Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-01-07
A YANKEE STORY.


derive more of their stun for smiles from
iouuals in this country, than from any other
source. We fiud in one of them this ludic-
rous anecdote of the "bewitched clock"
About half past eleven o'clock on Sunday
night, human leg, enveloped in blue broad
cloth, might have been seen entering Dea-
con Cephas Barberry's kitchen window. The
leg was followed, finally, by the entire person
of live Yankee, attired in his Sunday-go-to-
meetin' clothes. 1t was, in short, Joe May
weed who thus burglariously won his way
into the Deacon's kitchen.
"Wonder how much the old Deacon made
by orderin' me not to darken his door again :"
solioquised the young gentleman. Promis-
ed him | wouldn't, but didn't say nothin
about winders. Winders is as good as doors,
eff there ant no uails to tear your trowserS
onto. Wonder if Sally'll come down. The
critter promised me. I'm Altered to move
about here, cause l might break my shins
over something or mother and wake the old
folks. Cold enough to freeze a Polish bear
here D, here comes Sally"
The beauteous maid descended with a
pleasant smile, tallow candle, and box of
lucifer matches. After receiving raptur-
Gus greeting she made rousing fire in the
cooking-stove, and the happy couple sat down
to enjoy the sweet interchange of vows and
hopes. But the course of true love ran not
whit smoother in old Barberry's kitchen
than it does elsewhere, and Joe, who was
just making up his mind to treat himself to
take kiss, was startled by the voice of the
Deacon, her father, shouting from his cham
ber door:
"Sally what are you getting up in the
middle of the night for?"
"Tell him it's most morning." whisper
ed Joe.
"I can't tell fb," said Sally.
I'll make it truth, then," said Joe !;
and running to the huge old fashioned clock
that stood in the corner, he set it at five.
"Look at the clock, and tell me what time
it is" cried the old gentleman.
"Its FIVE by the clock" said Sal; and
corroborating her words, the clock struck five.
The lovers sat down again and resumed
their conversation. Suddenly the stair case
began to creak, "Goodly gracious its faith
er," exclaimed Sally.
'sThe Deacon, by thunder ~ cried Joe.
Glide me, Sally"
"Wbere can 1 hide you ?" cried the dis
tracted girl
go, 1 know" said he, "Pll sequeeze in
to the clock case" And without another
word, he concealed himself in the case and
closed the door.
The Deacon was dressed, and seating him
self down by the cooking stove, pulled out
his pipe, lighted it, and began deliberately
to smoke.
Five o'clock, ch ?" said he. "Well, I
| shall have time to smoke three or four pi pes,
and then I'll 90 and feed the critters"
"IIad' you better feed the critters fust!"
suggested the dutiful Sally.
"No; smokin' clears my head, and wa
kens me up" replied the Deacon, who SEEM
ed nota whit disposed to hurry his enjoyment.
But r-r-r-r-whiz-di ding diug-ding-wcnt
the clock.
"Tormented lightning" cried the Dea-
con, starting up and dropping his pipe on
the ?ve; "what'n arth's that %
" It's only the clock striking fve," re-
piled Sally, tremulously.
Whiz-ding ding! ding. went the old
clock turiousy.
"Powcr of creation !" cried the Deacon.
"Strikin' five I! it's struck more than hun
| dred times already"
"Deacou Barberry." cried the deacon's
better half, who had hastily robed herself,
and now came plunging down the staircase
in the widest state of alarm, "what in the
universe is the matter with the clock?"
"Gooduess only knows" replied the old
man, ''it's been hundred years in the
family, and it never carried on so afore"
Whiz! ding. ding! whiz-z-z went the
clock again.
"It'll burst itself" cried the old lady,
shedding a food of tears, "and there won't
be nothin' left of it v'
"It's bewitched ~ said the Deacon, who
retained a leaven of good old New Eng
land superstition in his nature. "Any how" !"
said he, after pause, advancing resolutely
towards the clock, "Pll see what's going on
! in it."
"Oh, DON'T" cried his daughter, seizing
one of his coat tails, while his white clung
to the other. "Don't" choruscd both the
women together.
"Let go my raiment :" shouted the Dea-
con; 81 amt Altered of the powers of dark
ness"
But the women wouldn't let 60; so the
Deacon slipped out of his coat, and while
from the sudden sensation of resistance, they
fell heavily upon the floor, he pitched for
ward and seized the mob of the clock. But
no human power could open it, for Joe was
holding it from the Inside with death grip
The old Deacon began to be dreadfully
| frightened. lie gave one more tug, when
an unearthly yell as of a 6end il distress,
burst from the inside, then the clock case
pitched head-foremost at the Deacon, fell
head-long ON the floor, smashed its face and
wrecked its fair proportions, The current
of air extinguished the candle-thc Deacon,
the old lady, and Sally fed up stairs, and
I Il IL