Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-08-20
The Bewitchcd Clock.

broadcloth, might have been seen enter
ing Cephas Barberry's kitchen window.
The leg was followed:fnally by the en-
tire person of a lively Yankee, attired in
his Sunday go-to- meetin' clothes. 1t
was, in short, Joe Mayweed who thus
burglariously, in the dead of night, won
his way into the deacon's kitchen.
"Wonder how much the old Deacon
made by orderin' me not to darken his
door again? 2" soliloquized the young
man. Promised him l wouldn't, but
didn't say nothin' about winders. Win
ders is just as good as doors, if there
amt no nails to tear your trowsers onto.
Wonder if Sapl come DOWN. The crit
ter promised me. I'm afraid to move
here, cause l might break my shins over
sumthin' or mother, and wake the old
folks. Cold enough to freeze polar
bear here. Oh, here comes Sally!"
The beautiful maiden descended with
pleasant smile, tallow candle and
box of matches. After receiving rap
turous greeting she made up a roaring
fire in the cooking stove, and the happy
couple sat down to enjoy the sweet inter-
change of views and hopes. XBut the
course of true love ran no smoother in
old Barberry's kitchen than it did else
where, and Joe, who was making up his
mind to treat himself to kiss, was start
led by the voice of the Deacon, her ia
ther, shouting from his chamber door:
"Sally, what are you getting up in
the middle of the night for?"
"Tell him it's most morning." whis-
pered Joe.
"I can't tell fib," said Sally.
"I'll make it truth then," said Joe,
and running to the huge old-fashioned
clock that stood in the corner, he sat it
at five.
"Look at the clock and tell me what
time it is" cried the old gentleman up
stairs
"It's five by the clock" answered Sal
ly, and corroborating the words, the
clock struck five.
The lovers sat down again and resum-
ed the conversation. Suddenly the stair
case began to creak.
"Good gracious! it's father"
"The Deacon, by thunder !" cried
Joe; "hide me, Sal
"Whoro can hide you !" cried the
distracted girl.
"Oh, l know" said he, "I'll squeeze
into the clock case"
And without another word he conceal
ed himself in the case and drew the door
behind him.
The Deacon was dressed. and sitting
himself down by the cooking stove, pull
ed out his pipe, lighted it, and commenc-
ed smoking very deliberately and calmly.
"Five o'clock, eh 2" said he. "Well
l shall have time to smoke three or four
pipes, then I'll go and feed the critters"
Hadn't you better 60 and feed the
critters first, sir, and smoke afterward?"
suggested the dutiful Sally.
"No, smokin' clears my head and
wakes me up" answered the Deacon,
who seemed not whit disposed to hurry
his enjoyment.
Bur-r-r-r-whiz-z-ding--ding! went
the clock.
"Tormented lightning!" cried the
Deacon, starting up, and dropping his
pipe on the stove. "What in creations s
that?"
"It's only the clock striking five"
, said Sally tremulously.
i, Whiz ding! ding! ding! went the
, old clock furiously.
Il powers of mercy" cried the deacon.
Striking five! It's struck hundred al
| ready.
Deacon Barberry!" cried the Dea-
cons better half, who had hastily robed
2 herself and now came plunging down the
E staircase in the widest state of alarm
| "What is the matter of the clocks ?"
: Goodness only knows" replied the
g old man, "It's been in the family these
) hundred years, and never did 1 know il
s to carry on so before"
e Whiz! bangl bang! bang, went the
$ clock.
t "It'll burst itself!" cried the old lady
i shedding flood Of tears, "and ther
# won't be nothing left Of it."
o "It'sb 'sbewitched," said the Deacon, VIII
l. retained leaven of New England su
j. perstition in his nature. "Anyhow," b.
l. said, after pause, advancing resolutel,
e toward the clock, "I'll see what's got in
d to It'll"
t, "Oh, don't" cried the daughter, al
l. fectionately seizing one of his coat tails
h while his faithful wife hung to the other
q Don't" chorused both the women to
= gether.
~ uTat e,o v,y ro.p,opt - shoutoJ al,