St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-08-18
.Uy ~ UtCE.


.Iy U0tcH.
An lN@III GIN LITTLE TALE.
My beautiful new watch had run ci.h
teen months without LOSING or .anin"
and without brcakin" any part Of It's ma
c!:lmery or stopping. hal come 10 be
ilev2 it ininIlible in lis judgments abou
the time "l day, and to consider its con.
Stitu;ion and lis anatomy impcri~habe
But one NIGHT | let it run down.
/ "rIevol about it rs il it were rcconniz-
cd messenger ;sul lnrcrunncr Of calamity.
iiut by and by | chccrrI up, set the
watch hy Guess, and commando my bod
ms and eupcr,tition5 TO depart. Next
day stepped into the chief jewelers. to
set II 10y the exact time, and the head Of
thr establishment took it out OF my hand
and pr"cee !c'l to set it for me Then he
>lil, "Nhc i four minutes slow-renula-
tor wants pushing up" tried TO stop
hln-tricd 10 make him understand that
the watch kept perfect time But ~ ::
all this human cabbage could see was
that the watch wa- four minutes >low,
and the regulator must be pushed up a
little; and -, while | danced around
him in anguish AMI bcSerched him to let
the watch aIon", lie calmly and cruelty
did the shameful deed. My watch be-
gan 10 gam. 1t gained faster day by
day. Within the week 1t eickened to a
raging 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
tImcp:cccs OF the town tar in the rear,
and was traction over thirteen days
ahead OF the almanac. 1t was away
into November, enjoying the snow, while
the October leaves were still turning. 1t
hurried up housc-rent, bills payable, and
such things, in such ruinou- way that
| could not abide ii. took it TO the
matchmaker TO be regulated. lie asked
me ii had ever had it repaired. SAID
no, it had never needed any repairing.
He looked look OF vicious happiness.
and eagerly pricI the watch open, then
put a small dlce-boX into his eye, and
pecrrl into the machinery. lie said it
wanted cleaning AMI oiling, bc-idcs rcg-
ulatim%-come in a week. Atter being
cleaned and oiled, my watch slowed
down 10 that degree that it licked like \
toliing bell. begun to be left by trains.
failed all appointments, cot TO miss.
ing my dinner: my watch >tru;g out
three days grace 10 four, and let me 20
TO protest; gradually driltcd back into
then day before. then into
last week, and by-and-by the comprc-
hcn>lon came upon me that all solitary
and alone WAS lingering along in week
before last, and the world wa, out of
~i.ht. seemed to detect in myself a |
a sort of s!,rping fcllow-fcclin@ for the
IN thc museum, and desire 10
swap news with lin. went to Il
matchmaker a"ain. He took the watch
all to pieces while | waited, and then
sad the barrel hll "SwclIcd." He said
hc could reduce it in three days. After
tins, tlur watch averaged well, bat moth |
ING more. For halt I day it would 90
like the very mischief, ami keep up such |
a barking and Wheeling and whoopiuu |
and sn,r]Jng and snurting, that | could
not hear myself think for the disturb
ancc and aS Ion" rs held it out, there
WAS not Il watch i'll the land that stood
any chance AGAINST il. Eat the rest of
the day it would keep on slowin" down.
lnd luolin5 alon" until all the clock. it
Iad left behind caught up a"ain So at
last, ii the end OF twcnty-tour hours, il
would trot up TO the Judges stand all
l%ht, ami Just on tune. Ii would show
| ialr and square average, ani no man
'onId say it bad done more or less than
Is duty.
But correct average is only mild
irtue in 4 watch, and | took it TO an
,ther Matchmaker. He said the kin"
,olt was broken. SAID was clad it
vas nothing mere serious. 10 tell the
,lain Truth. | had no idea what the king
,olt was, but | did not choose to appear
4norant IL I stranger. IL repaired tie
ing bolt, but what ihe watch Gained i'm
me way ii lost i'll anDthcr 1t would
un awhile and then stop awhile, and
hen run awhile again, and 50 ON. using
Is own discretion about the intervals
\nd every time /; went oil it kicked :
'ack like Il mu-kct. padded my breast ;
Or a few days, bnt finally took the i
Watch II another matchmaker. ilc (
picked it all to pieces, and turned the |
uin over and undrr his glass; and then ,
le said there appeared 10 he something
he matter with the hair trigger lie
xed it and gave it Il fresh start. 1t did
we'll now, except that always at ten
minutes To ten the hands would shut TO
ether ike a pair OF scissors, aud from
hat time forth they would travel to-
ether. The oldest man in the world .
ould not make head or tail of the time
i day by such Il watch, and so | went ,
gam to have the thing repaired ,
This person said that the crystal had got
'ent, and that the handspring was not ,
traight. lie also remarked that part OF d
he works needed half soling. He made /
lesn things all right, and then my time |
'iecc performed uneNccptionably, save
hat now and then, after working along
luletly for nearly eight hours, every