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

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ZEDEKIAH'S CLOCK.
How It's Motto Helped Him Find
a Lost Legacy.
TITS an uncommonly queer worldr'
said Zedekiah. He leaned back against
the broken Ratepost and stared hard
at the setting sun. The ragged-looking
cornhelds stretched desolately away
aspect, as though ashamed to cali at
tention to the meager array of corn
stocks and diminutive yellow pump
kins, which was their utmost effort In
the way Of crops It was poverty
stricken inheritance enough; land that
had run ont" from lack Of enriching;
belt of once glorious woodlands, now
sadly shrunk and spoilt by repeated
telling; and the low, gray farmhouse,
implanted for many long year and
showing the ravages of time and
weather to an alarming extent despite
all Zedekiah's unhagging efforts at
patching and repairs.
Yes, 1t was q poor patrimony, and
yet Zedekiah loved every tree and every
stone-there were plentyr-on the place,
and his heart within him swelled with
sorrow and passionate regret at the
thought that that terrible mortgage
must be foreclosed next Monday, and
Birch Brook farm lost TO the name Of
Barnes forever.
1t had been . desperate struggle to
keep their heads above water ever
since their fathers death, two years
before Farming carried on by deli
cate widow and boy Of fifteen, how
ever much energy and goodwill they
bring to bear between them on the
work in hand can hardly be expected
to afford brilliant results and the wet
season Just passed had finished the
Hob" as Zedelxiah himself would have
said. The hay was spoilt and the wheat
was sprouted, and where the magnif-
cent income of the owners just suhaced
to buy the salt for the stirabout which
the ruined corn should have supplied,
that meant ruin.
And so the mortgage was to be fore
closed next Monday, and the harnesses
were TO be homeless
'.Zedi Zedr' 1t was q gentle voice
that called, and Zedekiah. with shake
Of his shoulders. forced a CHASTITY smile
of assumed cheerfulness and turned to
greet his mother at the open door.
She had been pretty woman once,
and even now, faded and worn though
abe was, there was certain grace and
Centleness about her, which accounted
for her sons devotion, even though the
little plaintive voice and manner
showed, poor woman, that life had
been a pretty hard and bitter struggle.
..Come in to your supper, led, she
called again as he came up the tagged
walk with an air of intense jauntiness
! to hide the fact that he was footsore
and lame where the dints had bruised
through the worn boots. The chill
1ren are that hungry that can't keep
them quiet, and they ought to have
been in bed, poor things"
Two yellow haired little girls ran
up as they entered.
.sAhl Zed," cried little Mamie, II
amt had no supper yet; wasn't you bad
to stay away so longp While Baby
Carry chimed in: ''Yeth, zed velly bad
BOY; sha'n't have no supper hisselfI'
Hush, hushr' said the mother
children, how you talkl One would
think you were beggar children to talk
like thatl'
zed's forced smile faded in quick
look of pain.
They ought to go to school, he
said. then checked himself at the
recollection of the cost of school bookss
He was staring hard at the red en-
bers Of the fire as his mother returned
from giving the little girls their good
night kiss and sat down in her shabby
rocking chair to the darning and patch
ing, which was the usual evening oc-
cupation. He reused himself again at
her approach; he was always trying
to be cheerful for her sake, poor tel
lowl
81 guess I've got that place, mother,
he said. 81 went to the store Mr.. Nor
ton told me of and they've pretty well
| settled to take me on. The wages don't
seem fabulous, to be sure, but they'll
be, something; and then there's the
prospect of rise. "
"Oh, Zedi" The darning fell into
Mrs. Barnes lap. You poor boyl Yes,
the wages are something, and no mis-.
take; but can't bear to think of you,
your poor fathers son, just common
errand boy In grocery storei'
Zedckiah's sallow cheek flushed.
81 don't ace whyl' he said. stoutly.
'tGroceries are honest enough, and
they're clean, too--a great deal nicer
than a good many other things,
think. Besides, errand boys Away.
make their fortunes right away. Die
YOU ever hear OF millionaire In 9
book who didn't begin by sweeping
out stpre?"
"Ahl if your Uncle zedekiah had
only left you all his money, as he prom
isedi'' sighed the widow, taking up the
tattered sock again.
Instead OF only his name and the
DID clock. eh, mother2"
ssOhl vesl It was too bad of uncle.
He ought to have been ashamed. And
after making US give you his horrid
name, tooi''
sNever mind. motherl It's an hon
est name. even though the first man
that owned it wasn't much in the way
Of a king. He's been dead so long that
the name ought to have grown respect
able again by now"
"And then to leave you nothing after
all"
~ don't believe. do you know. that
he had anything to leave Folks say
he was really very poor"
''PoorP Not her Mrs Barnes was
reused to indignation. II guess he
wasn't But he was an awful miser
for years before he died. and he lived
for all the world like beggar We
fancied he'd have left you hundreds
and there was nothing"
Don't forget the clock"
"The clocxr' scornfully. "Ah. by
the way, that reminds me; there was a
peddler here this morning mot that II
Is much good for any body with any
thing to sell to come here-he saw the
old clock and seemed to fancy 1t some
how; he said he'd give you couple OF
dollars for 1t II you liked and thought
you'd be glad enough to let him have
It."
Zed looked rather taken abacA.
THE old clocl2 Why, no, mother,
guess wouldn't"
You wouldn't?s echoed his mother,
In surprise. min0lsd with ranroanh.