The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-02-20
NUMBER 35
A Mistinkcrcd CT ok.

have always cluug aiiectionately
to the theory that no poor man should
ever hire anybody else to do what he
himself can do about his premises. |
am opposed to hiring tramps to eat up
the substance Of working indi-
yidual. like an editor. hence never al
low one to saw wood for his breakfast
at my place"
The other day u tramp called at my
house. lie had kit of tinkering in
struments and displayed burning de-
sire to heal the eccentricities Of our
clock, which never could be satisfied
unless Il was from four minutes TO
three days slow was ut first dispos-
ed TO let him give II two or three expert
mental links, but when he informed
me that his lime was very valuable,
and the wear and tear of his brain
very severe IN Tho performance Of such
offices of human bruciaction. ! con-
ouded TO do the job myself.
That afternoon | won't down town
and paid ~ TO hardware man for the
necessary labor-saving machinery. |
felt that 81 was not an extravaganza
price to pay for set OF tools that
would tinker me during the entire PEI
Rod OF human life, so ! hurried home
and went for that clock.
My wife spread white paper on the
dining-tablc for me and il was not long
before had the yisccra Of that clock
scattered about me like the shattered
remains OF brass foundry after ey-
clone has toyed with IL. No wonder il
was slow! Every cog and journal was
clogged with dirt and stiffened with
oil. rubbed up the parts carefully,
and then my wife leaned lovingly over
could not comprehend how in the
world ] would ever get all that stuff
into it again. Ireplied that it took a
high order of genius to do that, and
drawing myself up proudly assured her
that ] was fully equal to the situa-
ton.
Then began to put the clock to-
gether, and soon had it FULL, but there
were wheels and cccentrics and levers
enough left TO make another clock.
feel proud Of my grand achievements.
I had often heard that economy Is
wealth" and had saved enough Of
that clock to pay for new handspring
in my watch. put on the hands and
wound up the reiuvenated time. piece
and then started it 1t went off like
the gong at = railway eating-house,
where fellow stops twenty minutes to
get robbed. When was little boy
going to school, my teacher, tender
young soul of about forty-two summers
and twice as many winters, used TO
write Thine Flies" in my copy-book,
but never fully realized the scope and
intent of the remark, until that clock
resumed business at the old stand. /
realized in moment that ] had con-
quered the peryerse disposition of that
clock TO play along the road. 1t SEEM
ed infused with renewed vigor and was
punctual to fault.
The hour-hand got around the dial
once each hour, while the minute-hand
cot around sixty times in the same Pc
Rod, and the bell sounded every Sec
ond. On close inspection discovered
that had accomplished what had new
ar beendaaa hefasss1 | had turned time
backward, and longed to have the poet
who sang Backward, turn backward,
. time, in your flight" present that l
might show him that his wish was
gratified. The hands were going the
wrong way, and my wifc sniled q
sweet, sad smile of hope, as she re-
marked that in few days we would
be boy and girl in school again. I
was pleased for moment at the
thought, but as a faint wonder what
would become OF our five children in
such an event stole upon me, hope
gave place 10 fear that it would leave
blemish upon our Young lives TO re-
turn to the good old times, and | jam
med the screw-driver into the ma of
rapid revolving wheels and put stop
to their mad career One OF these
times am going to pull the nail out
and go back to the garden of Eden and
see Eve feed Adam apples. p. T..
HudCiie, ia n. J. Kerc"ry.