Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-10


nurror, He RID HIMSELF OF TIE INCUBUS
AND GOT REvKNsk AT TIE SAM TIME
~ LINKS broke the crystal Of his watch
D{ the other day-he never did know
81 how to take proper care Of such q
A0 delicate instrument snvway-and he
dropped into q jewelers. on his way
uptown TO have another one put in. The time
keeper had been put into thorough, though
somewhat expensive, order six months before,
and it had been running ever since within two
seconds . day OF accuracy, until the little glass
cover for the dial came loose, and, in trying TO
readjust tit was cracked. That was Just Blinks
superlative awkwardncss, Of course. but he said
to himself that, luckily, it was only q matter OF
IS cents. Even Is cents was not to be despised.
obviously; among other things tina; sum might
be regarded as representing appreciable value
in the shape Of 1--WE beers. However, It could
have been q great deal worse.
So with phiosophic mind Blinks took the
watch into the shop Of n fashionable ieweler
and said he wanted it fixed.
Its only the crystal that is broken" he ex-
planned cheerfully.
THE MOVEMENT" AFFECTED.
The expert in wheels and cogs and ieweled
levers, Who was protected from the violence Of
indignant customers by sort of cage inciosing
the front window, screwed into his right eye a
powerful magnifying glass, and. opening the
inside works of the watch, gezed into them
with much the same expression As is assumed
by the owl Of conventional porualture.
lis there anything the matterl' asked Blinks,
q little neryously.
Il am examining the movement" responded
the watch maker. with the exasperating matter
of-fact calm of q pulmonary specialist, who
sounds ones lungs for weak spots that mean
life or death to the patient with cool an ill.,
difference as if the affair we're one Of purely
scientific interest.
Blinks knew be was in for il then; for when a
matchmaker has any thing 10 say about the
movement" of your timepiece it always means
that something costly is the matter. Nor was
there any mistake in this instance; the expert
took the glass out of his eye presently, closed
the case of the watch and SAID softly:
ONLY A MAIN-sPRING.
~ see nothing wrong. except that the main
spring is broken. 1t will cost you 81 TO have
a new one put in"
Holy smoker calculated Binks. with par
donsble emphasis Why. tell you that there
was nothing the matter with the watch until |
smashed the crystal II you'll put new one in
it's bound TO 90 all right again handspring
be d-d.'
There must have been some shock" replied
the matchmaker. as ii sorrowfully. Permit
me to show you"
And with this he dropped the entire insides
of the watch out of the case with one dexterous
twist OF the fingers and. after one or two more
swift manipuisftlons produced from il an aston
ishing coil of good-sized steel tape almost long
enough for surveying purposes.
Il didn know there anything like that
inside of watchf" exclaimed Diinks, IN aston
ishment
This is the handspring" responded the
matchmaker, mournfUlly. You observe the
fracture!'
Yes, 1 see it's busted admitted Blinks, re-
luctantly. Can't you put IN a new one for
less than doube?"
Two dollars is our invariable price, SIR"
twenty-five cents for the spring, pose,
and sl.75 because l don't know how 10 put it
in" growied Blinks. We'll, nix it up, aud III
call for it Monday"
PIN THIS TIME.
Blinks got back his watch, with its new main
spring, and carried it for two weeks before it
once more suddenly ceased to run.
"Cuss that handspring" he said Il do be-
lieve it's busted again.
So he took it back TO the jewelers. and the
expert goggled at it AZ before through his
monocular.
1.-The handspring is all right" the watch
maker explained. Unfortunately, however,
one of the ieweled pins--the one controlling
this little wheel-has come cut, thus disabling
the watch"
",Come OUT" exclaimed Blinks angrily.
"Why should 1t come our Why didn't you
fasten it in If 1t was loose when You were fixing
the watch the other day.
There must have been some shock" re-
piled the Matchmaker, shaking his head sadly.
lit will cost &. 50 TO mend It,"
Bllnks looked at him moment picked up
his watch, and strobe out of the shop with
wrath IN his heart.
Il believe the son-of-a-gun loosened it him.
self for business purposes he said to himself.
On the next block he found another ieweer
who said he wou put in the missing ruby pm
for -. The nexs day he got the watch and
rather more than d week passed before it ceased
to 60 again.
WORE 1T IN HIS POCKET
eff take it to jeweler tberell be a wheel
missing at least, this time" said Blinks. III
go to a matchmaker who does nothing else but
mend watches" And SO he did Said the
matchmaker, after subJecting the time piece to
q careful scrutiny:
You have been carrying this watch liz your
pocket"
Most people do the same" replied Blinks
Yes; bat you have nor been accustomed to
take the always-Importaut prccaution OF keep
ing it in a channels leather case. The conse-
quence is that a particle of dust has clogged
the movement 1t will have to bc cleaned
thoroughly, and the expense will be %. 30"
''Siniul MOsesI" calculated the unfortunate
OF my salary of late on that Internal watch.
should think that time did cost money. Well
for heavens sake doctor II up. All I've got to
say is that If ii don't run after this, it stay
out of order and be hanged to it,
1t did run for almost a month before COL
lapsing again. DlInks was not ut all surprised
when, one night, it refused to be wound up
He took IL the next morning to still
another matchmaker, not previously visite &.
and was informed that it needed a gener al
renovation.
WORKING PAwNBRoKER.
II will see by this afternoon whether or not
/ can afford the luxury" said BIinks with
forced calmness. Meanwhile you will do me
great favor if you will only start it up little
and make it go for about forty-five minutes"
Il guess there will be no difficulty about
that" replied the matchmaker with a smile
He gave it shake and two or three pokes in
the works with an instrument ''Thatll 90 for
an hour at least, I'll guarantee"
Biinks took the watch, which licked merrily
enough. and having thanked the matchmaker
betook himself to shop on a neighboring side
street. over the door Of which there hung three
large gilded balls.
"How much will you let me have on this?" be
asked OF a bald-headed man. who was fenced in
| behind a sort of coop.
The bald-headed man put on his spectacles
and examined the watch carefully inside and
out. Then he handed it out again upon the
shelf in front of him, as If he had no particular
use for it, and said:
Eight dollars"
| IN take it," replied Blinks; and, as he
walked out of the shop with the money in his
pocket, he tore up the ticket gleefully and said
J to himself:
Il always did hate pawnbrokers. and now