The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-22
COUNTING A MINUTE.
A Pretty Accurate 1rmekseper which Is At
EverybOdys scruce

Everybody Service.
Ono Of the men who sat around the table
was telling Of a case Of chronological intuition.
"a he called II.
The man was a real phenomenon" he said
There was no hoax about II. He had served
Q term In State prison and II was there, where
he had no opportunity 81 seeing a timepiece
Of any sort. that his gift was first discovered.
At any time. whether he was out In the work.
shops at work or asleep In his cell. he could tell
the hour and minute. The experiment was made
again and again and with unvarying SUCCESS, ]
went to see him with doctor who WIS a friend
Of mine and was eager TO test this strange
faculty while he was In prison. I've heard Of
other cases. but this Is the only ono I have ever
met With. I believe the man Is now living q
respectable life In the Northwest somewhere"
1T Is a sort Of instinct, l suppose suggested
another Of the party; -one that we have out
grown In the process OF civilization. The
average man has no conception OF the passage
time. Without his watch and calendar he Is a
lost atom, cropping in a dim eternity"
-Oh. I don't know about that objected
another Of the crowd. Most OF us, I think.
could make a pretty fair guess at the duration
Of an hour"
Nv yNN sihhh WI puiu tHo hIbk GlVohtl .
Hours vary 20 widely. Is the hour that you
spend at your dinner the same to your mind
as the hour Of waiting for the returns on the
ticker that shall tell you whether you have
made or lost ten or fifteen thousand dollars2"
NO. looking at II In that light l don't suppose
II Is. The apparent duration of time Is largely
amatter OF circumstances and conditions"
of course 1t Is. Take the case of the referee
- - - Al. L.
Almost invariably II Is charged that he counts
too fast. and usually with truth. according to
my observations. yet to the spectator whose
nerves are strung UP to a high pitch OF excite
ment II seems as II the counting were falling
far behind any clock that ever tucked. Never
theless that man has only to Approximate
ten seconds. How much farther away he
would be II he had to reckon Q fun minute"
How nearly do you think q mar should
approximate a minute by his own unaided
reckonins2" asked a young physician who had
been listening interestedly.
He Is doing very well. l should say. II he
comes within five seconds OF 1t, and the average
unpractised man couldn't get within ten ex-
oept by luck"
I've never practised the thing. " said the
doctor. after q moments thought, but 1 am
willing 10 back my self to come within five sec
onds or better four times out Of Ave-"
Let's make up q little pool on the trial. " sue-
gested a sporting member of the group. Here
are five Of us besides the doctor. Suppose We
each put In % against his $40 and try II right
here
1t was quickly arranged. The doctor gave
up his watch; the gathering adjourned to one
Of the clubs small rooms where there was no
clock and one Of the men. appointed tilnek eeper,
stood Ia q far corner Of the room where the
ticking OF his watch was inaudible TO the doc
silence during the test. The doctor took a
chair. COMPOSED himself with his hands care
lessy folded In his lap and waited.
upon Ar q n ySdi f TsSSy yhe a aoefSr. u sSd H%s.f Beais' and
Everybody eat perfectly. silent. On the face
Of the time reckoner was a far-away expression.
I Iits gaze ,p wss r saef On To az he u EIsy S S9T ,Ss of, Of th b,
the crowd seemed to lack interest, Presently
the doctor said
Tunes up"
-Fifty-eiI seconds" announced the time
keeper. one score for YOU"
Ing, though. said the doctor
Now. what the deuce does he mean by that7-
asked one Of the bettors Of another in a whisper,
but the other only shook his head In puzzle
ment. In another moment time was called
again and on this trial the experimenter did
eighth second. That made two scores for him.
Both. under" he remarked. IN oyerrun
II anything this next time"
And he did almost too much, for II was sixty
four and a bali seconds 10 his announced min
ute next time. Three TALES were put down TO
bin and the others practically gave up their
'well. I've hit all around It, This time I
ought TO land on the mark, observed the doc
tor olive me the start sharp on the beat Of
He got II sharp and made sixty-one seconds
Of IL. tx Gemations Of surprise aud admira-
ton came from the crowd as the tlmekeeper
You win, Doctor"
wait a moment. said the doctor. Il want to
try the fifth time and start myself. You've
Now. catch mo at the word"
With his hands still folded and sitting In the
same posture, but this time with his eyes closed.
he gave the word. All eyes were centred on
him and so intent were the spectators that they
fairly jumped at his sharp cry. Of Stop"
"Fifty-nine and threc-eighths seconds" an
something to know how that Is done, Is 1t
Not a bit Of IT, replied the successful reck-
f GnsF in az BIT instead ats fG q fSta s%ni sf the .isss;
money ! propose to expend / 1t for the good Of
ourselves and the exchequer Of the club 10 tho
purchase OF a few bottles.
Over the vine the rest demanded an explana-
ton and this Is the form in which they got II.
Some time ago" said the doctor. Il read in
HE SCk III uCtouHt given Dy n upIsClNe oil a
professional gambler who made money on the
ocean steamships betting that he could reckon
on a minute closer than any one else and he did
1t by means Of a Tiny watch set into a cameo
ring that he wore"
." remember that article" said tho time
keeper. but you haven't any such contrivance
about YOU.
so has every man. When | read the deteo-
tive's story | couldn't help thinking what a fool
that gambler was 70 spend so much money on
n watch when he had a free timekeeper with
Cant guess H., said the others one after an
other a. the speaker paused.
Well" proceeded the doctor smiling, per
haps some Of you may hays noticed that ] sat
with my hands folded. Now I'm not such a
ladylike person as that under ordinary cir
cumstances. II was done with a purpose. |
had the fingers Of my right hand on the pulse
OF my right wrist. Ny pulse, when I'm IN
normal health. IL a good umckeeper and beats,
with great regularity, SIS TO the minute,
The reason j ran ahead Of the time onMy first
two guesses was because | suppose my pulse
must have Qulckened n little under the small
excitement. That's what | meant by that un-
guarded remark Of mine and | was afraid that
there are more ways than one Of telling time"
But that doesn't explain the case II my
friend In prison. said the man who had opened
the discussion.
NO" replied the doctor, nor does anything
else. i have heard Of those cases and they are
beyond the ken Of science. just a. are the case,
Of men feeling the north like Du Maurier's
hero. Some day medical soiepcs NAV bo able
now We are compelled to set them down In The
list Of natures ineIplicablc wonders.-