The evening times., 1899-05-27
THE TALE OF A CLOCK.
A Sleepy Drug CLERK and Many Ad-
yfAera.
Crrom the New York SUI


vfsers.
CFrom the New York SUM
The Long Acre drug clerk had one short
| coming-his utter inability TO get down on
time in the morning In the three years
| that he held his job II was chroniclsd only
once that he reached the store at the prop
er hour. Finally the proprietor talked SO
much about il that the clerk wrote TO his
| mother up the State that he was going TO
| throw up the job His mother advised him
| to reconsider his determination, and con-
/ cluded fond letter with this advice:
Get an alarm clock and prove to your
| boss that you can get to work on time"
He had just finished reading the letter
corner came in, and, calling him to one
side. began:
Say, old man, you were late this morn
ing"
"A little" mumbled the clerk.
We'll, say, why the deuce don't you get
an alarm clock?''
| The clerk had often explained that he
| could never put up with alarm cocks, for
| they startled him by their sudden ringing.
so he left the actors question without an
| answer and went to wait on the young
| telephone girl who occupied a room in the
family apartment house over the store
She smiled as the clerk was measuring
out the peroxide of hydrogen, and remark
ed:
You were late this morning, weren't
you?''
"A little he replied, shyly.
We'll. why in the world don't you get
an alarm clock?"
The newspaper man who dropped in at
uncertain intervals appeared suddenly
J with a request for a stamp and change for
q Ac he 81 l,rG nd 1r,y
to accommodate him the customer ex-
claimed:
Il understand you were delinquent
again today
"A little" said the clerk.
We'll. if l were you I'd be hanged il
wouldn't get an alarm clock
This customer had been gore FIVE min
utes, perhaps, when the laundryman who
| conducts place across the street came in.
Quite sad accident out in front here
this morning he began.
Il didn't see it, said the clerk.
Were you late getting down."
"A little"
The laundryman shook his head. smiled.
said something about an alarm clock and,
nodding TO the gas governor salesmaE,
who had just dropped in. went his way.
Say" began the gas governor man,
pulling bottle Of cough medicine from
his pocket, my wife bought this here this
morning, and you gave her the wrong
kind"
Il didn't sell it to her, said the clerk.
Well, it was pretty late when she
bought it, and she surely didn't get it
from the night man."
''She didn't get it from me-"
Were you late getting down today?"
"A little" drawled the clerk.
The customer then went on to explain
! the exceptional qualities of some particu-
! lar alarm clock, after which he bought an
| other bottle of cough medicine and left A
moment later the telephone bell rang.
Say, old man." the speaker began, II
| was by to see you this morning, and you
| weren't there"
No" the clerk answered, Il hadn't got
down yet
Were you late?"
"A little"
why don't you GET" but the clerk
hung the receiver up and went to wait on
| the velvet salesman. who had dropped in
during the conversation. The salesman
smiled ironically.
What's up?" the clerk asked.
Guess l missed half nv life this morn
ing. didn't I?'
WHY"
Il understand there was crank called
on the boss"
II hadn't heard anything Of it,
Were you late this morning?"
"a little
The velvet salesman then went on IN
say something about an intermittent alarm
clock and departed very abruptly when the
night cashier at the restaurant on the same
| block happened in.
You weren't around for breakfast this
morning." he began.
NO" the clerk simply answered.
Down late, suppose
"A little"
well. say. dear boy, why don't you get
an" but the clerk was off to wait on
the young girl who came in every morning
for a couple of siphons of vichy.
Where were you this morning?" she
asked
Right here" he answered.
"You were late, then
"A little"
Il used to have two alarm clocks" but
before she had finished the clerk ran to the
rear Of the store to fill a prescription which
it suddenly occurred to him had been there
some time. When he had completed the
task he stepped into the proprietor's ofice
and asked to be relieved from further
duty that day.
For what?"
II want to go down town and get an
alarm clock"
Certainly, certainly" said the proprie-
tor, springing to his feet in ecstacy, "Of
course, you can get on" Before o'clock
that evening the proprietor had told every
body in the neighborhood Of his clerks in
tention.
The clerk did as he said he would. He
purchased an alarm clock which was guar
anteed to ring ten minutes unless you
got up and stopped it by little lever at
tached to the back. That night the clerk
set the alarm for o'clock next morning,
put the clock on a little table near his bed
and soon fell asleep.
Promptly st 6 the next morning the
alarm rang loud and fierce. The clerk got
up pushed the lever back stopped the
alarm, yawned once or twice and then