Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-03-21

The hour hand was less than two
inches from the connection, but how
slowly 1t crept! II he could only move
that hand! His knees were free. He
drew them up toward his chin, shot
out his legs and came to a sitting po-
sition; then, by a series Of short jumps
and bumps. he reached the wall. braced
his back against it, and with great
difficulty worked himself to his feet.
The pendulum swung close to his ear.
but how could he reach the hand? Was
he to fail now?
His eyes quickly searched the room.
A few feet to the right was the win
dow, heavily barred, the torn shade
partly down. His glance rested on the
stick that weighted the latter-just
what he needed. New hope gave him
new strength. Inch by inch he edged
himself along the wall to the shade,
caught the stick between his teeth and
sank quickly to the floor. He had sue
ceeded-the stick was torn loose from
it's fiimsy fastenings. Back again, up
and along the wall he worked, until
he stood nearly under the clock. He
turned sidewise, raised his head until
the stick pointed at the hand, made a
terrific effort to reach it, failed, lost
his balance and fell heavily to the
floor
The bodily pain was nothing to him,
but he groaned in anguish at the loss
of time. He looked up-the clock had
stopped.
The hands marked II. He could
reach the pendulum. 1t must be start
ed. There was still chance of more
delay. Again the struggle to regain his
feet, harder now because of his grow
ing weakness. Nearer and nearer he
crept to the motionless rod-a nod of
his head would start it
MY God" he suddenly cried, "why
didn't I think of it before? Is there
still time?" and seizing the heavy brass
disk at the end of the pendulum in his
teeth, he raised his head and detached
it.
The rod, freed of its heavy weight,
swung rapidly back and forward, i'm
pelling the hands onward at greatly
increased rate of speed. His eyes were
following the minute hand. He could
see it move; and the hour hand? Yes.
it was creeping along. Toms strength
was going fast; he sank to his knees
and rolled over on the floor, but his
eyes were fixed on that hand. How
long would it take to reach 11.45? Clos
er and closer it crept-now it touched
the iron connection and moved slowly
past it. The alarm had been sounded,
but there were Is minutes more be-
fore Bill would arrive. He strained
his ears to catch the slightest sound
the noise of the storm was all that he
could hear.
Click, click, click came from the in
strument-a message from Maysville.
"26" had just passed. Maysville was
12 minutes up the road-it must now
be Ills. Tom tried to calculate the
time since the hands started on their
wild race, but his mind was chaos
of mad thoughts. What if Bill did not
arrive in season. He rolled over on
his face and waited for the worst.
The door burst open.
Hello, where are you?" 1t was Bills
voice.
stop '26'-hold-up at Dykes siding
get men" But Bill was gone.
The red light flashed up the track,
and '26" with a noisy grinding Of
wheels and many jolts, came to stop.
A posse was hastily formed, but when
the siding was reached nothing was
found but the open switch that meant
death and destruction.
The passengers and crew tried to
make Tom believe that he was hero,
but he only pointed to the clock and
said:
ut was the devils own.