Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-12-22
Vol XVI, Whole No. $50 No 81.

and whooping and sneezing and snort
ing, that l could not hear myself think
for the disturbance and as long as it
held out, there was not a watch in the
land that stood any chance against it.
But the rest of the day it would keep
on slowing down and iooling along I'M
til all the clocks it had left behind
caught up again. SO at last, at the
end of twenty-four hours. it would trot
up to the judges stand all right and
just on time. 1t would show a fair
and square average, and no man could
say it had done more or less than its
duty. But correct average is only q
mild virtue in a watch, ana | took this
instrument into another matchmaker.
He said the kingbolt was broken. |
said | was glad it was nothing more
serious. To tell the plain truth, had
no idea what the kingbolt was, but |
dld not choose to appear ignorant to a
stranger. He repaired the kingbolt,
bat what the watch gained in one way
it lost in another. 1t would run awhile
and then stop awhile, and then run
awhile again, and SO on, using its own
discretion about the intervals And
every time it went Off it kicked back
like 4 musKet. | padded my breast
for few days, but finally took the
watch to another matchmaker. He
picked it all to pieces and turned the
ruin over and over under his glass.
and fhap ba sold tEora opr,onroI tn ho
something the matter with the hair
trigger. He fixed it and gave it
tresh start 1t did well now, except
that always at ten minutes to ten the
hands would shut together like a pair
of scissors, and from that time forth
they would travel together. The old
est man in the world could not make
head or tail of the time of day BY such
watch, and SO | went again to have
the thing repaired. This person said
that the crystal had got bent, and that
the main spring was not straight. He
also remarked that part of the works
needed half-solng. He made these
things right and then my time piece
performed uncXceptionablv, save that
now and then, after working along
quietly for nearly eight hours, every
thing inside would let 90 all of a sud
den and begin to buzz like a bee, and
the hands would straightwav begin to
spin round and round so fas, that their
individuality was lost completely, and
they SIMPLY seemed Il delicate spiders
web over the face of the watch. She
would reel off the next twenty-four
hours III slX.or seven minutes, and
then stop with bang. went with Il
ncayy Acart to one more matchmaker.
and looked on while he took her to
pieces. Then prepared to cross
question him rigidly, for this thing was
getting serious. The watch had cost
two hundred dollars originally, and |
seemed to have paid ont two or three
thousand for repairs. While | waited
amt looked ON, | presently recognized
IN TINS matchmaker an old acquaintance
"a steamboat engineer of other DAYS.
and MOI good engineer either. lie
examined all the parts carefully, Just
a, the other watchmahers had done.
and then delivered his verdict with the
same confidence Of manner.
He said:
''Nhc Dakcs too much steam-you
want to hang the monkev-w:ench on
the salety-valve 7"
hralne,t him on the spot, and had
hIm buried ut my own expense.
Ny uncle Williams (now deceased,
alas , used to say Il good horse was "A
good horse until it had run away once.
and that good watch was a good
watch until the repairers got chance
| at 1t. And he used 10 wonder what
became oil all the unsuccessful thinkers,
and gunsmths, and shoemakers, and
| h.arkSmlths but nobody could ever
tell him.