The Portland daily press., 1881-02-04

That is what it said. Then it rang out eight
clear strokes, and the jolly red moon, which
for two weeks had been slowly rising in the
space above the clocks face to show how the
month was passing by, and which was now full
and round like the real moon out of doors
this jolly red clock-moon seemed to wink wag-
gishly at the children.
"Hurry! scurry! Here it is o'clock, going
on g. next comes 10-11-12. Halt the night
gone, and you not in bed yet" How its eyes
twinkled! 1t nearly burst its fat cheeks laugh
ing at its own joke. Out the door, up the un-
carpeted stairs, clattered the boys-Solomon
and Isaac, Elias and John, Philemon aud Ro-
meo Augustus. They all gave nod to the
clock-moon. Goodnight, old fellow" they
said. All but Romeo Augustus. He did not
like the clock. That is what this story is
about.
Solomon and Isaac marched off to their own
chamber. They would not condescend to as
sociate with "the babies" Solomon and Isaac
where twins. They were. as have told you
before, ancient. They were IA years old. Phi
lemon and Romeo Augustus were only s, and
they knew no pleasure equal to that of sitting
bolt upright in their trundle-bed while Elias
peered down at them over the foot-board of
his bed, and told them stories with gestures.
"Tell us about the clock" said Philemon on
this occasion.
But at this suggestion Romeo Augustus
poor little Romeo Augustus!-quaked in his
red flannel night-gown. Elias always spoke in
deep and dreadful tones when he alluded to
the clock.
"Persons don't live inside, but THINGsl" said
he, and Romeo Augustus quaked afresh. "Two
of them hang in air. They haven't sign of a
head, nor feet, nor arms, nor legs. They just
dangle. And the other rHNa-here Elias IS
agouy. 1t is never quiet-never, never, never
more; not when we're asleep, nor when we're
eating our porridge. Forever and forever it
writheS-anOnp'
That was capital word to end with. No
one knew what canon" meant. 1t was proba-
ably some especially horrible way of writhlng.
Romeo Augustus shook with terror. He could
hear that clock talking still down stairs:
Tck-tock-tick.tock,
IT'S nine-oclock.
| Ro-meo-be-low
Come see-in me
THINGS drear-appear.
'Tis nine-oclock.
Tick-took-tick-tock,
That is what it said.
"How painful IL must be to 'writhe anon!' -
| whispered Romeo Augustus to himself. 81
wouldn't care if it was persons-but things!"
For some unknown reason the idea was
| CHASTITY to Romeo Augustus. Now, my little
| readers, wait moment before you laugh at
him. Hear what this S-year-old-boy did.
Once upon atime Solomon had composed the
following somewhat startling proverb: "It is
| wise fellow who wrenches forth the serpent's
| fang" Which dark saying, being INTERPRETED
was: "lf you are scared of anything, Just trot
| right up and wrestle with it,
"For," continued Solomon in speech to the
other five, "thats the only way to grow
plucky. If you hear an odd noise don't hide
| your head like hyena or an ostrich, whichev-
or it is, but hunt it up. If you happen to see q
ghost, skip up and tack it,"
| Now the words of Solomon were always
priced as gold. The boys reverenced Solomon
who could repeat the whole of a Latin verb
and was, moreover, "pitcher" on "the nine.'
So "the babes had made solemn compac
that If any one of them was ever scared" hs
should step boldly out and wrench forth the
| serpent's fang" Should he be too great !
coward so to do, he should wear a huge lette
U pinned on his jacket for fortnight; and b,
subject to all the taunts which could be imug
ined at his expense. No wonder the boys grew
brave. They dared not be otherwise
philemon,s special b gbear had been dar
cellar, filled to OVERLOOKING with shadows
Down into this cellar he had gone with beat
ing heart and had forced himself to searcl
out every crack and Granny, even to the coal
bin. vi course he found nothing to fear, an,
now it waS Philemon who was always ready t
90 down Tor apples in the winter evenings, an,
that, too, without even a candle. As for Eli
as, he had stood in much awe of grove owe
the hill, and was obliged to spend the create
part Of a whole month wandering solitar
among the trees before he could snap his fin
gers at their shadows. And now Romeo Au
gustus's turn had come. His poor little hear
was filled with dismay when be found that b
was in mortal fear of the clock. He felt sur
that he should have to search the matter
the very bottom. For week he had bee
trying to bring himself up to the pitch of rt
quiste boldness. More than once he ha
marched up to the enemy, and then marc he
back again. vanquished. He dared not breath
word to Philemon. The big letter G was a
tready to cling to his back, and how could b