Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-11-12

They were just two, alone in the
old h0mestead-two dear. fussy old
people, and one said to the other, q
II speaking his thoughts aloud:
There's something goin' wrong In
the house"
'Pve felt it in my bones, ANSWERED
his wife; ''what is it Elkanah?"
"You tell, Nancy. It's q bin an
it's comm nearer, a kind of trouble
in the air-sort Of lonesome like, as If
somebody he'd bin and gone"
"Tain't the children, said Nancy,
clearing her throat and with q
quaver in her voice.
'Na dear" said the old man
gently; s'we're used to them being
gone. It's more like something that
is here, or amt here, an 1 don't
know as be sure which tits"
'sWhere's Mehitabel?" asked his
wife suddenly. 81 amt seen her
since noon"
In answer to the name Mehitabel
came forward. q big striped gray and
black cat.
there's sort Of gloomerin' in the
air." said the old man; s.mebbe il I
read chapter now it'd help US out "
'sRead the 18th chapter of St
john" said his wife. ".Pears like
when ones in trouble that helps out
masterfully."
So the old man read aloud in the
shaky voice of age that blessed canti-
Gle of the church: '.Let not your
hearts be troubled" and when he
Dad finished reading he prayed a bit,
taking in the whole universe, and
still there was what he called the
feeling of 'gloomerin'" about.
Suddenly his wife gave a start and
a weak little cry.
mortal sakes alive! know what
it is now, Elkanah. The clock hez
stopped"
Gland of Goshen! faint true?"
'Look for yourself The hands
hev stopped plumb level at L."
SIT never stopped afore, Nancy.
It's struck for life an its struck for
death, but not to strike at all-no
wonder we felt lonesome"
''1t's a solemn warnin'," said his
wife, shaking her head in a mystic
rious way: ''that clock never stopped
for nothin'."
Then the two simple-minded old
souls looked at each other with an
air of vague commiseration, and shook
their troubled heads sadly.
The next morning the old couple
had breakfast at the regular hour
horology had nothing to do with the
sun-like regularity of their lives
when that was over Elkanah went
out to find a man to doctor the clock.
''What ais it?" asked the clock
member as he opened the tall door and
peered in at the scant machinery.
''Somethin's wrong with it's in
nards." said Elkanah. Then hesitat-
ingly, my wife thinks mebbe it's
solemn warnin'."
ut mought be gittin old" sug-
gested his wife, who did not like be-
ing quoted as pr0phesier.
""iaint over a hundred, an ought
to be good for another hull Gentry,
warnin' or no warnin'," said the old
man. Scan you find out the dif1i-
culty?" he asked anxiously of the man
who was examining it.
''Sure," said the clockmaker. ''You
forgot to wind it."
Forgot to wind the clock!
The two old people looked at each
other as if they were dazed. 1t really
seemed ungrateful of that old time
piece to 60 and stop for little thing
like that
''Such a thing never happened
afore," said Nancy as they sat joyfully
listening to the s'tick-tock" Of their
old companion. II can't hardly seem
to sense it. That clock must be get
tim old"
'.Mebbe it's us that's gettin' old
stead of the clock" suggested the
old man with twinkle in his eye
Free Press.