Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-09-17
REGULATING The CLOCK.
How Commercial Missionary Was Sold
byn Pnrty of Rural Missourlans.


How a Commercial Missionary Was Sold
bya Party of Rural Missourlans.
"No, I'm not feeling very well, " said
= drummer in the smoking car. 1.-The
fact is, rSo been losing too much sleep
of late. What doingP Scheming. Yes,
I'll tell you what I'm schemiug on.
You know how it is in the country
towns. boys, where the fellows who loaf
around the hotels are always trying to
play Jokes and sells on travelling men.
As rule the travellers moro than keep
even with the boys, but of course they
are caught up once in awhile. was
never badly taken in but once. That
was last week, out in Northern Mis-
sour. pride myself on being a pretty
good pedestr an, and when the fellows
in the hotel Office got to talking about
fast walking, Of tcurse was inmyele-
ment made my brag as to what
had done and could do in the walking
line, and was surprised to hear one OF
the fellows stand up and make fun OF
me and insinuate that was lying.
why, says this fellow, you cant walk
a mile in ten minutes, and I'll bet you
$40 Won can't Now, have often
walked mile in nine minutes, and as
this challenge looked like picnic ac-
copied ii, pulled out my money and
said | was ready to perform the feat
The other fellow produced his money
too, greatly to my surprise, and them
10 avoid the possibility of catches or
misunderstanding insisted upon hav-
ing written memorandum OF our
agreement. This he accepted 10, and
we agreed to post the money with the
landlord, that the time was to
be taken by the 'regulatoA' clock
which stood in the hotel office,
that no watch time taken by other
parties was to influence the referees de-
cision, and that was to walk 10 a GER
tain corner, which the county atlas
showed to be Just a half mile away, and
return. The wagerer was to accom-
pany me with his horse, and for extra
precaution / stipulated that If there
should be any unusual obstruction in the
road, or any one should interfere with
me, the bet was to be CT. also tested
the clock for few minutes by the sec
ond-hand of my watch, and found that
twas all right, and engaged friend Of
mine, another commercial traveller to
see that the clock was not tempered
with In fact, suspected that they had
some scheme for beating me, and de-
termined that would not let them do
it. After all the arrangements were
made and the memorandum signed, |
started on my walk. The way was clear
and | made good time. Every thing
seemed all right. According to my
watch ] made the first half mile in a
little more than four minutes, giving me
whole minute to spare. Imagine my
surprise on entering the hotel to have
my friend tell me that had lost and
INQUIRE what the matter was l looked
at the clock, and, sure enough, | had
been twslvp minutes on the trip. !
asked him if anybody had tempered with
the clock, and he said: No, nobody has
been near it Again compared it fol
a few minutes with my watch, and il
was running right to the very fraction
of a second. This was puzzler' Inc
money was paid over, and the town fel
lows had Jubilee with it. But | wa
inst as certain as could be that they hac
swindled me in some manner, and de
termi ned TO lind out how, They hat
done their work very sleekly, that mus
be admitted, but this only excited M.
curiosity the more.
That night, when everybody wa
asleep, | slipped downstairs am
climbed up and made an examination
of the regulator" clock on which ha
lost my money, and toward which m
suspicious had been directed. | had n
idea what the trouble was, and wen
about the search in I blind sort of way
! knew nothing about clocks, and tn
chances were that l would be unable :
: discover the nature of the littl
trick that had been played on mt
| fumbled and fooled with the clpc
for ten or fifteen minutes. and wa
Just about to give up the search ]
despair when luck came my way. A
l was climbing down from the chair o
: which stood / noticed piece of whit
! thread hanging on the wall This strnc
: me az being peculiar, and on followin
, it up saw that it entered the clocl
, Tracing the other end, found it in tn
i clerks desk twelve or fifteen feet ava.
, Then the whole scheme was obviou
|. The clerk and the local jeweler-he WI
the man had bet with-had fixed u
q scheme to beat me or any other sue
: they could catch on the time mile W.
J walked in, the correct running OF
! ! pet watch. or any thing of that n
l ture. The jeweler had liked things
> that pulling at that thread increase
the speed OF the clock about one-fourtI
9 and this was the manner in which thu
! had beaten me in my race against tim
d. "In about sixty days I'll be back
C that town, and that accounts for n
a losing so mnch sleep I'm sitting
G late nights trying to hatch up schen
: to get even with them. Chicago lie
| ali