The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-10-01
IT WAS 1895 O'CLOCK"
SO Said Mr.. Shaw's Tine-Piece
Upon q Notable Night.

Upon q Notable Night.
1t was not until fathers patience had
ceased to be a polite virtue that Fred
and decided to carry out our plan.
He had said so many times at break
fast, just as he laid down the carving
knife and fork, after waiting on us all:
'Flora, my daughter, ten o'clock is
late enough for any young man to stay
on an evening call" And Flora had
as often looked up imploringly, her
pretty face on fire, and said: "Why,
papa, how can I help it?"
To this defensive inquiry father
would not deign to reply, while mother,
Aunt Elizabeth and we boys maintained
profound silence, each doubtless pom
dering how the difficult question might
be solved.
Roger Pettijohn was u sophomore in
the college town in which we lived
He lied his class" was the son of his
father, Judge Pettijohn, and a general
fayorite with the young people. Fred
and l rather liked him; his boats were
always at our service, and it was one
OF our choicest pleasures to spend an
hour in the study which he had fitted
up in one of the college dormitories, to
''be with the boys" There was no end
of curious things there, for Roger was
not mere dig" but an enthusiastic
student of nature and famous good
pitcher in the college nine Besides a
well-stocked aquarium and q large col
lection of stuffed birds, his room was
decked out with fencing foils, patent
oars, boXing-gloves, q fine pair of
antlers sent him from Texas, and a
good many things that would interest
boys.
But the one drawback to our enjoy
mont of Roger Pettijohn was that he
than three evenings in week, and the
town clock usually struck eleven as he
went whistling homeward. Not that
we boys or the household were at all
put out by his long calls. We never
heard any thing from the parlor, save
the subdued murmur of talking and
reading, and now and then the melodi-
GUS tones of piano or flute. But it was
one of our little domestic secrets that
Flora was working for the valedictory
in her class at the academy, and we
all knew she could take it if she could
get time to study at home. But with
all the numberless housekeeping
duties which she took upon herself,
there was often not much OF study
hour left her. So Roger Pettiiohn's
calls, enjoy able as they might be, were
not so cordially thought of or men,
toned in the family circle as they
would have been had they been fewer
or shorter
All this accounts for the plan which
Fred and | determined to carry out.
We said that Roger Pettiiohn should
be made aware OF the flight of time, if
such a thing were possible. 1t was
several days before we hit upon a
scheme that suited us. Any number
OF rudes- jokes that might easily be
worked out came into our minds, but
we were not sure we should enjoy rude
jokes ourselves.
One day at school Fred looked up
from his algebra with q peculiar grin.
In few minutes | saw note work
ing its way from desk to desk toward
me. AT last it came, and / eagerly
opened it almost in plain sight OF the
argus-eyed Mr.. Winter who, we
thought spent more of his time in pro-
hibiting "evil communications, than
in explaining equations and const1u-
ing our difficult Latin sentences.
Fred's note was as follows:
i've got i'll You know the old clock?
Wen, tn make it strike ?. so hard he'll I'M
derstand; Don't forget it. More later
hardly understood; but / gave my
assent without hesitation to Fred's
plan, whatever it might be; for he had
what we boys call "a long head and a
safe heel
Among the treasures in our work
shop was WORKOUT clock. The old
time-piece had come down from
another generation, and had been in
It's day quite valuable; but in the days
when Roger Pettijohn came to see our
sister Flora, an old-fashioned, tall
clock was not so highly priced as now.
Brlc-a-brac hunting was an unknown
mania, and clock that would not tell
the time of day, no matter how ancient
and honorable its history, was well out
of the way in boys workshop.
This old clock Fred and / had taken
to pieces and put together again times
without number, in the hope of max
ing it keep time so that we could put
it in our room. Sometimes it would
go nicely for several hours, and then
some unlucky pinion would slip its
place, the pendulum would slowly
come to a standstill and the piteous.
patient-looking old face would stare
ut us as if in blank disappointment at
being left behind in the march of time.
But, worn out and useless us it was as
time-keeper, it could strike as loudly.
and boldly as in its younger days, and
we had no small amount of fun in
turning the wheels so as to hear its
silyery ring and asthmatic wheeze.
After school we discussed Fred's plan
thoroughly and enthusiastically. 1t is
doubtful if we enjoyed its fruition
more than we did talking it over, and
eagerly adding suggestion after sug-
gestion until it was, in our estimation,
perfect
"The plan is Just this, jamie said