The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1855-11-20
had Just taken his scat when the Squire en-.

tered.
"Tell you what, Squire" said Nat, ASST
ming frightful expression of countenancc,
II begin to feel bad-'fraid I'm agoin' to
have one of them drafted fits which takes me
down sometimes. Yes there it comesr' no
yelled, and Immediately after he jumped from
his chair. high enough almost to touch the
ceiling, and came down upon the floor with a
force which shook the house to its foundation.
"Bangl bangw went the weights Of the
old clock, and orick rick click click snap !
snapr went the wheels, till the Squire was
fairly dumb-foundered, and knew not which
to attend to first, the old clock or Nat, who
lay writhing upon tho floor,
The scene did not last long, however, for
Nat very speedily recovered; and then the
Squire alluded to the noise which the clock
had made. Nat examined it, and pronoun-
cod it worn out. He told the Squire he had
better make rat-trap of it, or sell il TO the
first secondhand furniture man that came
along. Then he incidentally and quite care
lessly mentioned his own clock, and compar-
ing it with the Squire's, pointed out the now
improvements, especially the alarm arrange
ment, at all of which tho old man was con-
sumedly tickeled, and the upshot was that
the clock changed owners, as tho spoons had
done previously; Nat receiving the old clock,
worth about twenty dollars, for ten-shilling
article. Nat now thought it about time to
travel, and accordingly departed He slowed
the old clock, together with the Squire's
spoons, carefully away in the bottom of his
wagon, out of sight, and started, but had
not gone far when he met the Squire's wife,
of whom he had managed to get full de-
scription, both with regard to her temper and
appearance, returning homeward.
"Ain't your name Mrs. b." he inquired,
rs they met.
"Yes" said the old lady, snappishly, "but
what's that your BUSINESS"
"Oh, nothing" replied Nat, "only didn't
know but you'd like to buy few notions-a
pair of scissors, for instance. stepped into
your house, yondcr, aud the Squire tell'd me
he had broke yours since you bin gone--but
he said he wouldn't buy any new ones for
you, and you shouldn't buy for yourself"
"Did he say that ?" said the old lady, de-
fiancc flashing from her eyes.
ale did So" replied Nat, "and you
shouldn't buy scissors or nothing else without
his consent"
dts all very well for him to talk that way
behind my back, but he wouldn't do it if |
was there"
"I'll show him whether I'll buy anything
or not" she continued detcrnincdly, MS she
Immediately proceeded to purchase numerous
articles to the amount of about thrco dollars,
all the money she had with her, after which
she proceeded homeward, boiling over with
wrath, and Nat proceeded on bis way whist
ling. Words would fail to give n correct de-
scription of the scene of elimination and re-
elimination which followed when the Squires
wife reached homo, and we shall not attempt
il, but shall pass on to an incident which oc-
Cured sometime after. The old folks had
been reconciled to each other, and went, by
invitation. to n neighboring town. While
there they found their way into show-shop,
and almost the first thing that attracted their
attention, was their old clock. 1t looked us
natural Us ever, and was altered in nothing,
save its history-they learned for the first
time, from label upon it, that it had once
been the property of Gen. Washington, and
that it had been bought at auction by gen
tleman, together with tho documents proving
its IDENTIFY and sold it to the proprietor of tho
show for ta0o hundred dollars! Nat Tucker
was the last pcdlar that ever "sold" the
Squire.