American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-10-30
Mistrllantgns.
THE BEWIrCHED CLOCK.

NftNli FNNaA WV - l''''''' '''h - D
kitchen window. The leg was fol !
lowed finally by the entire person of
a lively yankee, attired in his sun
day 80 to meetln' clothes. 1t was,
in short, Joe Mayweed, who thus
in the dead Of night
won his way into the deacon's kitch-
Ell.
Wonder how much the old dea-
con made by orlerin' me not to dark
en- his door again p soliquised the
young man. "PrOmised him would
not, but didn't say nothin' about
winders. WmderS is just as good as
doors, if there amt no mails to tear
your trowsers onty. Wonder if Sail
come down! The critter promised
me. I'm afraid to move here, cause
/ might break my shin over Sumthim
or mother, and wake the old folks.
Cold enough to freeze a bear here.
Oh, here comes Sallyn
The beautiful maiden descended
with u pleasant smile, tallow can
die and n box of matches. After re,
ceiving n rapturous greeting she
made up Il roaring fire in the cooking
stove, and the happy couply sat
down to enjoy the sweet interchange
of views and hopes. But the course
of tlue 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 a kiss,
was startled by the voice of the dea-
con, her father, shouting from hei
chamber door
"Sally, what arc you getting vi
in the middle of the night FORE
Fell him it's most morning,
whispered Joe.
II can't tell a fib," said Sally.
= I'll make it n truth, them" sait
Joe, and running to the huge ole
fashioned clock that stood in the
corner, he sat it ut five.
'sLoOk at the clock and tell m,
what time it is" cried the old gentle
man up stairs.
'tIt's five by the clock" answered
Sally and corrobOrating the words
the clock struck five.
The lovers sat down again and re
sumed the conversation. Suddenl
the staircase began to creak. 1900,
gracious it's father"
"The deacon, by thunder;' erie
Joe; " hide me Sal y
Where can | hide you y erie
the distracted girl.
"Oh, L know" said he, "I'll squeez
into the clock case"
And without another word he col
cealed him eff in the case and dre'
the door behind him.
The deacon was dressed, and ST
ting himself down by the cOokin
stove, pulling out his pipe, fighte
it, and commenced smoking very dt
liberately and calmly.
- Five o'clock, ell p said h
"Well, 1 shall have time to smok
three or four pipes, then I'll go an
feed the critters"
"Hadn't you better go and fee
the critters first, sir, and smOk
afterwards ~ suggested the dutifl
Sally.
"No, smokin' clears my head an
wakes me up,n answered the deacon
who seemed not ii whit disposed
hurry his enjoyment.
Bur-r.r-r whiz-ding-ding liver
the clock.
"Tormented lightning y cried til
deacon, starting up, and droppin
his pipe on tine stove. "What
creations that ~
ats only the clock shrinking five
said Sally, TREMENDOUSLY.
Whiz! ding ding! ding went til
old clock furiously.
"Powers of mercy !" cried the de;
con. Striking five it's struck
hundred alrealy."
"Deacon Burberry !" cried I'll
deacOn's better-half, who had hastil
ROBBED herself and now came plum,
ing down the staircase in the wilde,
state of alarm. "What is the ma
ter with the clock 2"
Goodness only knows" reptile
the old man. "It's been in the fam
ly these hundred years and new,
did l know it to carry on SO before
Whiz! bang! bang! bang! wei
the clock.
eth burst ITSELF" cried the oil
lady, shedding flood of tears, an
there won't be nothing left of it.n
ats bewitcheq," said the deacon
who retained a leaven of New En-
land superstition III his natur
Anyhow" he said, after a paus
advancing resolutely toward IL
clock, "Tll see WHAT'S got into it
ooh, DON'T" cried the daughte
affeetiOnately Selling one of his CO;
tails, while his faithful wife hung
the other.
"Don't," chorussed both the W
men together.
Let go my raiment y shouted Il
deacon, amt afraid of the powe
of darkness
But the women would not let q
so the deacon slipped off his Goa
and while, from the sudden cess
ton of resistance, they fell hcavi
OH the floor, he dartrd forward al
laid his hand on the door of Il
clOckcase. But no human pow,
could open it. Joe was holding
with death grasp. The deacon b
gan to be dreadfully frightened. =
gave ore more tug. An unearth
yell, ~ of u fiend in distress, can
from the inside, and then the cloc
case pitched head foremost OH Il
floor, smashed its face and wreckil
Its proportions.
The current Of air eXtinguisht
the light the deacon, the old Lac
and Sally fed up stairs,an Joe Ma
weed, extricating himself from Il
clock, effected his retreat in the san
way that he had entered. The ne.
day all Appletown was alive vii
the story of how deacon Burberry
clock had been bewitched; and til
many believed its version, some, III
especia ly Joe Mayweed, affected
discredt the whole affair, hintir
that the deacon had been trying Il
experiment of tasting frozen eide
and that the vagaries of the cloc
ease existed only in a distemper,
imagination.