The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1870-12-22
IDAHO WORLD.
MARX rWAN's WATCH.


its machinery, or stopping. had come
to believe it infallible in its Judgments
about the time of day, and to consider
its constitution and its anatomy imper-
ishable. But at last, one night, let it
run down. / grieved about it as if it
were a recognized messenger and fore
runner of calamity. But by and by |
cheered up, set the watch by guess,
and commanded my bodings and super
stitions to depart. Next day ! stepped
into the chief jewellers, to set it by
the exact time, and the head of the es-
tablishment took it out of my hand and
proceeded to set it for me. Then he
said, "She is four minutes slow-regu-
lator wants pushing up" | tried to
stop him-tried to make him under
stand that the watch kept perfect time.
But no; all this human cabbage could
see was that the watch was four min
utes too slow, and the regulator must
be pushed up a little; and so, while |
danced around him in anguish and be-
seeched him to let the watch alone, he
calmly and cruelty did the shameful
deed. My watch began to gain. 1t
gained faster and faster, day by day.
Within the week it quickened to a rag
ing fever, and its pulse went up to a
hundred and fifty IN the shade. AT the
end of two months it had left all the
timepieces of the town far in the rear,
and was fraction over thirteen days
ahead of the almanac. 1t was away
into November, enjoying the snow,
while the October leaves were still turn
ing. 1t hurried up house-rent, bills
payable, and such things, in such ru-
inous way that | could not abide it |
took it to the matchmaker to be regu-
lated. He asked me if | had ever had
it repaired. | said no, it had never
needed repairing. He looked a look of
vicious happiness, and pried the watch
open, then put small dioe,box to his
eye and peered into its machinery. He
said it wanted cleaning and oiling, be-
sides regulating-come in a week. At,
ter being cleansed and oiled and regu-
lated, my watch slowed down to that
degree that it licked like a tolling bell.
/ began to be left by trains; | failed all
appointments; | got to missing my din
ner; my watch strung out three days
grace to four, and let me 90 to protest;
| gradually drifted back into yesterday.
then day before, then into last week.
and by and by the comprehension came
upon me that all solitary and alone |
was lingering along in week before
last, and that the world was out of my
sight. Iseemed to detect in myself a
sort of sneaking feeling for the mummy
in the museum, and a desire to swap
news with him, ! went to a watch .
maker again. He took the watch all !,
to pieces, while ! waited, and then said
the barrel was 'sEelled." He said he q
could reduce it in three days. After q
this, the watch averaged well, but no !,
thing more. Fog half a day it would !
90 like the very mischief, and keep ND
such barking and wheeling, and
whooping and sneezing and snorting
that | could not hear myself think for
the disturbance; and as long as it held $
out, there was not watch in the land ;
that stood any chance against it. But J,
the rest of the day it would keep Oh q
slowing down and fooling along until t
all the clocks it had left behind caught I
up again. SO, at last, at the end of '
twenty-four hours, it would trot up to I
the Judger, all right and just in time a
1t would show Q fair and square aver c
age, and no man could say that it did :
more or less than its duty. But cor.
rect average is only mild virtue in a a
watch, and took this instrument 70 II
another matchmaker, He said that the !!
sihgDoit was broken. ] said | was re. II
lily glad that it was nothing more Sc e
1ous. 10 tell the plain truth, I had no a
dea what the kingbolt was; but | did r
lot choose to appear ignorant to a n
stranger. He repaired the kincbolt
tut what the watch gained in one wav
lost in another. 1t would run awhile +
md then stop awhile, and then run a :;
title while again, and so on; using its =
wn discretion about intervals. And ::
very time it went off it kicked back II
Ike a musket. padded my breast for > :,
few days, but finally took the watch "
?, another Matchmaker. He picked it = =
IL to pieces and turned the ruins over u u
nd oyer Under his glass; and then he I
aid there appeared to be "a somath;nn