The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-03-11
for tbe CHILDREN.
How the Clock Went.


that could be done for a clock. But
still it would stop. 1t was the clock
Frankie went to school by, and the one
that marked off the happy play-hours
when his little friends came to see him,
or when he was allowed to visit them.
So he missed it, and wondered good
deal about it, and wished it could be
fixed. But some alterations were to be
made in the house, and his mother said
Ninny should take the clock to the gar
ret until its new nook was ready, and
then il should be sent down town for
repairs.
The garnet was the place where all
the boys got together on stormy days.
There was room to play circus and SOL
der, and no one came there to say
" Hush" or " Pray, boy, do be quiet"
In one corner was Frankie's play
house. There were his big dappled-
grey rocking-horse, his span of rocking
ponies, his swing, his box of tools, and
more playthings of every kind than you
could count. Ninny, when she carried
the clock up there, took care to get
it as far away as possible from this
corner.
"Thim boys will be sure to be after
it," she said " so I'll put it on high
beam in the dark, where they'll never
find it,
But it had not been long in its dusty
solitude before there came a rainy day,
and all the neighborhood boys focked
in. Ned was the biggest and most
restless one, and it was not long before
he spied the clock.
"Hello, frankie! Whose clock is
that?" he cried.
" It's ours; it's spoiled"
"SpOiled? Doesn't it go?''
" No, it doesn't go; it doesn't do
anything but stop"
"Well, don't see how it can stop if
it hasn't been going" roared Ned, with
loud laugh.
" Let's look at it, anyway" he added,
climbing up on box and lifting the
clock from its shelf. He carried it to a
window and set it down on the floor.
All the boys gathered around.
"Open It'll" cried John.
"Let's see the Wheels" camored
Willie.
Ned opened the door, but found in
side only the key to wind it with, for
of course the face hid the machinery.
Ned shook it and it began to tick.
&C. can fix it," he said. "You let it
stand too still. See, it goes" And,
sure enough, it did, feebly, and for
only few minutes.
Ned had no wish to do mischief, but
he had great desire to tinker. Say,
frankie, may l fix it?"
elf you can" replied frankie, gladly.
" Mamma said she wanted it fixed"
Frankie's box of tools stood near, and
Fred took screw driver, and undid one
screw after another until the face was
loose. This he took off. The boys
crowded closer to eXclaim and ask
questions.
ooh, what lot of wheels!' cried
one.
g Are they gold?" asked another.
They're brass" said Ned. And
this thing here is the spring."
1t was interesting indeed to see its
wheel within wheel, and that coil of
flat steel-blue wire. Ned examined
every part, took out one screw and then
another, until finally he had everything
out of the case. This took him an hour
or more. Then he tried winding up
the spring, and found he could turn the
key round and round, and the spring
would tighten by slow degrees. But
as soon as he took away the key it
would unwind with whirl.
cit goes now, doesn't it?' said
frankie.
Yes" said Ned, little doubtfully.
Truth is he was beginning to be dis
tressed at the sight of so many scattered
pieces, and so many screws, and to feel
certain he could never put them to-
gether as they were before.
eyes, it goes" said frankie, joyfully
Now, Ned, let me win ID it,"
The winding it was the chief part OF
the fun. Each took turn at it. They
thought the whizzing of the spring very
lively music. Ned did not like to own
that he had spoiled the clock, but so he
feared.
"Now We'll put it up" he said.
But how can we tell what time il
is when the hands are off?' asked
frankie, beginning to be suspicious.
"I'll put them on some other time,'
said Ned, growing very red in the face
This was far from being satisfactory
but play was to be started, anc
frankie reluctantly allowed the frag
ments to be piled together in heaI
near the window, and then joined thu
other boys in "gray wolf" But h,
felt that his mother ought to know
So that night, when he went to bed, h'
said:
&C Mamma, the clock will 60"
"What, the clock in the garnet? How
does 1t go?"
"Ned made it go. You wind it witt
the key as tight as you can, and thel
let it go, and, oh, it runs down just a
fast!
{" hope Ned hasn't been meddlin
with the clock, dear"
eyes, he took it all apart. l toll
him you wanted it fixed"
81 presume it is fixed if he ha
taken it in hand. Go to sleep now, an
Wen see about it tomorrow"
She smiled to herself, for she kne,
very well what to expect from Ned
skill. The clock "went" in sti
another way the next day-it went
the jewelers. in et.-Clara Dot
Bates, in Advance.