Evening star., 1898-05-14

dealer into whose pocjet so much of his
money had gone. for trinkets gathered
from all quarters of the globe. He knew it
was weakness on his part to select that
street when he might have taken another,
but he thought ii would DO harm 10
treat himself to one glance at the seductive
window of the old curiosity shop. where
the dealer was in the habit of displaying
his latest acquisi Jions. The window was
never quite the same. and it had a con-
tinued fasoinat' IN for Bertram Eastfoid
but this time he said to himself resolutey
he would rot enter. having. as he assured
himself. the strength of mind to forego
this temptation. However. he reckoned
without his window. for in it there was
an old object newly displayed which caught
his atterr;ion as effectuaIly half-driven
nail arrests the hem OF cloak On the
central shelf of tine window stood an hour
glass. its framework Of some wood as
black as ebony. He stood gazing at 1t for
a moment. then turned to the door and
went inside. greeting the ancient shopman.
whom he knew so We'll
Il want to look at the hour glass you
have in the window, he said.
''Ah. yes" replied the curiosity dealer
the cheap watch has driven the hour glass
out of the conmer cial market and We
rarely pick up a thing like that nowadays
He took the hour glass from the shelf
the WINDOW reversed II anu plaCtu II
on a table. The ruddy sand began to pour
through into the lCwer receptacle in a thin,
constant stream. as ii ii were blood that
had been dried and powdered. Eastford
watched the ever-increasinS heap at the
bottom. rising conically. changing its shape
every moment as little avalanches of the
sand fell away from its heightening sides
There is no need for you TO extoi its
antiquity said Eastford with a smile Il
knew the moment | looked at it that such
glasses are rare. and you are not going
10 find me cheapening customer.
SO far from over-praising II. protested
the shopman. Il was about to call your
attention to a defect. 1t is useless as a
measurer of time 49,
1t doesn'. record the exact hour, thenz
asked Eastford.
rot very particular in the old days, and
time was not money as 1t is now 1t meas
rres the hour with great accuracy. the
curio dealer went on. that is. II you watch
IL but strangely CROUCH. after II mas run
for hal: an hour or thereaboutS, through
some defect in the neck of the glass. or IN
the DulveriZing of the sand. II stops. anu
will rot go again unless the glass Is
The hour glass at that moment verified
what the old man said. The tiny stream
of sand suddenly ceased, but went on again
rbe moment its owner Jared the iraIhe'
and continued pouring without interruption.
That is very singular. SAID Eastiolu'
.sHOV do YOU account TOR II!
II imagine it is caused by some lnequaI-
ftv in the grains of sand, probably "a te"
TOMS larger than the others come together
AT the neck and stop the peTcolilloh.
1t always does it. and. of course cailhot
remedy the matter because the siS'Ss |"
Theoretically sealed
so We. will not allow that defect to Interfere
With the sale. How much do you ask 1or
l2''
The dealer named his price, ana EaSliorh
Maid the amount asked.
Il shall send it to you this afternoon
THANK YOU said the customer. taxing
his leave
That night in his room Bertram EastfoTd
wrote busily until a late hour. When his
work was concluded he pushed away MIS-
manuscript with a sigh OF that deep con-
tentrnent which comes to man who mas
not wasted his day. He repienshed MS
open fire. drew his most comfortable arm
chair in front of it. took the green shade
from his lamp. thus filling the luxurious
apartment with light that was reflected
from aTmor and from ancient weapons
standing in corners and hung along the
walls. He lifted the paper-corered pack
age, cut the string that bound 1t and placed
the ancient hour glass on his table, watch
ing the thin stream of sand which his ac-
tiOn had set running The constant, un-
ceasing, steady downfall seemed TO hyp-
notize him Its descent WAS as silent as
the footsteps of time itself Suddenly It
stopped as it had done in the shop, and
It's abrupt ceasing Jared on his tingling
Stiffness He could almost imagine an un-
seen hand claspng the thin cylinder of
the glass and throttiing it. He shook the
bygone time measurer. and breatted again
more steadily when the sand resumed it's
notion Presently he took the glass from
the table and examined it with some atten-
ton He thought at first its frame was
ebony. but further inspection convinced him
that it was oak. blackened with age On
one round end We're carved rudely two
hearts overlapping. and twined about them
pair of serpents
Now, i wonder what that's forr' mur-
INJURED Eastford to himself. An attempt
at Coat-of-arms perhaps"
lhere was no clew to the meaning of the
hIeroSlythics. and Eastford, with the gIas,
balanced on his knee. watched the sand
sun running. the crimson threads spark
ing In the lamplight. He fancied he saw
distorted reflections of faces in the convex
glass although his reason told him thev
were but caricatures of his own The great
peil IN the tower near by with slow soIeu-
hity tolled T. He counted its measured
strokes one by enc. and then was startled
py decisive knock at his door One section
OF ms brain considered this visit untiue;v
another looked on it perfectly usual. ana
~hlie the two were arguing the matter our
ne heard his own voice cry:
Come in