Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1858-01-14
A Yankee Story

Ders derive more of their items {
smiles from the Journals of this com
try than f. ON any other,source. w
ind in one of them this ludricous ane,
tote of the s'bewitched clock"
About half past eleven o'clock o
sunday night, human leg, envelope,
N blue b Dad cloth, might have bee
seen entering Deacon Cephas Barber
kitchen window. The leg was fpllowe,
by the entire body of live Yankee
,ttired in his Sunday go.,o-meetins
clothes. 1t was, in short, Joe Maywee,l
who thus bnrgla tiously won his way in
to the Deacon's kitchen.
! Wonder how much the old Deacon
made by ordt rim me not to darken hi,
loor again?" soliloquized the young
gentleman. promised him | wouldn't
out | didn't say no.hin' about winders
Winders is as good as doors, eff there
tint no nails to tear your trowsers onto
Wonder if Sally II come down ?-the
;ritter promised me. I'm afeerd to move
tbout here, cause | might break my
Shins over sunthin' or no her, and wake
the old folks. Cold enough to freeze a
Polish bear here. Oh, here comes Sal.
Ily."
The beauseous maid then descended
with pleasant smile, tallow candle,
and box of luciter matches. After
receiving raptusous greeting, she
made rousing fire in the cooking stove
and the happy couple sat down TO enjoy
theswee in exchange of vows and hopes
But the course of true love ran not a
whit smoother in old BARRIERS kitchen
than it does elsewhere, and Joe who was
Just making up his mind to treat him.
self to kiss, was startled by the voice
Of the deacon, her father, shouting from
his chamber door:
"Saly. what are you getting up in
the middle of the night tor?'
"TelI him it's most mornin," whisper
ed Joe.
81 can't tell him fib," replied 81
ly.
''I'll make it truth, them" said Joe;
and running to the large old fashioned
clock that stood in the corner, he set it
ut five.
"Look at the clock, and tell me what
time it isl cried the old gentleman
:" It's five by the clock" said Sally,
and corroborating her words, the clock
struck five.
The lovers sat down again and re-
sumed their conversation. Suddenly
the staircase began to creak. Good
gracious! it's father coming down." ex
claimed Sally.
s'The deacon, by thunder" cried Joe.
Glide M, Sally"
Where can / hide you?" cried the
distracted girl.
90, know" said he;~"T!l squeeze
into the clock case. And wi hout an
other word, he concealed himself in the
case and closed the door.
The deacon was essed, and seating
himself down by the cooking stove, he
pulled on, his pipe, lighted i, and be-
gan deliberately to smoke.
"Five o'clock, eh?" said he. "Well,
| shall have time to smoke three or four
pipes, and then I'll go and feed the crit
terS."
Hadn't you better feed the critters
IuSb Su2StSlCu tic uUbllui CdliN
emo, smokin' clears my head and
wakes me up replied the deacon, who
seemed not a whit disposed to hurry his
enjoyment.
Bur-r-r, whiz, ding! ding! ding =
went the old clock.
Tormented lightningr' exclaimed
the deacon, starting up and laying his
atf, hot j.,
that"
''It's only the clock striking five" re-
piled Sally, TREMENDOUSLY.
Whiz, ding! ding! ding went the
old clock furiously.
"Power of creation ~ cried the dea-
con; " strikin' five? it's struck over Il
hundred already"
deacon Ba ber!" cried the deacon
better half, who had hastily robed her
self, and now came plunging down the
staircase in the widest state of alarm,
"what in the unive sc is the matter with
that clock 2"
Goodness only knows" replied the
old man. It's been hundred years
in the family, and never acted so atore. "
Whiz! ding! ding. whiz-z-z! went
the old clock again.
"It'll bust self,'' cried the old lady
shedding a flood of tears, sand ther,
won't be nothin' left of it -
It's bewitched," said the deacon
who retained leaven of good old New
England superstition in his nature
Sand now," said he, after a pause. ad
vancing resoln!cly towards The clock
''ill see what is going on in it."
"Oh, don't" cried his daughter, seiz
ing one of his coat tails, while his wife
chung to the other. Don't" choruset
bpth the women together.
Let 90 my raimen'," shou-cd tn,
deacon; 81 amt aiecrd of the powers o
darkness.
But the women wouldn't let go, 81
the deacon slipped out of his coat, ant
while from the sudden cessation of re
sistance they fell heavily on the floor
he pitched forward and seized the mol
of the clock. But no human power
could open it, for Joe was holding il
f.om the inside with death glip.
The old deacon began TO be dreadful
ly f ightened. He gave one more tug
, when an unearhy yell, as of tiend il
distress, bust from the inside, then h,
clock case pitched head foremost at TIN
. deacon, fell headlong on the floor, smash
ed it's face and wrecked is fair propo
, tions. The current of the air cx inaui>h
ed the light-the deacon, the old lady
= aud Sally fed up stairs, and Joe May
= weed extricated himself from he clock
| effected his escape the same way he ell
tered.
The next day all Appleton was aliv
( with the story that Deacon Barber
/, clock had been bewitchcd, and although