, 1905-01-04


John Faversham's clock had stop
ped! Had the sun, moon and stars
ceased to move the phenomenon would
hardly have caused more disturbance
in the Faversham household.
Be it known at the outset hat the
Faversham clock was no ordinary
timepiece such as ticks its frivolous
course with diminutive pendulum and
infinitesimal hands in most houses and
needs to be wound up every eight
days. The Faversham clock was wound
up once a month, and it told not only
tue hours, but also marked with scru-
pulous eXactness the days of the week
and month, and at the winding there
of all the family attended, for it was
an impressive affair, and when the
ceremony was ver the old clock look
ed down from its throne, the landing
of the great oaken staircase, in a most
awe inspiring manner. For more thar
a hundred years it had occupied its
present station, ticking off the hours
of the Favershams from the cradle to
the grave.
1t would be hard to say who was
most Inconvenience by the silence of
the old clock. John Fayersham, the
head of the family, not being remind
ed of the day of the month, omitted to
write an important letter and thereby
came near being involved in Il lawsuit.
Martha Faversham, his wife, spoiled
several gallons of pickles by not COW
ering them with spiced vinegar OF the
ninth day, as was her custom. And as
for Aunt Mehitabel, she forgot that it
was Friday and began a piece of nee
dlework which the spinster was sure
would come to grief.
But Kitty Faversham, old Johns
niece and ward, Jared worse of all,
for how, without the aid of the old
clock, was she to tell the fight of the
long hours till dusk should bring her
trysting time with her lover, Gustave
Doricourt, at the bottom of the old
fashioned garden, where for fifteen
minutes each afternoon, unknown to
the rest of the family, they conversed
through a crack in the high brick wall?
John Fayersham was the first to re-
6dl1 lio DltotiiN1 VI ~ "AhDA wv
great catastrophe.
ut cannot have run down." said old
John, standing by the clock on the
landing and looking sternly at the
three women at the foot of the stairs.
at cannot have run down." he repeat
ed impressively, for l wound it last
week, as you all know"
The three women in n breath has
tened to zeal testimony to the said
winding.
Il hope no one has been tampering
with it, said the old man, his face
reddening with Indignation at the mere
fancy. Then, "Katherine!" he glared
accusingly.
ooh, Uncle John, how Ear your
gasped the suspected.
NO, John: Kitty wouldn't dare"
said Aunt Martha, coming to the res
cue. followed by Aunt Mehitabel, who
awesomely suggested mice of which
she stood in great terror.
Snapending judgment on Kitty and
ignoring Aunt Meuitabel's suggestion,
''Something must have broken" pro-
ceeded Faversham, and, much as l re
gret the necessity, the clock must go to
D~oricourt's."
TO Doricourt's!' exclaimed the two
elder women simultaneously, while
Kitty's heart leaped in silence.
To account for John Faversham's re-
gret, Aunt Martha's and Aunt Mehita-
bers establishment, it must be record
ed that Emile Doricourt, Gustave's I'M
Gle, the only clockmaker in the village,
was a Frenchman who had fled his
country at the time of the terror. On
arriving in America and finding it nee
essary to toll for his bread, instead of
painting miniatures or teaching muse
or dancing, as did many other emigrcs,
he adopted the trade of clockmaker,
for which he had an aptitude. In his
new home Doricourt had found favor
with every one save John FaverSham,
who had an inherited dislike for all
things French and was shocked beyond
measure by the discovery that the he
reditary antipathy had altogether ex-
PRED in his niece Kitty.
Although Gustave was American born
and spoke English without an accent
and was, moreover, the handsomest
young man in the village, being Emile
Doricourt's nephew, he was in old
Johns eyes still a Frenchman, and the