The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-03-21

Perhaps l shall not sell it, /" said
Zedekiah, slowly.
ICED, you must be crazyp'
mo, I'm not;'' he had risen and was
wandering about the low-ceiled room,
his hands deep in his pockets-''at
least, don't think l am. But some
how it goes against me to part with
Uncle Zed's legacy. Hasn't it been in
the family as long as there's any
record, and didn't my great grand
father, generations back, bring it with
him when he came to American"
$50 I've heard tell, Zed. /"
His wanderings became more ener-
getic.
well, then, he said, 81 don't be-
lieve we ought to let it go while we
can stick to it. 1t isn't just because it
is the only thing we shall have left
when we leave here to let the children
know that we came of a family that
was well to do once. If they don't
make people respect them for them
selves, it isn't much use having tail
of grandfathers behind them, but
when ] think of the poor old great
grandfather bringing that big clock
across the sea to his home in the new
country, because he priced it more than
anything he had, and when think Of
all the generations it has licked for,
can't find the heart to let It 90
into strangers hands. y He brought
himself up short before the tall old
clock in the corner. mo, the clock
shan't go, he said
'.Zed, you're the queerestl" said his
mother, with an unspeakable conster-
nation. "Queerer even than even your
poor father; and l never could make
him out
But Zedekiah was contemplating the
old tirnepiece, with its once stately
carving of black oak and its dial of
polished brass, where, beneath the
"Giles Henbest me fecit, London, 1709, :"
ran half-obliterated legend and the
name Jacob Barnes, Exeter, it'll
81 believe It's worth ever so much
more than two dollars" he said, exam
ming the quaint engraving with care.
Anyway, it's not going for that, nor
for anything. don't mean to say
wouldn't sell it to keep us from starv-
ing, but we're not there yet, and l hope
we shan't be.
s'Heaven forbidr' said the widow.
.sBut mean to set that before me to
work for. A home to put you and the
little girls and the old clock in. Why.
I'm certain the HAIRLESS would give it
a corner in their kitchen till could
claim tiff it only went and kept good
time, that is. I" He bent nearer to the
dial what is it it says?" He spelt
out the quaint letters slowly. 'Keepe
me true to TYNE, and I'll be true to
thee" why, mother" he turned
suddenly, wasn't it Uncle Zed's will
that we should keep it in order and go
ing?"
Mrs. Barnes thin face flushed a lit
! tie
why, yes, she said, tit did say so,
to be sure, but it wouldn't go when it
first came. although your father tried
to make it; and you know there never
was the money to spend on watchmak-
ers, even If we hadn't felt too badly
over the way Uncle Zed had deceived
us. Whatever are you after, my boy?''
only going to see what can do to
it" said Zedekiah, with calm resolu-
ton. 1T seems too bad, somehow, not
to have a try. Poor old clock, how
could it be true to US when we weren't
true to it? I'll fetch the tools and have
It to pieces, anyhow"
you'll only make bad worses
Mrs. Barnes rose in some meek exas-
peration and went to the outer kitch-
| en-. There were plenty OF small
chores to do for tomorrow, and she
| felt unreasonably vexed with Zedekiah
| for bis refusal to sell the clock. Dear
ly as she loved her only son, she was
growing dimly aware that in strength
of mind and will he was leaving fal
behind the little red-haired urchin who
used to lean on Mower for every
! thing, and then he was becoming al
s'Queer' and fanciful as his father had
been before him.
The sound Of gentle hammerine
i came from the kitchen without, fol
lowed by the rattle of the ponderous
| weights on their numbering old chains
| Then Zed's voice sounded eager anc
| pleasant.
Guess what's the matter, mothefi
No wonder the old gentleman wouldn't
tickl The works are all stuffed up
with paper. l can't make them move.
shall have to take off the dial be-
fore can pull it out What on earth
could have been the object Of feed
ing the old thing with crumpled pa
per?''
Mrs. Barnes made no response. She
had paused in her work OF gathering
chips and fragments of pine branches,
to lay ready for lighting the fire in the
morning, and stood there, half leaning
against the wide and vacant chimney
piece, her arms folded in her calico
apron, and her eyes fixed dreamily or
space
It had ''come over her." as she her
self would have said, with the ever-re-
curing shock it never failed to bring
with it. She thought of how seldom
again should she do these dear and ia
miliar household tasks under the ole
brown roof that had SO long been hei
happy home Soon strange hands
would be busy in the low rooms she
had known and loved so well, and un
familiar steps would sound upon the
wooden floors where the footballs hac
echoed that were like the sweetest o.
music to her listening ears. Next weel
1t would be all gone the threshold she
had crossed a radiant bride, the ole
cradle where she had rocked her babies
tosleep. the very graveyard on the little
hill where rested those she had. lovee
most on earthl The slow tears splashee
upon her purple calico apron. and hei
chest heaved with stided sobs.
Suddenly there was cry from chs
outer room
ssMotherl oh, motheri What is this2'
It was Zeds voice, but SO altered tina
she hardly recognized it for his own
Startled, stumbling, half-blinded still
with the half-shed tears, she reached
his side and stood bewildered, half ter
rified, half expecting she knew no
what, as he held out to her with trem
bling fingers a roll of strange, stained
iuttering paper There were more
upon the table-piles and piles-mor'
within the works of the old timepiece
closely rolled and packed She raiset
her wondering eyes to zedekiahi
transformed face and stared wonder
struck at the light in his sparkling eyes
Mother oh. motherl don't you seer
he cried; don't You understand
They're bills - notes greenbacks
There must be thousands OF then
packed close and hard. It's Uncle
Zedekiah's fortunei--my legacy hid
den away all these years till some on,
should set the poor old clock true Z
time again and find their reward
There therer He caught her thir
form In his arms as she reeleC
forward and knelt by her side
as he laid her gently In her chair
Mother, dearI look up JOY doesn''