Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1901-05-03

cara tele, graphic message. Twenty
six 20 minutes late
THANK God. delayr
Forty four minutes nova gain OF
20. The train, due at 1910. would not
arrive until 1870. Townsend relieved
him al ~. TOO late! Too later rush.
ed through his mind as he glared at
the clock. Then the light of hope fair
ly blazed in his eyes.
The summer before. when he had
long. weary night watches, twice he
oversight because his alarm had failed
him, so to insure his CALI he had run
a wire from the station clock TO a bell
In his room at the hotel. BY an ingen-
fous connection when the hands mark
ed IL 40 the ringing OF the bell brought
him violently out of the land of
dreams. When Tom was promoted to
the shorter watch and went to live at
Mrs. Jordan's Bill Townsend, who sue
ceeded him, fell heir TO his room and
"the devils own" as Tom called the
bell. The clock was an imitation OF the
old fashioned, big faced, caseless time
pieces, with weights and chains and n
long, heavy pendulum.
Twenty minutes late" he muttered.
The hour hand was less than two
inches from the connection, but how
slowly Ii creptl II he could only move
that handl His knees were free. lie
drew them up toward his chin, shot out
his legs and came TO sitting position.
Then, by a series OF short jumps and
bumps, he reached the wall, braced his
back against 1t and, with great diff.
Guilty, 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
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 ter.
rife effort to reach Ii, failed, lost his
balance and fell heavily to the floor.
The bodily pain was nothing to him
but he groaned I'm anguish at the loss
OF time. He looked up. The clock
had stoppedl
The hands marked IL 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 his
growing 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 think OF it before? Is there
still timer? And seizing the heavy
brass disk at the end of the pendulum
In his-teeth he raised bis head and de.
tached It.
The rod, freed OF its heavy weight
swung rapidly back and forward, I'm.
polling the hands onward at a greatly
Increased rate OF speed. His eyes were
following the minute hand. He could
see II move, and the hour hand? Yes
1t 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 1t take to reach 11:45I
Closer and closer 1t crept Now II
touched the iron connection and moved
slowly past it. The. alarm has been
sounded, but there were Is minutes
more before Bill would arrive lie
strained his ears to catch the slightest
sound. The noise of the storm was all
that he could heap.
Click, click, click came from the in.
strument-a message from Maysville
Twenty-six had just passed. Maysville
was II minutes up the road--it must
now be Ills. Tom tried to calculate
the time since the hands started Oh
their wild race. but his mind was O
chaos OF mad thoughts. What If Bill
did not arrive ia season? He rolled
over on his face and waited for the
worst.
The door burst open.
Hello. where are your 1t was Bnps
voice.
"StoD 26--hold up at Dykes siding
get mem But Bill was gone.
The red light flashed up the track
and 20. with noisy grinding OF wheels
and many folfs caua IN sfon A