The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-09-03
TIME TOLD By FLOWERS,
And Some Remarkable Stories Teid By
Conn rcial Traveller.

"Ihey tell me, said q resident OF New
Haven to group Of listeners In a corner store.
that gentleman in Philadelphia-G. Wash
ington Childs. believe-has the finest collec-
ton of clocks in the world. but I'm in tho clock
line myself. and reckon I've got one that
Philadelphia never dreamed Of"
Perhaps the gentleman is too smart to get
stuck on one OF the whalcbone- spring. shinge
back double back action repeaters they make
In this State" a New York drummer remarked.
He'll never got stuck on my clock" was the
rejoinder. Il didn't buy mine with money;
brains was the legal tendon"
Then you must be broke" tho commercial
traveller added; but I'll stand treat II you
can show UP anything that some OF us have not
seen before"
Done. Come along"
The party was led into very white house.
with very green blinds. and out into tho green
est of gardens. to q large oval bed. around
which were various plants. Opposite each was
u number. so that the lot resembled the face Of
great clock without hands.
Here is the clock the owner said. Let
us see IL she's right What time Is itp"
Ton o'clock" repied tall. thin man. TAX.
20 US. on the minute, the clock man re-
fhs @ystsd if paey drew N apCSna
You see gentlemen, no hands. no machin-
cry. no Winding no breaking the main spring, in
ut certain hour. / worked this out. as
Shakespeare says. by my penny Of osserva-
and fond OF tramping in the woods and study:
ing their habits. l noticed that when passed
| certain flowers at certain times they were
always about to bloom SO concluded that they
| had certain hours Just as we have to wake uD
e ,Ss ssP rss tho n9Snw Or the tide
work studying out the question until found
that there are plants that bloom loo S at some hour
me that could arrange them like clock. and
60 make the plant plants tell the time Of day; and
there a professor Of, religion here, that ever
saw anything lke =, this before? There isn't isn't
a%sy to don't TSS s
. clock and numbered It Just ike q
enc that blooms in the day, and the 9therfat
the same hour at night. and 30 on. For in.
from now. You see. tho bud OF this portuacca is
lust about TO bloom. and at II 1t Will be out. AT
those hours. At e'cocE this plant THAI that we
call by that name will come out. At you will
lind the garden nictago. AT. 8 O'Clock this
evening primrose. and this one rarely varies
five minutes. which is more than some folks
can say about their timepieces. At o'clock
comes tho bona nox. and vt the siene nocti-
flora" ,
At 10 at might comes the cactus. and at II
another kind. At ~ o'clock comes the night.
| blooming CereuS,
I'll be- bound I've seen Thorn bloom before
IL" the drummer again Interrupted.
OF course you have" retored the other;
only "a 4" ), ro;o,n., ~, ,r,,,uor. ",n, .,.v
We're made in this town, too; bought clock
here last year warranted to last ten years Some
days she would anble along like an old COW.
and then all ut once get Il sort OF chill fol.
lowed bya fever. making the most informal
racket, so that it made about thr,Iy.tYo hours
!
three attacks, like that The last time
sex. County. Mass. The old machine had been
ma king suspicious sounds all the evening,
awake asked the clerk to lock her in the safe.
which he did. Well. the narrator continued.
the attcniye faces 81 his listeners sityins him
sleep By the worst racket you ever heard in
your life, Men and women were rushing down
When reached the office it was full and every
body was trying to find out what the trouble
came the most Internal hullnbalIoq on record.
as if wheels were getting all snarlei up into
mnc6ine had been shut f in there. ear and som"body
else thought the burglar himself was i'm
prsoned. but finally there was crash, the door
ii.w open. and there land that cock N about II
thousand pieces. She Ind Just WORKED herself
al Ia bits, and she looked 50 suspicious that
skipped the town that night, and road the ne
count in the papers in Boston the next day
about All attempt TO blow up II hutel in the
duplex eclectic seNen,day clocks Tor me.
How about ogiocs IN the morning 2 asked
Ono and two are also cac'uses, the clock
man continued; and gt three this satisfy
comes out; al four, the chckoryi; nye, the SOW
! thistle; at six, tho common dnndolipn: N
seven. the pond lily; AT eight lhoid your breath,
| the mrSeHJriamhernu aoctforH": At nine.
| this field marigold: ten. ice plant; eleven. an
where we started. the n9rtuiacca. It's big
! thing, bur OF course ii isn't practical
| ms Is the UrSt time. / been biltfDupu IN
| for some time the commercial traveller SAID
after the clock mans explanation
! l thought drummcrs never d4l get stuck
| the tall man said.
Sometimes they allow themselves to-" said
| the other. rs not to get too concerted. |
treated myself 10 little taking down this
summer; had Two weeks to put into n va"a-
! the Berkshire Hill,. / answered it and got u
rfpiy, that they'd ,ase me for 50. Iwrote back
at s. a week Tor two weeks Well they took me
asked sHs T'G ho on ho Tas and m the nd
time, but you'll hey 70 harness her
rhat marc .""S was Vicious ound and III haa iy to
geta club. After about thres-luarters of an
shifted fresh air she lifted her hen,l and started
out Of the yaId at G99a yey RITZ nS For 5 the
goin' Eap old farmer Yelled as shot by; Give
| at n pond and Hb nut three-luarters Of an hour
afterward / managed to lead the mare home.
But i harnessed her and started. Going down
grade the traces gavo out. the wagon ran into
tho mare; and oil 2he vent 1t was a short heat
for me. dropped out behind and let her go;
and u couple Of miles below in the village
found her. She had brought in the two front
wheels and the children were out picking UP
the rest of the wagon for lirewood. While
! stood looking At the wreck an, old chap, not
knowing ! was the victim. said. Farmer Is
team ?. 1t was said. Un to his old
games, he said with or n How,s that
summer boarders and they generally want
TO use the boss. so he keeps this old griper list
for that purpose. I've heard tell IT was days
! work to get her into harness. and she usually
wears an ordinary city boarder all out before Il
can be done but ifthey ever do succeed the old
mares patented and double guaranteed to
smash up the team. and the old man generally
| boardin'.'"
I" What did it cost you ?" the vegetable clock
~ made Just weeks board out OF ii" was
farmer on the road and, before no had a
chance to open on me. l said. We'll. what arc
mean = said lie. Well farmer said l. Tin a
A.. 49,. II. a.,