Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-09-27
SOME GOOD TUNNELING.
That Is, the Florida Mans Story Looks
That Way.


He took off his high silk hat, and
carefully busted off his bald head with
a silk handkerchief.
Gentlemen" he said, taking flyer
with what the New York Tribune calls
marvellous precision at the nearest
cusDidor, 81 come from the sta of
Florida"
Wonderful state" remarked the
man with yellow goatee.
Wonderful is no name for it," said
the man with the high silk hat, emphat
ically "There's only one drawback to
the state Of Florida"
"What is that?" inquired one of the
company.
''The muskeeters."
II didn't know you competed with
New Jersey"
"Well, we don't exactly do that.
We'd get along all right if them Florida
bugs weren't SO blamed curious. About
a year ago / was up in New York on
business and [ made deal on phos-
plate lands that showed up right smart
dollars; and l celebrated by taking
home fine French clock to my wife.
1t was an elegant clock, all gilt, glass
shade, and ran month without wind
ing. We set that clock up in
the parlor and it KEEP such
time they regerlated the clock in
the Methodist Church by it. One
night about two months after [ got
home, and just as [ was BLOWN about
the most perfect clock in the state of
Florida, she gave terrible buzz and
stopped. Well, | worked over that
clock an hour [ wound her up, jOggled
the penjerlum, and shook the works.
No use. She stopped short. When |
went North again [ took the clock to
the store where I bought it. This
clock, says |, run two months and
stopped. | want her swabbed down SO
she'll run year this time The next
day [ got a postal card to please call at
that store.
"'You say this clock ran for two
MONTHS says the fellerwhen came in.
Two MONTHS says1.
It'll cost you about $50 to repair it,
he says sort Of quiet Wen have to
send TO Paris for some Of the parts
whats the matter with it" says |,
beginnin' to get mad. L bought that
clock here last May, and now it's all
caved in
Fact is said the clerk, we don't
understand this clock. Our record
shows it was marked perfect when it
went out, and now the whole main
spring and four of the cOgs are COM
plClCI1 11udISNl Will l)l1I 1O1CS. vi
course says he, ii the clock wasn't
perfect to begin it, We'll make it all
right. There's only one queer thing
about it. he went on in kinder puz-
zled way. Up between the first and
second eggs we found a tremendous
muskeeter.'
"'Dead?' says I.
"'Dead, says he.
Gentlemen, said the man with the
high silk hat, impressively, the cussed
curiosity Of a Florida muskeeter had
ruined that clock. He got caught in the
cogs, threshed around, and bored holes
in the whole business"
81 thought you said there was glass
shade over that clock" ventured the
man with the yellow goatee.
That's just the point of the whole
thing. Down near the bottom of that
shade we found a little round hole.
Blamed if that curious critter hadn't
heard the tickin' and bored a hole in
the glass just to find out where the
buzZin' came FROM"
There was silence when the gentle
man with the tall silk hat had finished.
Finally the man with the yellow goatee
cleared his throat and said: who's
g DIN down to the inauguration 20