Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-04-06
pieces, with weights and chains and q

pieces, with weights and chains and
long, heavy pendulum.
"Twenty minutes late" he muttered.
The hour hand was less than two
inches from the connection, but how
slowly it crept! If he could only move
that hand! His knees were free. he
drew them up toward his chin, shot out
his legs and came to sitting position.
Then, by a series of short jumps ana
bumps, he reached the wall, braced MS
back against it and, with great diff1-
Guilty, worked himself to his feet. The
pendulum swung close to his ear, Dut
how could he reach the handT 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 MIN
new strength. Inch by inch he edged
himself along the wall to the shade,
caught the stick between his teeth ana
sank quickly to the floor He had sue
ceeded. The stick was torn loose from
its fiimsy fastenings. Back again, up
and along the wall he worked until he
stood nearly under the clock. He turn
ed sidewise, raised his head until the
stick pointed at the hand, made a ter
rife 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 a chance of more
delay. Again the struggle to regain
his feet, harder now because OF MS
growing weakness. Nearer and nearer
he crept to the motionless rod. A nod
of his head would start it.
"My Godv' he suddenly cried. "Why
didn't l think of it before? Is there
still timer And selling the heavy
brass disk at the end of the pendulum
| in his teeth he raised his head and de-
tached 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 1t 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 bis
eyes were fixed on that hand. How
long would it take to reach 11:45'
| Closer and closer it crept. Now II
touched the iron connection and moved
slowly past 1t. The alarm had beer
sounded, but there were Is minutes
more before Bill would arrive. He
strained his ears to catch the slightes,
sound. The noise of the storm was al
that he could hear.
Click, click, click came from the In
strument-a message from Maysville
Twenty-six had just passed. Maysvillt
was IL minutes up the road-it mus
now be Ills. Tom tried to calculate
the time since the hands started or
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. &c..
"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 noisy grinding of wheels
and many jolts, came to a stop. A
posse was hastily formed, but wher
the siding was reached nothing was
found but the open switch that mean
death and destruction.
The passengers and crew tried tt
make Tom believe that he was hero
but he only pointed to the clock ant
said:
ut was the devils own "-Waver
ley Magazine.