Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-08-12
S1nmth' 8 Column,
Imprisoned in Clock-Face-


years in which he had been custodian
of the church, the clock had never
stopped or gone wrong; and nothing
could convince him that it was not
the finest clock in the world.
The only thing which troubled
Hans was the fear lest his inquisitive
little son Kaspar, who was always in
some mischief or other. should, in one
of his 0oyish pranks, injure the mech
anism of this wonderful timeplece.
No wonder, therefore, that, when one
morning he was about to start for
town to do some marketing, Hans
took care first of all to lock the door
of the church tower and put the key
in his pocket.
ssNo harm can happen now,' he
muttered sand, in any case, shall
be back before he gets out of school. .
But, as ill-luck would have it, the
teacher was called away by some bus
mess that afternoon, and the boys
cot out of school more than an hour
earlier than usual. Kaspar, finding
his father gone, went straight to the
door of the clock tower, and looked
rather blank on discovering that it
was locked But he was not one to
be easily stopped when he had once
made up his mind. Getting out upon
the roof, and crawling along a cor
nice, where only cat or school
boy could have found footing, he
crept through an air-hole right into
the clock-room.
For some time he was as happy as
child in toy-shop, running from
one marvel to another, till at length
he discovered another hole and thrust
inc his head through it, found him.
self looking down upon the market
place through the face of the clock
itself. But, when he tried to with
draw his head again, it would not
come.
1t was a queer scrape to be in, and
Kasper was more inclined to laugh
than be frightened; but suddenly
thought struck him, which scared him
in earnest: his neck was in the track
of the minute hand, which, when it
reached him, must inevitably tear his
head off
Poor Kaspar! 1t was to late now
to wish he had left tina clock alone.
He tried to scream for help; but,
with his neck in that cramped posit-
ion, the cry that he gave was scarce
ly louder than the chirp of sparrow.
He struggled desperately to wrlthe
himself back through the hole, but a
piece of the wood work had slipped
down the back of his neck and held
him like wise.
On came the destroyer, nearer and
nearer still, marking off with its meas
ured tick his few remaining moments
of life. And all the while the sun
was shining gayly, the tiny flags
were fiuttering on the booths of the
market-place, and the merry voices
of his school-fellows who were play
inc in the market-place came family
to his ears, while he hung there help
less. with death stealing upon hin
inch by inch.
His head grew dizzy, the measured
beat of the ticking sounded like the
roll of a muffied drum, while the com
ing hand of the clock looked like 6
monstrous arm out stretched to seize
him, and the carved faces on thu
spouts seemed to grin and gibber a
him in mockery. And still the terri
BILE hand crept onward, nearer, near
err!
"What can that thing in the clock
face be?" said a tourist below, point
ing his spy-glass upward. ''Why,
declare, it looks like a boys head !"
ga boys head !" cried gray-head
ed matchmaker beside him, one O
Hans Scheller's especial friends
snatching hastily at the glass as h
spoke. "Why, good gracious it
little Kaspar. He'll be killed. he
be killed p And he rushed towar
the church, shouting like mailman
The alarm spread like wildfire an
before Klugmann, the matchmaker
had got half way up stairs leading t
the tower. more than score of eXcit
ed men were scampering at his heels
But at the top stairs they were sud
denly brought to a standstill by tn
locked door.
, cit is locked!" cried Klugmanr
in tones of horror; ''and Hans mus
; have taken the key with him, for
isn't here"
I "Never mind the keyp' roared
brawny smith behind him. ''Pick U
that beam comrades, and run
against the lock. All togather now
Crash went the door; in rushe
I the crowd; and Kaspar, now sense
less from sheer fright, was dragge
out of his strange prison just as tt
huge bar of the minute-hand actual
touched his neck.
is And so it fell out that poor o.
Il Scheller, coming home for qui'
.. afternoon nap. found the door
IS the tower smashed in, his son lylr
c. in swoon, and his little room file
he with strange men, all talking at one
But from that day forth Kasp
'. Scheller never meddled with Il
IN churh clock again.-Selected.
Little Willie went with his MANN