PEOPLE WHO NEVER GO TO BED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2008, 18 August 1892, Page 40

PEOPLE WHO NEVER GO TO BED.

A man charged with begging once declared that he had not been in bed for 13 years: he took hia rest in doorways and passages. This is not a bad record ; but many of the homeless class could probably beat it. Certainly there are thousands — not only in England but all over the world — to whom such a luxury as a bed is unknown ; unfortunates obliged to lay their heads in the oddest places imaginable to pinvent their being rudely awakened by the police. A sad ne'er-do-well told the writer thai this was his principal thought for more days than he could count : Where should he 6leep that night ? And he had a theory that but for having this object constantly in view aB he tramped over the monotonous pavements of London he must have lost hi 3 reason. Ho laughed himself in after days when he thought of some of his experiences . at "dossing out." Even he, however, never slept in a stream, which was what some 30 persons of both sexes did at Buda Pesth a few years back. The water, which was warm, flowed from a mill, and the vagrants got into it and converted a number of stones into temporary pilliws.

Even people with homes ciuld toilsome strange stories on this head. Of course, in some count! ies beds aro unknown. The Japanese, for example, bleep on the fljor, muffled in a great w<idded cjat, and with a block of wood for a pillow. But, confining ourselves to England, jast ta'k to the dwellers in the slums on this subject. Why, going to bed there during the summer months is positively inviting torture 1 Many place 3 swarm with vermin, and consequently those who live in them find it more comfortable to sleep anywhere rather than in the proper place — even on the doorstep.

Do " trippers " ever sleep, 'except in railway carriage, and do holiday-makers sleep anywheie when they are at certain of our popular health resorts? The manager of an Isle of Man hotel remarked a few months ago that "visitors" never went to Lei. His servants wers often asked to provide breakfasts at 3 or 1 am. Celtaiuly the streets of Douglas are pretty lively any time during the season. A gentleman is fond of relating that one night a select party settled not for from his bedroom window and created the most discordant din iraagin^bjs. He bore it with exemplary patieawe for about five hours, and then, dressing himself, he went out and mildly expo.-*ulated, saying he wanted some sleep., fr,S,lerjp!" roartd one of the gan?, blowing a te f ri(ic blast on a toy trumpet. •• Then what did you come to tho Ibla of Man for ? '

They say at Blackpool, too, that if you arrive at any hour of the day or night you nre just in time for something or other. The story goes that eaily one morning a dance was in progress on one of the piers, when a shipwrecked sailor, who hal been drifting about on a spar, and had fortunately "landed" on the piiders below, crawled up the steps. The M.C. came forward — they are never surprised at B.ackpool — smiled, bowed, and said, " Pleased to see you, sir. Can I find you a partner ?"