American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-08-28
His First Watch.

in the dashboard and spoke missing
| from one hind wheel. As the auctioneer
raised his hammer and told the crowd that
| he had known the horse all his days and
| had made the circuit of the world in that
buggy, the owner of the outfit leaned
against the vehicle and wondered how
anyone could tell such a bold lie and still
preserve such placid expression of coun-
| tenance.
He was young man. He had seen
harvest apples and watermelons come and
go about twenty-four times. His whiskers
were soft and fuzzy and orange-colored, his
pantaloons were thrust into his boots, and
| it was as plain as white dog at midnight
that he had come in from the country to
sell the rig and fatten his wallet. He
verified the statements of the auctiOneer
that the horse was sound, kind, gentle,
docile, amiable, ambling and tender-heart-
ed, and that the buggy would continue to
roll on until time should get tired of try.
! ing to reduce it to a state of general use
lessness.
Forty-five-fifty- fve-sixty-s
ty-fve, going-last call-quick- can't
dwell-g-o-n-er' cried the auctioleer.
Gosh to snaxesr' exclaimed the guile
less young man, as he settled up, pocketed
the remainder and left the corner
He felt good. None of us feel good
when our pockets are empty. 1 said to
myself that he would buy hair oil, cocoa
nut, bottle of perfumery, a jack-knife, a
dollar chrome, a two-dollar diamond, a
pair of pantaloons with a stripe down the
leg; but I was deceived. l thought I
could read him as far as bootblack spells
out the big words on q Fourth of July
poster but he couldn't be read. He made
| a Decline for jewelers..
The guileless young man had never
owned a watch in his life, but he entered
the store like a man who had pulled a
watch from his pocket a million times per
day for fifty years. He went right by the
case containing the green sleeve-buttons,
on past the case of silverware, right up to
the case where a hundred watches rested
in velvet cases or on velvet-lined trays.
The jeweler handed out key-winders,
-winders, stop-watches, watches cor
pulent with machinery, watches thin and
gaunt, but ticking regularly and merrily.
The young man soliloquiZed. He said to
himself:
az dunno. dunno. It's burned pur-
ty, but it's whole boss and buggy!''
The jeweler flattered him a little and
urged him some more, and offered him a
written guarantee that the watch was all
right; and the young man sOliloquized
another soliloquy. He said:
Think of me walking up to Susan
with this 'ere watch kicking minutes into
hours! And won't the other fellows
skulk around the cider-mill when this
ticker SHES up to their old bull's-eyes and
vanished cases! There's hoss-barn full
of style and dignity right here; but then
it makes me sigh to think of putting a
horse and buggy into my vest pocketr'
He laid the watch down, picked it up,
laid it down again and started for the
door. Haltlng midway, he said to him
self:
"I'll have it-by golly, I'll have that
ticker if the old man never looks me in
the face again!'
He handed over the money, the .jeweler
gave him a cord for nothing, and he hur-
ried out of the store as if fearful that he
might change his mind. Going around
by the postofiee, @ boetblack asked him
opporfnpity. He pulled oat the watch
with q majestic air, sprungopen the cases,
and loftilF replied:
haven't time"
'sSay, you!', cried the boy, but that's
nice ticker.s
See sthcres seq therel" whispered the
young man with oranRescolored whiskers;
when me and the old hoss. and buggy
was rolifngs1qn here nobody said moth
ing. Now they just eome for me in
AS he walkedb p the street to a point
from whence he could view the City Hall
clock his heartgayea jump. He trembled
as he pulled out his watch to compare
time, but after glance his face cleared,
he slapped his leg, and the boys heard
him saying:
"She's right to a tick, and I feel zif
could holler like drover."
He wanted to go home, and yet he had
planned to remain all night. He was I'M
Il InI 4 e..
her nose, bareheaded and barefOOted, ap-
preached and asked him the time of day.
Certainly, certainly he replied, as he
pulled out his watch "it is just exactly
ten minutes and second and a half to
twelve o'clock"
She passed on, and he kicked one foot
out behind, poked himself in the ribs, and
whispered:
"See therel That watch just brings
folks around me like calves around a salt
barrelp'
He decided to remain He went to a
hotel, and as he informed the clerk that
he wanted dinner, he pulled out the watch
and compared time. He went to the
wash room and pulled out the watch to
see how long it would take him to comb
his hair. AS he sat down in the office it
seemed to him all at once as if the time
piece had stopped. He pulled it out, held
IL W HIS ear duu SIulIc udNeleQ clear
around to his back cOllar-button as he
heard it ticking away.
''Oh yes, this ere watch stops, it dOes!'
he whispered; cit h'ain't worth an old
white boss and a quill-wheel buggy, it
h'ain'tp
He looked at the watch as he sat at the
table; he compared time after dinner; he
pulled it out as he rode on the street-car
When night came the young man from
School District No. had gigantic con-
tempt for all men who don't wear watch
When he WENT to his room he made up
his mind to sit up all night to "watch"
for thieves. Some one had trailed him to
the hotel, without doubt, and would MUIR
der him to get that time-piece. Then he
got sleepy and hid the watch between the
beds. After five minutes he put it under
the pillow. Then he got up and hid it
under the bed He fslt easy for ten min
.utes, and then hid it one of his boots, and
hid the boot under the bed.
Dreams came to that young man as he
finally slept. The old white horse came
and stood over him with tears in his eyes,
and then turned round and swallowed the
watch. Thieves broke in and stole it.
His sisters red headed baby bit it square
in two. 1t took legs and ran away from
him. AT midnight he awoke, saw that
the moon was up, and as he got into his
clothes he said to himself:
It's only eight miles home, good GO
ing, and blamed ii don't walk right in
on the hull family fore daylightr'
We all differ, you know, in our make
up, and who could blame him ?-"M.
Quad" in N. Y. Graphic.
Teaching Children Courtesy.