The Minneapolis journal., 1902-05-12
TINE AND TIMEPlECES
BY EPEs w. SARGENT

he had met Marie. She had professed to love
him, and the heroine OF his second novel wa
her idealized portrait The story had beer
an even greater success than the first, and
the Metropolitan manager had declared that
the advertising was worth thousands. Thai
disgusted him.
Marie did not figure in his last story, which
had just appeared, and in pique she had
announced her engagement to jerks.
On the morrow, he told himself he would
send it back ito her. The old clock should
have its place again. But where was it? He
had meant to give it to the janitor but some
thing had stayed his hand
All, there it was behind the tobacco iari
1t was a cheap china affair, but back home
fifteen years before it had been regarded
as quite marvel of elegance
He remembered how his patient, overworked
mother had proudly brought it back from
Keesport. His father had looked his disap-
proval, but she had bought it with her .ega
and butter money, and her right to waste
this fund in seeming extravaganza was never
questioned.
That was when he was is and first en-.
joyed the dignity of having his own little
room up under the lchen covered shinele.
The clock gave the finishing touch, and with
what an air Of Importance had he found it up
the first night! Why, he was quite man.
That was what his mother said when she
came to tuck him into bed. Poor, gentle
mother! For ten years she had lain there in
the cemetery overlooking Lake Champlain.
Could she see him now, he wondered, with
his luxurious apartments and comfortable
bank account? s...-
Somehow the smoke from his pipe would
persist in getting into his eyes this evening
and making them water.
He knocked the ashes out, and as the con-
densation sizzled in thu heel of his pipe II
seemed to him that he could hear the bacon
cracking ins the spider. Somehow tonight
| everything reminded him of the old whita
farmhouse on the Port Kent road
1mpatiently he brushed his sleeve across his
| eyes, but his face softened again as he wound
up the old timepiece. 1t was not handsome
! but 1t would seem good to hear its quick
| ticking once more. So he set it where the
other had stood for the past months Then
| he carried Marie's gift back into the dining
| room.
| When he came back, the room had already
taken on a more homelike aspect. He could
| almost fancy that the clock was fanked bv
| the china dog which had once been the dear
| est of his possessions and the conch shell
| brought from the West Indies by Uncle Jim.
There, too, had stood Nelly Trescotts photo
graph. How long ago was that-before he
| came to the city to win fame and fortune
and heartaches!
Yet he still remembered Nell's tender wist-
| full eyes. She worth dozen like Marie.
| He had been fool to sacrifice all the home
ties to tn eeinpty fame and friendship that
were now his.
So he sat and smoked and unused bitterly
Never had he felt SO utterly alone. Only the
ticking of the little clock comforted him
| Finally he read its message.
I There was new look upon his face as be
drew sheet of paper toward him and wrote
rapidly.
Dear Nell" he said,- "do you remember
that when We were children you promised te
marry when l grew up and was rich
I am grown UP and successful now, but an
, lonely man. For the sake of the old love
will you give me hope that some day ma.
win you to fulfill that promise? I have beer
, a blind worshiper after strange gods. bu
I've always loved you, dear. The clock ant
my heart told me so tonight. Tell me tina
l may come home and begin again where VI
left off before these weary months of douh
and estrangement.'
Marie laughed when she heard of his mar
riage, but Elersley neither knew nor cared
He was learning how smoothly love made tn,
hands of time go round.