Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-10-04
GRANDPARENTS CLOCK
~ con>E,iA :yrros.

Wa coming NJ t!,c street to-day
hiriyn:; h"inc to dinner, when bras;
band struck up "My Grand;athcr',
Cork" w::> in haste. but >ionnsl
to hear 1t. moi because | particularly ad =
mirc ''c air, but because there came be.
Fore my mental vision st most distinct
memory of Il childish adventure of nv
own, connected with my grnndfathcrA
clock. In recalling it, an well aware
that mulch of the story must have been
told me by older people, but my own
share will never leave rly memory.
was six years Old when my father
died, and my grandfather offered home
To my widowed mother and myself
know now that poverty alone would
not have driven my mother To acccp, Thu,
offer, but She knew that She had an in
carahc internal disease tia, might spare
her life for years. but would make il dini
cn: for her To cam Il living. She could
'akc charge OF ny arandlatlcr'. house
Keeping, hut WAS often compelled tn re-.
main for several days together rs her own
room.
10 say That my grandfather wa, an III.
tempered ,yraut gives but Il faint Idle, al
his utterly unreasonable demands aud
love OF power. Sometimes h" would not
speak to ANY member Of the whole house
hold 20 - week; he wuul,l refuse Ia come.
10 the table when meals we're served. and
give way To furion> race when. TWO
houis later, the food va set before him
utterly ruined by delay. Only The ex-
IRENE gcnlcncsS ri my mothers DISPOSE.
tion mace her life cndurablc. and .ir WAS
happy only when alone with me-, direct
ing me to sew and knit. and allowing me-
to help her when she was able 10 make
dcicacics for the table
Our sit,ing-room was ON The frs; hoor.
and was i combination of Study. !hia..,
sewing room, and school-room. for in l,..
cold weather ii MAS tie only place in the
house, excepting the kitchen, where we
were allowed To havca fire. The dining
room between sitting room and kitchen
shared the warmth o! each in one corner
OF this sitting room, where every article
WAS al the fashion of Il century before,
WAS the clock that governed Tie household
movements. II was ten fee, high and
four wide, with Il mahogany case and
two partitions rs TIC sides where the
weights hung. The pendulum swung
10y itself i'll the central division, and
above WAS the big white face with The
dial. There WAS no mechanism about it.
excepting the clock-work to record the
time and strike the hour, but il was {;
reliable timc-kccpcr and the especial oh
Jcct of pride 10 my grandfather. think
my childish awe of it was 50 great that
should have expected TO be hanged OF
otherwise put to death if | touched il.
Every Saturday night my mother hei,
the candle while my grandfather woune
1T up. and stood and watched the tw,
heavy weights slowly rise from the Hoo
to the top, making the ascent in Il few
moments that ii would take them a who'll
week 10 re-travcl. Ny grandfather al
ways spoke of it rs Il precious LEGACY tia
would one day be mine. thereby iillin.
Inc with horror, as il he were going +
10 leave me Il skull or skeleton. | WI,
timid child, and my greatest terror VI,
that clock. The whirr of lis wheels bc
fore striking the slow, loud strokes. tn
solemn tick, all inspired me with Crinh
as great as II was entirely unreasonable
Our household consisted of two won,e
sSi wants anu onc man DHSiucS the taEli!.
and our days were passed in IL dreury me
notony. My grandfather was proprictc
of large calico factory that was ma,
aged entirely by trusted clerk, cxccD
ing Die payment Of The hands. Ever
Friday nc went to Stockton, the ncnrc
town, to draw from Il bank the money +.
this purpose. Aud every Saturday ate
noon he drove TO the iactory and paid Il
wages for the week 1t was a custom
such long standing thai no one assoia,,
any idea of danger with it, and no sicI
ness or weather had ever, TO my know
edge, prevented the weekly journeys.
| must explain here my own state
mind when | had been three years vii
my grandfather. ! feared him with II
most intense fear, having felt the Veil
of his heavy hand for every trifline a
fence that came to his knowledge.
hated him rs only Child can hate, ha
ing no active sense of the duty of su
pressing that emotion. L hated him f