telegraph Department for some years. His Worship (to accused) : What's wrong with you ?— I cap.'t sleep. Is it; incessant or occasional ?— During the 'las* fortnight. And you take this stuff for it ?— Yes. .His .Worship pointed out that the young man was very foolish' to take chlorodyne, a drug which lost its effects after it hail been repeatedly used, and, m his Worship's experience, was apt- to make the victim despondent. "I know of nothing more disastrous, physically and mentally," remarked his Worship, "than the taking of drugs to induce sleep. You wii) kill yourself , yet." Owens : Oh, there is no fear of that. | His Worship : What I recommend yob to do is to place yourself under a doctor, - otherwise, sooner or later, you will get yourself into serious ttouble." ' Sergeant Johnston said the police didn't wish to press the case, and the accused was discharged.