New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-08-11
WAS A CRANK ON CLOCKS.
OLD MAN BINDLEY HAD TWELVE. But
HIS DAUGHTERS STOPPED ALL
WHEN He DIED.

HEN IlfI DlI>b'
Clocks is considered great and necessary con-
venience." said Uncle Jerry. land 1t would ne
pretty dUrn hard to sit along without en-. most
any reasonable man will admit. but myself seen
it done for more'n ten year. and know what I'm
talking about. You city folks that depends on
electricity and telephones and SIGH new tangled
fxin's would think mebbe I was stretchin' the
truth jest p mite. but when l tell You that the
Bindley gals never allowed single clock to tick
in their house after ole Bindey was buried.
sairy will bear ne out. won't you. Sairy?"
Aunt Sarah nodded her head. It's Gospel truth
what jeremiah says" she said The minnit they
got back from the grave they stopped every clock
in the house, and never let one Of them start
again
This settled all clouds OF scenticsm which might
have been stirred mp in the calm pool Of belief by
Uncle Jerrys remarkable statement. Aunt Sarah
invariably stuck TO the truth. She said she had
found it paid better when all was done. even If
one did get disked by ones friends. Besides, the
Rindleys were known all through the country for
their eccentricities, and the legends told Of them
were innumerabe. Uncle Jerry puffed industriously
for minute, and then began:
You see ole Bindley was a pecooliar cuss
about a good many things, but his special hobby
was clocks. Mirandy Bindey used to say she
guessed the fust sound he heard must have
been striking twelve. cause he allus seemed
satisfied when that hour'd be chimed out. He was
allus coming home with a clock. The gals
would him walking up the garden path with
DuLIuIe III MS arms, ana lNey u say Law, lneLc
comes pa with another clock! Suppose hen put
that the kitchen stove-there amt no
for it anywhere else Altogether, ole Bindloy
owned, when he died. twelve clocks. The last
he bought No. y, twelve minutes fast. You
see, they all striking clocks and Ole Bindey.
as have stated. mighty fond OF hearing 'em
go of. Consequently, he set each SOS 1t would
begin 10 strike jest one minute after the pre-
vious. Tell you, long about midnight
anybody passing tho Bindleys would have thought
the Swiss bell ringers had unbe-
knownst to the neighbors. Course. this wasn't
partickler pleasing to the gals. but they couldn't
do anything, cause the ole man was that sot in
his ways. But, laundering Jimpson the clock
strikngs wasn't nothing to stand compared to the
ole mans tdees about puntooality Jest listen 10
this:
ole Bindley lived by his clocks. Got up by EN-.
ct by EN-, went to bed by EN- and slept by EN-. If
t tney a stopped sudden, guess Ole Bindley would
alty that made the gals holler. They'd be making
bltg M nj to 60 where With him along
cisely. I'm going out to hitch up Bill and if You
gals amt ready by the time strikes you won't
60. The gals would git ready every time. Might
engine gon' down hill They knew # they Want
ready me ole man you'd 90 long without them It
Day mornings kyerythins in that house was done
how ten or fifteen year Of that kinder life would
got worse and worse and the doctor shook his
bring him each clock and he'd wind it Himself
Long toward the last however. he made the gals
wind en-. At last he died, and il so happened that
Jest before he breathed his last the clocks begun
strike II. Doc Taylor said he laid back and smiled
softly. As the last clock ended the hour Ole Bind
ley give a long sigh and II all over. We went
to the funeral, and afteTward 10 the grave. Sairy
went back to the house with the gals. Sairy you
go and tell what happened then"
Aunt Sarah took up the tale. The gals was
feelin' pretty grief struck, materially she said
when We got back to the house The undertaken
had gathered UP the folding chairs and they was
piled outside the front door the stoOp. Inside
made you feel kinder stihed and sick. they
aus does after funerals. The gals down with
out takin off their mourning wells The clocks was
ticking like a swarm OF criCkets all going onCet
All Of sudden they begun to strike When the
concert over, Mirandy BindIey laid aside her
dead and He good father us and
will miss him. But il amt Disgusting
that he had his peCoolarities. Arabella help me
stop them clocks The TWO gals went deliberate
The silence that heavy that didn't more'n
half breathe. / declare that I heard the blood
a-rushn' through my very veins, IT was so sudden
still And now. said Mirandy, after had got
kinder used TO the hollowness Of the air. amt
never going to hear another clock tick long as
we live. II can't keep time without en- why
we wont have nothing to do with time. 1t take
keer OF Itself
Them gals kept their word. When Casper Bind
ley died the clocks die0, too And twas wonderful
was never knew EN- to miss train, and If you
to ask 'em what the hour was Arabella or
Mirandy would look up. sniff and then say: Looks
if IT about 2:20 Then you'd look at your
watch, and sure enough it would be within ten
minutes Of that time. AS ParsOn Puggsley used 10
say, ii teaches us that the things we think is
necessaries sometimes amt really nothing moren
yanities and luXurics."