Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-02-06

itself to my mind was that time had
slipped back peg and that the olu
clock had adjusted itself to the change
But the other Inhabitants gave the
case barely thought, The old clock |
said I o'clock. therefore it was
o'clock, and life in Hachyile went Cd |
as usual.
"From my diary, in which recorded
the results Of my researches with my |
watch, which allowed to pursue Its |
headong course down the grooves OF |
time, | found that when 1t recorded |
noon that day the town clock recorded
10 o'clocs. The following morning,
Dec. 2, found that the town arose as
usual ut 7 o'clock, town clock time, D
o'clock my time. Men went to their
work in the stores and mills at y
o'clock, town clock time. and quit work
at 3 o'clock, town clock time. o'clock,
my time. The next morning another
hour was lost somewhere. When my
watch recorded o'clock, the morning
of Dec. 4. the town clock recorded 10
o'clock, the night of Dec 3. 1t was
| plainly apparent that day was being
lost somewhere, and the next after
noon. when the town clock struck D, 1t
| was o'clock by my watch.
"When the townspeOple saw that IL
was dark at 5 o'clock, a great fear
came over the town, and public meet
| ing was called. Explanations as to
what might be the matter were solicit
ed, and many theories were PROFOUND
| ed. 1t was finally decided, however.
| that q great change in the solar system
had occurred This theory seemed
plausible and it was adopted as being
the onlF solution of the phenomena.
You see, Backville impeachcd the sun,
! but the town cock-that could not be
at fault. Thus time went on, or rather
back, and things went from bad to
worse. Sometimes two hours were
lost in one hour. Backville celebrated
| Christmas when, according to my
watch she should have been celebrat-
| ing Washingtons birthday. Next year
Fourth of July was celebrated with
snow on the ground, while the Thanks
giving turkeys were eaten with the
thermometer at 90 degrees in the shade.
81 began to see what the matter was
the town clock was at fault-but l
feared to reveal my thoughts to my
fellow townsmen. Meanwhile Back
vile, in it's benghted faith in the town
clock, was being dragged back through
time, and | knew not where the end
would be. 1t got so that no one could
tell Just when night was coming or
when it would be daylight. Sometimes
twilight was taken for early morning,
and vice versa. And the money spent
in adjusting clocks and watches
amounted to fortune in itself. Final
ly resolved to tell all and die as a
martyr. if necessary for the salvation
of my townsmen.
"Gentlemen,' said one day in pub
lie meeting. you are all wrong. You
are Joined to your old idol, and in your
blindness you fail to see that the solar
system is not at fault; your watches
are not at fault. The town clock is at
, fault. Pluck it out of the steeple or
repair it; otherwise we will die in the
darkness of the seventeeth century
while the rest of the world is living in
the twentieth century,
"An hour later left town. / did not
, depart as would like to have depart
, ed, for | rode astride a rail borne by
sundry fellow townsmen, and over my
body was distributed beautiful coat
of tar and feathers. Since then. gen
tlemen, l have wandered about the
earth a parah, ruined man. My con
stitution is weakened and my intellect
, shattered. | am now going back tc
2 Backville, which by this time is prob
| ably enyeloped in the chaos of the ter
q tiary period. If any pre-Adamites are
living there, | will be killed for return
\ ing from Punishment, but with my dy
:. ing breath shall whisper, The clock
the town clock, was SLOW"
:, Eyes. the town clock was Slow sait
: the commuters, and the stranger fel
n calmly and peacefully asleep. - New
p York Evening Sun.