The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-04-22
THE OLD CLOCKMAKER.

Asa futile was an illustration of the |
fact that man is partly responsible for
his own conduct and partly not; and |
that the boundaries between responsible
ity are vague, variable, and mysterious.
Every Saturday night he got drunk,
went home and whipped his wife, cursed
and swore, broke something, and had to
be quelled by the police, who took him
to the calaboose. Next morning he was
sober and repentant, and was let out.
He would then go to church, and, after
morning service, the pastor would re-
quest the elders of the church to remain
awhile. Everybody always knew what
that meant. With many tears Mr.. Tut
tie would express his deep penitence,
and profess a determination to lead
new life. The pastor and elders would
forgive him, and he would be all right
again till Saturday. He would teach in
the afternoon Sabbath school, take his
part in the prayer meeting, and be to
all outward appearance most exempla-
ny christian. But Saturday he would
fall again. So it went on, year after
year. The officers of the church were
sorely perplexed. There never was a
man more regular in his habits, never a
man who exhibited signs of deeper, more
heartfelt penitence, or promised more
faithfully to amend. A distinguished
physician, on being consulted, gave it as
his opinion that the unfortunate man
had become prey to a disease which at
tackled him periodically, causing for the
time an irresistible thirst for liquor,
which, being taken, placed the victim
beyond the pale of moral responsibility.
One Friday evening Mr.. Tuttle was
sitting alone opposite his work bench.
Hehad laid dewn his tools, and was gazing
musingly into the street, observing the
hurrying passers-by, and listening to the
tramp of feet ON the pavement. He sat
thus while the dusk gathered, and just as
the first street lamp was being lit, he
heard footsteps on the stairs, and then the
opening of the door, and then walking on
the floor, and at the same time the room
was Illuminated by the glare of the most
brilliant light he had ever seen. hardly,
excepting sunlight. "a stranger, past
middle age, in his shirt-sleeves, with
spectacles on his nose, advanced to the
work bench, and, setting down his Ian
tern, began to handle Tuttle's tools with
a dexterity that proved him to be
an expert. He gathered together a
screw-driver, the oil, and pair of pliers.
Then turning to Tuttle, who felt incapa-
Bile of speech or motion, the stranger
seemed to use the screw-driver about
,.l;ng screws out Of the middle of his
forebead his temples, and the sides and
-nacr M ms mead. These screws he laid
ON the table, and, turning to Iuttie,
rcd OF the upper haff or the old
skull and set it down on
the work bench. Then adjusting an eye
glass to one eye, he took up the oil and a
pair cf pliers. poked a little about the
brain, shook his head, laid down the in
struments, and started out, leaving his
please come back and put his skull on
again, and though he shouted over and
over again, with all his might, the meas
ured tread of the footsteps passed on out,
and down the stair, and died away on
the sidewalk.
In his distress, Mr.. Tuttle cast his eyes
upward, and at once saw what arrested
and diverted his attention. In case
were three clocks running. They were
made of precious metals and precious
stones, and glittered and flashed in the
light of the wonderful lamp in such a
way as to dazzle and bewilder him.
Looking under the case, he was startled
to see pair of human eyes gazing
straight into his own. He found there
was a face and part of a body, and the
features seemed very familiar He soon
discovered that if he had met a twin
brother the resemblance to himself could
not possibly have been more exact. In
deed, after little further observation
he found that he was looking into
mirror which reflected another mirror be-
hind him, and that he was actually star
ing into his own brains, which turned
out to be beautiful system of clock
work, and therein were quite different
from what he had expected. But then
he had never before been favored with
an opportunity of seeing the inside of
his own skull.
Whsther something or somebody spoke
to him, or how it got into his mind, he
could not tell, but he was able quite
clearly to understand that one of these
clocks governed all the physical move
twelve hours, then it would run down,
all the voluntary motions would cease,
and the machine would sleep. A touch
on the shoulder would start curious
spiral movement in the brain, a main
spring would be drawn taut, it would
pull upon all the physical faculties, and
the man would be wound up again and
set running for another twelve hours. 1t
was very strange that after all his damag-
ing remarks about clocks, Mr.. TuttIe
should find that he was nothing but an
old clock himself.
His intellectual faculties were also |
regulated by clockwork, but arranged |
for perpetual motion.
His moral faculties, too, were regulated
by clock-work. But he was able to per-
reive that while most peoples moral fac
ulties are made to run seven days, 50
hat when wound up on Sunday by ser
non or other religious exercises they
rouId run till next Sunday without any
ibatement, his, by some misfit, were only
ranged To run six days and a half, so
nat on Sunday afternoon the main
Pring would let go with bang, all the
.orks would run down in 4 minute, and
here he was without auy moral ma