The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-09-14
KASPAR AND THE CLOCK.
A German Boys Adventure.

kASfAK AND THE CLOCk.
A German Boys Adventure.
| "Kaspar, thou little rogue, how often
shall / tell thee not to NEEDLE with that
clock ''
!. was only watching the wheels 90
round. father" said sturdy little fell
low in soiled leathern Jacket, starting
up with a mischievous look in bis blue
eyes
"And what hast thou to do with the
wheels, eh2 Suppose this clock is
stopped or put wrong some day by one
OF thy tricks, what shallsl, Hans Schell-
er, custodian of St. Martins Church,
say to the Town Council? Dost thou
know what birch porridge is, thou
rogue? Beware. or I'll give thee such a
taste Of it as shall make thee go round
faster than the wheels. -
Poor Hans was, indeed, kept in con-
slant terror by his inquiring sons I'M
comfortable habit of going wherever he
ought not. The old Church OF st. Mart
IN was a famous play ground for any
boy, with its shadowy aisles. and count
less pillars, and tall towers. and deep
inches, and half ruined battlements; and
the worthy custodian, when he awoke
from his after-dinner nap in his little
room at the foot of the great clock tow
er, never knew whether he should find
his hopeful boy hiding behind the altar
screen. trying to blow the organ bell
lows, playing hide-and-seek among the
pinnacles Of the roof. or sitting astride'
Of carved spout hundred and sixty
feet above the pavement.
All this, however, might have been
forgiven, for the. old custodian was
really as fond of his sslittle rogue as
the boy, with al his wildness, was Of
him. But the one thing that Hans
could not pardon was the danger caused
by his sons restless iilquisitiveness to-
his beloved church clock It. was; His
pride and glory to be able to tell every
one that during the whole forty wears
that, he had been in charge of the asst.
Martins Kirche. the clock had never
stopped or gone wmng; and nothing
would convince him that it was not by.
far the finest clock in the whole world.
Don + tell me of the big clock OF
Strasburg Cathedral" he would say.
with an obstinate shake of his gray head.
+" Could IL go forty years ON end think
you, without the slightest deviation?
No. that it couldn't, nor any other
clock on the face Of the earth except
this one y
Mindful Of Kaspar's inquiring turn
OF mind. his father. having to do some
marketing in the town the day after.
cur hero's stolen visit to the clock.
locked the door of the tower, and took,
the key along with him
Z IS No harm can happen new,n he
muttered;; :. and, in any ease, shall be
back before he gets out of school,,
/ But, as ill-luck would have 1T. the
teacher was called away by some busi-
ness that afternoon, and the boys got
out OF school more than an hour earlier
than usual. Kaspar, finding his father
gone. went straight to the door OF the
clock tower, and looked rather blank |
on discovering that it was locked. But |
he was not one to be easily stopped |
when he had once made up his mind.
Getting out upon the roof, and crawling |
along a cornice where only d eat OF Z |
school-boy could have found footing,
he crept through an air-hole right into
the clock-room sss 2
For some time he was as happy as d |
child IN toy shop, running from one |
marvel TO another, until at length he |
discovered another hole, and thrusting |
bis head through it, found himself look. /
ing down upon the market-place through |
the face of the clock itself. But when |
be tried to Withdraw his head again, it |
WoulQ not come. ~
TWAS such u queer scrape to be ia |
that Kaspar was more inclined to laugh |
han to be frightened; but suddenly a |
thought struck him which scared him |
ID earnest: his neck was in the track Of I
the minute hand, which, when ii |
reached him, must Inevitably tear his /
head OIL a, ~. -, Il
Poor Kaspar! it was too late now to |
wish that he had left the clock alone
He tried to scream for help, but with /
MS neck in that cramped position, the /
~ that ne gave was scarcely louder I
han the chirp Of d sparrow. He struc-
fled desperately to writhe himself back /
through the hole; but a piece of the /
woodwork had slipped down upon the
back OF his neck. and held him like a |
vise i
Tn came the DESTROYER. nearer and /
nearer still, markingsoi with its meas
1red tick his few remaining moments
y life. And all the while the sun was
Inning gayly. the tiny flags were fiut-
ering on the booths of the market, and
he merry voices Of his school-felIows
Tho We're playing in the market-place I
;ame faintlyto his ears, while he hung
here helpless, with Death stealing upon
lim inch by inch. His head grew diz-
y, and the measured beat of the tick
ng sounded like, the roll of muffied
rum, while the coming hand of the
lock looked ike a monstrous arm ont
stretched to- seize him, and Che carved
aces on the spcuts seemed to grin and
s'bber at him in mockery. And still
he terrible hand crept onward. nearer.
nearer. nearer.
What can that thing Ia the clocl,
ace bsf'. said tourist below, pointing
US spy-glass upward. "why, declars
I looks lie boys headr'
A Dos 8 head cried gray-haired