Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-06-03
I dom, Auow how long miont Inv

measure. got up ana INTO my clOthe'
and went out of that house like one in 2
dream.
How / managed to attend TO my work
that day don't know. hardly remem-
Der one incident of the IL hours.
was overwhelmed with dreadful antici-
pations of events 10 transpire during
the coming night. The third night
The third night was the traditionally
fated night.
! was tempted 10 unbosom myself 10 n
friend and get him 10 go and sleep with
me, but | was too much ashamed of my
pusillanimousness. Better suffer any
| thing at the hands of IA spook than have
myself the laughing stock of all my
friends.
This time l was determined TO see #
out. | would sit up all night to watch
that clock and see with my own eyes
how il was managed and by what
means
accordingly made arrangement for
a big fire to be kept up all night, sew
eral extra lights, something 10 eat and
drink, my pipe and plenty of books.
Then | shut my windows, dragged
down the shades so that the light would
not be conspicuous from the outside,
and prepared myself for the ghostly on
slaught.
That should have lived to encounter
a real ghost. | must have been born
under the necessarily peculiar circum-
stances qualifying me for supernatural
encounters. | devoutly wished other
circumstances had been employed.
BY this time was ill-physically i'll.
l could neither eat, drink nor smoke. ]
could only think, and my mind was in a
perfect whirligig of confusion.
How the hours dragged. as hours viii.
that are unemployed. | almost thought
time loitered with malice aforethought
When ones head is on the block they
say il is relief for the AK to fall. ! be.
lieve | could have anticipated and suf.
fered decaptation less disagreeably.
At ten o'clock | wound and set by my
watch my precious alarm, and placed il
in its customary place upon the mantel
1t was a capricious little affair at best,
and lately had TO be laid upon its back
in order to keep proper time-in fact,
to run at AL; SO | turned it on its back
as usual, and sat down to watch il. The
rain had cleared up. but the wind con.
tinued 10 howl around in a hideously
unpleasant manner. | don't think
have ever heard wind blow as ii did
upon that particular night. imagined
it TO be thick with inky devils that bel
lowed and groaned and laughed ana
shrieked all in breath. The branches
OF sycamore tree scraping against the
roof made my flesh creep, while the
wind surging through the wild orange
trees created "a queer whistliug sound
which | never heard before or since.
Oh, the interminable time sat there,
sick at heart, worn out IN mind and /
body watching and waiting for-I knew
not what--Bucll Anderson's ghost to 4
come and take it out of me. a sweet /
state l lad worked myself into. truly /
How would it end? What would he 90 .
to me? Fall upon and belabor me? .
\ small matter. | was not afraid Of .
what any human could do TO me; |
could yield up my life with as much .
grace as the next man; but n ghost.
what means would he employ? Icould .
not anticipate it. would have TO see
il, haze TO experience it.
| glanced up at the little clock. and
II knife had been plunged into my
heart the emotion could not have been
otherwise than it was when saw that
II had moved. The clock had moved
n certain ornamental point which had |
loted matched with a certain figure in
he mantel lambrCquin upon which II
had rested my eyes had Enthusiastically |.
moved. | broke into Il cold sweat. My
throat hurt me horribly, and felt my
lair rise upon my head. | was power
ess to change the position OF finger.
L had moved! There was no chance
or doubt, 1t was fact.
/ gazed spellbolpd. all my senses alb
'orbed into that of seeing For hours
md hours | sat in state of half CON
iciousness watching the clock move.
slowly, slowly, to the left, almost too
lcwly TO be perceptible, until il had
urned entirely round Then slowly,
slowly, round again. Round and round,
again and again, winding my poor brain
nto very Gordian knot, while the slow
lours dragged by, and the fire burnt
over and lower and went out; and the
wind subsidized, and the cold crept in and
lumbed my corresponding body Then
III at once | saw the clock tip over the
dge of the mantel. and COME crashing
o my feet. l had just strength enough
eft to examine the position of the
lands. Twenty minutes after three
clock! | fell back into my chair in n
eep swoon.
l had spell of serious sickness after :
hat. l think | was Ia condition for
anyway, and that nights vigil
rought il to climax. / was i'll for
everal weeks. But was not GONZALES
ent many days before | solved the
lsck mystery. | got the idea one day
While lying upon my bed. and later
utting il to the test, found | was
ight In my calculation. BY placing
he clock upon it's back, the thtsnb-
iece (fOr winding) was brought i'm con-