Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1900-10-24
TOLD IN THE
SMOKING CAR
The Strange Yarn Of an Idolized
Town Clock.

= The Strange Yarn of an Idoiized
o Town oiook' O
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o -oo-o.o-o-o.o.o
Jones, the commuter, always read his
morning paper during the time occu-
pied by the transit of his regular morn
Ing train and ferryboat to this city.
On the way home at night he invari-
ably played whist in the smoker with
three of his fellow townsmen. He had
been a commuter ten years. From all
this 1t may be inferred that Jones was
creature Of habit. And so one night
when a seedy looking stranger with
long red nose, baggy cheeks and wild
glare in his eyes dropped into the seat
usually occupied by his playing part
ner, Unison, Jones was visibly annoy
ed, while his two fellow commuters,
who had been waiting for the tardy
Jimson with their whist board on their
knees, shifted in disgust.
The stranger, nothing daunted, how
ever, gazed at the three commuters
with PARKWAY look in his eyes and
gave vent to an occasional cavernous
sigh, which seemed to come from the
depths of despair. Not word did he
utter, and the commuters were too
busy with plans for ousting the stran-
ger In event Of Jimson's appearance to
think of aught else. Meanwhile the
train began to move out of the station,
and, as Jimson had failed to appear-it
sometimes happened so with one of the
party - Jones decided to invite the
stranger to take a hand in the prospec-
tive game. Before he could speak,
however, the man heaved another sigh,
gazed beseechingly at the commuters
and said:
Gentlemen, far be it from me to in
trude upon the preparations which you
have made for indulgence in the noble
game Of whist, but l can remain silent
no longer. ! feel that must speak and
reveal the terrible secret which burns
In my bosom like a white hot brand.
Yes, must tell all. The weakness
grows upon me now, but ere l die lis
ten to the story of the downfall Of the
village of my nativity, and when you
have heard it let your sympathy go
out to me, and perchance my troubled
soul may find the respite and the balm
which 1t seeks. Listenw The COM
muters listened.
"My name," continued the stranger,
''is Harkins-H. Ellington Harkins-
and live, or, rather, lived, in Back
vile. Conn. 1t is Of this town that l
intend to speak and the downfall of
which makes me what l ana nissan
thrope, wanderer upon the face of
the earth.
"Backville was very old town, and
its inhabitants had lived there for gen.
GRAFTON upon generation. A new fam
lily rarely moved into the town, and
no one ever moved out Of it except
when he or she died. Backville was q
very peculiar town. 1t had little or
nothing to do with the rest Of the
world and considered itself sufficient
unto itself.
"Now. like all small towns. Backville
had town clock, had had 1t for 80
years, and in all that time the clock
had never been known to deviate q
fraction of a second from the exact
time. Backville swore by that clock.
1t was the acme Of all that was faith
full and reliable. Indeed may say that
all the cardinal virtues clustered
Backville said that a person was as ac-
curate or as perfect as the town clock,
he could say no more; he had touched
the heights of praise. Children were
directed to emulate the goodly exam
pie Of the town clock. The office of
winder of the clock was the most i'm
portant and withal the most lucrative
place In the gift Of the town. The
conditions of which l speak had ex-
listed for 40 years. and in every one of
those years faith In the clock had in |
creased until 1t finally became an OBJ |
ject Of worshipful alteration. You may
readily understand how such might be !
the case.
Zone morning, three years ago. the !
town awoke as usual and prepared for
the days work. 1t soon began IN he |
rumored about, however, thai some
thing was the matter with the town.
This rumor became an established fact |
when 1t was discovered that when ev-
cry clock and watch In town pointed to !
8 o'clock the town clock, the re- |
liable and faithful town clock, gave in |
dubitable evidence that 1t was but
o'clock. OF course there was but one |
thing to do. The town clock couldn't |
be wrong, so all watches and clocks |
were set back to 7 o'clock or taken to |
the jewelers. to be regulated. My |
watch was not. | was very proud of |
my timepiece and let II alone In the
interest OF science, purely In the inter-
est of science. gentlemen. reasoned
that my watch could not by the least
possibility have gained an hour In a
single night and the possibilities Of the
town clock losing an hour In the same
space were equally remote. The only
solution OF the case which presented