Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-06-13
TOWN CLOCK Capture
by MAX BENNETT TIIRAsnER.

|6 Bi MlA BEWNETT TllRASllER. +
6soscsosc-so.sec.scsosc..o:c..S
EARLY one August afternoon well
dressed, busincsslike looking man. car
:ying II small leather handbag, walked
up the principal street of the village of
GraytoWn. In the basement Of the big,
old fashioned country church which he
approached a small door stood open.
Turning froA the sidewalk, he entered
this door.
Once out of sight from the street he
nin hurrledly up flight Of stairs and
then found himself in tho vestibule,
which was dusky and cool after the
garish light outside. He looked in. One
door Of tho audience room was open.
Tho sexton was sweeping the aisle and
coming toward him. He tried door Mt
the end of the vcstibulc, but this was
locked. Steps cchoing through the
empty building told him that some one
was coming in at the same door by
which he had entered. Tho man hur-
riedly pulled ut small door In the
wall. 1t opened into what seemed to
be tall. narrow closet, down through
the middle of which q stout wire rope
ran into rough stone floor.
Crampcd rs these quarters were, the
man crowded himself in. holding the
leather bag close to his side, and pulled
the door shut after him.
| Not more than three or four seconds
elapsed before young man walked
rapidly through the vestibule to the
open door of the audience room. "Oh,
Mr.. Jackson" he called to the man
sweeping, "may go up and wind the
clock? It's the day to wind 1t. I know"
"May you9 Why, certainly II you
want to-" was the reply. "1cre nre the
keys" and he slid the bunch of keys
along the floor of the nisle.
The boy, Rodney Calvin, picked up
the keys, unlocked the door ut the end
OF the vestibule and went clattering up
q flight of stairs which the open door
disclosed. BY that time the sexton had
reached the vcstibule md, whistling as
he worked, began to sweep 1t.
Rodney Calvin SO far had been q dis
appointment to his family. His father
was determined he should be bust
ness man. his mother had hoped that
he would be minister, but Rodney, so
his father said, wrathfully. cared only
for "tinkering." He doctorcd all the
disabled bicycles In town, and q broken
watch or clock gave him Joy. When he
had been refused position in the bank
q month before and Harry Grant had
been taken instead, Rodney's only TO-
gret was that he should not have an op-
portunity to Investigate the time lock
OIL the bank safe. He watched for
chances to wind the town clock, for he
liked to study Its works.
On this day he went with practiccd
tread up the dark stairs behind the gal
lery, along the narrow board walk laid
across the beams IN the garrct floor, up
another long flight Of rude steps, and
then he climbed the almost pcrpcndicu-
lar ladder which led to the clock room.
Around him were backs Of the four
great dials up to which the citizens OF
Graytown looked when they wished to
set their watches. The works of the
clock were In the middle of the ROOM
Taking big movable iron crank from
the floor, Rodney fitted 1t up to the end
of the arbor, or spindle, and began
turning 1t to wind up the stout wire
was fastened.
The town clock of Graytown is near
ly MS old us the church In which 1t is
placed, but the people of the village
cherish 1t and would not think Of hav.
Ing 1t replaced by one Of more modern
style. AS consequence the sexton Of
the church had to climb up to the clock
room in the spirc once every week un-
less he could get some one to go for
him and wind up from the basement,
to which they had spent the previous
week in descending, the blocks Of gran
lite that served as clock weights.
1t seemed to Rodney this afternoon
as IL the machinery worked uncommon.
ly hard, and after turning the crank a
few times he dropped 1t and went back
down stairs.
Il think that pulley needs greasing,"
he said. Il never knew the old clock
to wind SO hard"
II shouldn't wonder but what 1t
does," was the sexton's answer. Il
haven't got bit of oil here. though"
he added.
1--WE got some down to the house
that'll do" said the boy. "l'L go and
get it."
"AM right" said the sexton. "1f get
through before you come back, Ill
leave the doors unlocked and the keys
on the window SILL"
s'There isn't anything the matter
with the weights is there?" asked Rod
ney, opening the narrow door which
gave access to the shaft in which one
OF the clock weights ran from belfry to
basement. There was nothing to be
seen. The square block Of stone which
Just filled the space had been wound
up out Of sight.