News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-01-31
THE OLD CLOCK IN THE CORNER.
An Old Mans RecOIIections of the Past
He Dies with the Old Year.

| He Dies with the Old Year.
1t was an old-fashioned room. Over
in the corner stood the old clock that
had faithfully kept the time and tolled
off the hours for half q century. The
high-back chairs and the table with its
rounded leaves stood about the sides of
the room as they had been accustomed
to stand for fifty years. In front of the
great fireplace a cat lay doing, while IN
an old arm chair, with hair as white as
the snow that covered the ground out
side, sat an old man, gazing intently
into the Goals ON the hearth. With the
exception of the cat and the fantastic,
almost living, shadows which the fire
cast into the darkened room, the old
man was alone. The aged and trembling
| hands of the clock were slowly, but
surely, working their way around the
face of the dial, and the little bell was
patiently waiting to strike out the old
and to strike in the new year.
The old man made no stir, except may
be to turn his face toward the door IN
| half-expectant way, as the merry Jingle
of sleigh bells and the joyous laugh of
happy voices from some sleighing party
greeted his ears. This would pass, and
the happy sounds would grow less dis
tinct, until lost in the distance, and
then, with a disappointed look on the
old mans face, he would again fix his
gaze on the Goals on the hearth. The
moon sent its beams through the window
to help, in its feeble way, to tighten the
room. These silver beams are but as
steps that led the old mans thoughts to
higher things. The old man is dream
ing of what was once and of what might
have been.
He sees a youthful couple who, fifty
years before, on this night, stood before
the altar and were joined in holy we'd
lock. He can hear the merry voices of
friends; he can hear their good wishes,
and the music to which they danced was
ringing in his ears just as it did so long
ago. So long ago? Why it is as only
yesterday to the old man as he sees it all
pictured out in the Goals on the hearth |!
He can see the happy smile on his
brides face when he brought her to this
home and lighted the fire on the same
hearth; he can hear the prattle of a little
boy that used to call him father, as he
played in front of that fire; he sees a
lovely, faxen-haired little daughter
| childish voice singing the lullaby that
her mother used to sing to her, and then
he sees her put dolly into the little era
die he had fashioned for it. It is real to
him, and he starts again as the clock
seems to tick louder than usual to re-
mind him of his loneliness.
Again he dreams A little casket sits
in that room, and in it is laid that love-
"
the little girl is carried out to return no
more. To return no more? No; she
comes again and again to the old man in
his dreams, and he feels those baby
arms about his neck. Then, one win
ter's day, she who had shared his joys
and sorrows went away to that land of
flowers, and joined the loved ones that
had gone before. Now he sees three
mounds over in the churchyard all pure
and spotless white in the diamond-cov-
cred mantle of winter. And his eyes
are dimmed with bitter tears as his
heart responds, 81 am coming"
The old year is fast dying. But few
moments remain, and the long hour fin
ger on the old clocks dial approaches
the minute that closes the old year and
opens the new, in Misunderstanding way,
yet driven on by faithfulness to duty. A
slight tremor is heard, and the bell in
the clock begins to toll the hour of mid
night. The old year is past, and the
chimes in the distant church steeple peal
forth glad Happy New Year." as the
old mans head drops forward on his
breast. To him it is a "Happy New
Year" He, too, has joined the loved
ones that have gone before. Loving
friends found him cold in death when
the bright sunshine of the new year
morning came through the windows and
hghtened up the face of the faithful old
clock, whose work was finished with the
old mans, as the old year died.-Peck's
San.