The Republican., 1892-05-06
A SOLEMN WARMING.
The Clock stopped Because 1t Had Not
Been Wound.

The Clock stopped Because 1t Had Not
Been Wound.
They were just two, alone in the old
homestead-two dear, fussy old people,
and one said to the other, as if speaking
his thoughts aloud:
''Theres something goin' wrong in
the house."
''I've felt it in my bones" answered
his wife; what is it, Elkanah?"
"You tell, Nancy. It's bin an it's
comm nearer, kind of trouble in the
air-sort of lonesome like, as if some
body he'd bin and gone"
"'Tain't the children" said Nancy,
clearing her throat, and with quaver
in her voice.
mo, DEAR" said the old man gently;
like something that is here, or amt here,
an don know as be sure which tits. /"
"Where's Mehitabel?" asked his wife
suddenly. 81 amt seen her since noon"
In answer to the name Mehitabel,
came forward big striped gray and
black cat.
There's sort of gloomerin' in the
air." said the old man; ''mebbe if read
a chapter now it'd help us out"
"Read the fifteenth chapter of St.
| john" said his wife. "'Pears like when
ones in trouble that helps out master
fully"
So the old man read aloud in the
shaky voice of age that blessed canticle
of the church: "Let not your hearts be
| troubled" and when he had finished
reading he prayed bit, taking in the
whole universe, and still there was
what he called the feeling of "gloomer-
in" about.
Suddenly his wife gave start and q
weak little cry.
"Mortal salses alive! ] know what 1t
is now, Elkanah. The clock hez
stopped"
Land of Goshen! "Tain't true?"
look for yourself. The hands hev
stopped plumb level at 12."
1T never stopped afore, Nancy. It's
struck for life an it's struck for death,
but not to strike at all-no wonder we
felt lonesome.
cts solemn warnin'," said his wife,
shaking her head in mysterious way;
''that clock never stopped for nothin'." ;"
Then the two supplemented 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 reg
| ularity of their lives-and when that
was over Elkanah went out to find a
man to doctor the clock.
"What ails it?" asked the clock mem
der as he opened the tall door and peered
| in at the scant machinery.
"Somethin' wrong with it's innards,' -
said Elkanah. Then hesitatingly, MY
wife thinks mebbe it's solemn warn
| in,"
SIT mought be gitten DID," suggested
his wife, who did not like being quoted
as prophesier.
| ""raint over hundred, an ought to
be good for another hull Gentry, warn
I in or no warnin'," said the old man.
Can you find out the difficulty?" 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 timepiece
to go and stop for little thing like
| that.
Such thing never happened afore, "
said Nancy, as they sat joyfully listen
ing to the ''tick-tock'' of their old COM
panion. Il can't hardly seem to sense
it. That clock must be gittin' DID,"
"Mebbe it's us that's gittin' old stead
of the clock" suggested the old man,
with a twinkle in his eye.-Detroit