Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-09-15
THE ALARM CLOCK.


| IL was perhaps two weeks after that that
she walked bin up one morning with the
remark, You'd better hurry. Henry, It's Z
O'Clock now" He Jumped out Of bed, hur-
riedly put on his clothes and went down
stairs. She hastily dressed herself and the
children, and followed him.
why, Henryl" she exclaimed when she
| got down to the dining room, ''the table
isn't set."
'No," he returned dryly, looking up from
the morning paper
"And / suppose you would sit here and
never make an inquiry" she said indig-
nantly. Where do you suppose the girl
isi"
I'm the kitchen grinding the coffee" he
returned.
"Grinding the coffee at this hourl" she
exclaimed. 'I'll see about
'It's only a little after O." he said sooth-
ingly.
"It's noti she cried. "It's 2 o'clock.
Look therer And she produced her little
gold watch.
1T must have run down last night" he
said
She put IL to her ear, and her face grew
red, but she recovered her self possession In
an instant. A woman always does under
such circumstances.
"And you sat calmly down here and let
me go ahead and dress the children at this
hourp she exclaimed.
"What could dof' he asked. "What
good would my word be against your 500
watchi"
She glared at him for moment and then
broke out: 'I'll have every one of those
clocks fixed today. don't care IL 1t costs
500 II you were any kind of a man, you
would have attended to IL long ago"
Its no use doing that" he returned.
"I'm going to get an alarm clock today"
What do you want an alarm clock forf"
she asked. you've never been late to your
work"
II want an alarm clock, Mrs Henry ELS
worth Perkins" he said impressively, $50
that l can get all the sleep that Is due me-
am going to put 1t at the head of the bed,
and am going to have it distinctly under
stood that whoever tells me it Is time to
get up before that alarm clock goes off is
going to get into serious trouble. That
alarm clock is going TO be the oracle Of this
house on the subject of getting up, and it Is
going to be dangerous for any one to try to
steal march on 1t or dispute it's word. Do
make myself clear, Mrs. Perkinsi"
Then he got the clock. He brought II
home In triumph that night and served no
tice on his wife that he, and he alone, was
to be the manipulation of 1t. No one else
was to touch 1t, and IL was to be the sole
authority on the time TO get up. Then he
set II, and barring the fact that by a slip he
set II for $3.50 when he intended to make it
for 10 minutes of it worked to charm.
"But that's all right" he told his wife
"Im not quite used to it yet, but I'll have
1t just right tomorrow"
"You had better put IL upon the mantel,
where 1t will be out of the way" she sug-
| gested, but he told her that he was running
that clock, and to prove 1t he left it on a
little table by the bed, where 1t was within
essy reach of the children.
That's why he was awakened about 1
| o'clock the following night. He had set it
In the morning and simply wound 1t UP at
night, and he had not noticed that the
children had been playing with the hand
ON the alarm dial He had his doubts about
its being the children's work, anyway, and
his manner did not show that confidence In
his wife that man ought to have. Still,
he could not prove anything, so he put 1t
upon the mantel, and for three days il
worked to a charm. Then one morning
there was a slip somewhere again. The
alarm sounded, the clock indicated that II
was ESQ, and he got up and began dressing
himself hastily. He was nearly ready fol
breakfast when he noticed his wife lazily
Watching him from the bed.
"Aren't you going to get upf" he aske P
"Not yet, dear" she replied sweetly
Then horrible fear seized him.
"Is that clock wrongi" he asked.
81 think not" she replied. yawning, ''bu,
you know this Is Sunday, and we dom,
have breakfast until s;S0."
He sat down on the edge of the bed and
looked at her fxedly.
sand you let me dress myself withou,
saying wordp' he exclaimed.
"The clock Is the autocrat''-- she began.
"Hang the clockp' he cried.
"As you please" she said softly. "Bu
what could dor"
they had passed together. He seemed I,
feel injured. A man will act that wa,
wsen his wife has got the better of him OF
his Swn proposition. But the day passe,
and ais. the night, and the next mornin,
he felt her shaking him and calling him.
Don't be angry, Henry" she said depre
catingly. "But aren't you going to the OF
fee todayf
"Ofiioer' he cried, starting up "wha
time Is itf"
, Twenty minutes past T."
"Did-did / sleep through all the nois
that clock makesi" he asked, making
; dive for his clothes.
"No," she replied. II guess you forgo
TO wind the clock"
"And you let me sleepi"
"What could ] dor You said the clocl
was to be the autocrat"---
"The devil take the clockl" he said dash
: Ing II TO the floor and then In his excite
, ment kicking 1t with his bare foot "Oo-
, ouchl Hang IL, Mrs Perkins you're at
tending to the breakfast arrangements O
; this housei The clock isn't"
you're quite sure, Henryp she asked
'Surel" he cried well. II I'm not,
propose to be propose to hold you respon
sible In these matters. and you might a
] well make up your mind 10 10. There's n,
use Of you trying TO shirk IL any longer
I've put up with this business just as Ion,
as intend to-"
She didn't say anything. but there was
smile OF victory on her face as she took th
clock down stairs and threw IL out In Tia
alley. She was avenged He had beef
obliged TO surrender. although, mablike
be bad tried 70 disguise the fact that IL Wa
asuuender. er.-Chicago Post
Higgfns Tros-.