The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-03-11
The Vanishing
and Restoring
OF the KnOckcr
An Experience Of an Old Colonial
House.

Miss Maria Hartman stayed her
clicking needles. Her knitting was
mere reniniscence of the handi-
work Of her grandmothers. In her
Boston home she read. cOnversed
and presided over clubs. But Miss Hart
man was thoroughgoing and IN her way
an artist and she had not expended her
enthusiasm on the restoration OF Yield
brooks finest old colonial house with
out adapting her personality 10 har-
monY with her surroundings This same
sense OF harmony was the secret OF her
pleasure in the music OF the old clock.
For months she had suffered from the
anachronlsm Of two-years' old time
piece, az Il scented TO taunt the dignity
Of her ancestral hall with the smart
noisy modernness Of its Ginning hours.
Al length the keen instinct Of a hunter
OF antiques had led her to a yeritable
heirloom. She became the possessor OF a
clock that had proclaimed the pass
ing hours OF passing generations ever
since FieldbrOOks s first mansion raised its
strong walls high above the slender, new
ly-planted elms OF the village street
II the clock-an heirloom circuitously
acquired-held a large place in the heart
Of It's owner, a still larger place was
nlled by an heirloom direct, namely the
ponderOus brass knocker which had
clung close 70 the massive door unnum-
IRONY q fate thst just ss h"Se this very yeaT ea
when the clang OF the brass appealed 10
appreelatiVe ears. some thief in the night
wrenched the ancient object from Its
From the morning when Miss Hartman
discovered that the knocker was gone its
recovery became her chief thought OF
this she WAS thinking AS she sat knit
ting. and she was congra tulating herself
that she had found the right person to
conduct the search. So when the clock
struck she dropped her knitting ana
glanced at her image in the oval gilt
mirror AS she had expected the last
stroke Of the clock was scarcely hushed
when waves Of sound again vibr1ted
through the house Miss Hartman gave
q shlver and then a smile The shiver
might be attributed to the unharmonious
sound Of the electric bell. the smile was
certainly for the prepOssesslng young
man who entered
IN Sidney Morris Miss Hartman had
felt a peculiar interest ever since the
night OF the ball she had given three
months earlier TO introduce the towns
people 10 the charms OF her perfectly
restored ballroom Nnthlng had been
omitted to make the occasion of historic
and poetic significance. Miss Hartman
had planned each detail with mastery
forethought, and the guests had CO.
operated and made themselves splendid
evidence OF a skiilful teacher and faith
ful rehearsals. The more able bodied had
pranced through Money Musk and
Speed the Piow.' and the two long lines
were facing each other az young and old
stood ready for Virginia reel, when the
brilliant occasion received the added
glory of touch Of romance. There was
"A movement Ia both lines and Miss Hart
man. from her position al the head Of
the hall, saw Sidney Morris and her
n.ece, Nancy advancing toward her.
Nancy blushed and drapled and sidney
In ieW low words. told Miss Hartman
Of their engagement The music began
the young people fell into line, and the
gay dance proceeded.
Since that night Miss Hartman had in
tended 10 DO something for the young
lawyer who was trying 20 establish him
self 30 his profession Tonight she had
proposition 70 make. II he would take
an office IN B0ston she would put him In
charge 81 all her affairs, which were con-
siderable. and would give him introduc-
tiops which would insure bis future. The
time ~ the engagement would be short
ened and a promising prospect would
open for him ard Nancy. One condition
Miss Hartman would make-he must find
the knocker il seems rather extreme
70 make a young mans future hang upon
20 slight an object. but this was no cNm-
mon knofker Miss Hartman hac no
more compunction about hanging upon
its shiny perfection the success Of a
young man than she wopl' nave had
May basket upon that same bright
kuncker.
sidney sat opposite her listening atten-
lively, white sac talked 81 business mat
tcfs and the understanding SHOWN hy his
shifting expressions and his few intclli-
gent Questions was feassuflng lhtn tne
knucker WAS introduced into thr conver-
satiOu and Sianeg found ID hard 70 be-
l.ve that Miss Hartman meant TO make
thc finding Of this iriAing object a con-
clifton of his taxing charge OF the great 4
property she had been discussing Win /
him Offended ty his smile Of lncredulity /
she brought him sharply 70 his senses.
'.Of course she said III you are indif- /
ferent 10 my smaller interests, you are /
under no coinphlsign - concern youfseiI
with ms AFFAIRS. ] can easily dnd some 4
one to look after my property ~ faet (
Ia Is very well looked after now
you know. he answered, that ! want 4
20 Do all I can ior you but am nor /
Il want ms knocker. she insisted, and /
want a young man with gumpuon and +
a Watehfulnesf Of trliies
Sidneys Imagination drew hastv pic i
turr OF Nancy dimpling 70 think how diff 1
ferCnt were her own ana her aunt re-
quirements ia the IDEAL young man
Nnncys dmplcE were very dear % him, I
and he deterinlned 10 nave the knOcker, 7
and expressed his intention.
He was surprised before he went to 4
sleep that night 20 fnd how much thought 4
one may devote TO subject on which he 4
mas almost no Information. A knocker 4
had been stolen on certain date from
"a certain door, That was all ne Knew, 1
and what was there 70 think anout2 Al 1
nrst he sa wnothing 10 do except To Of I
fer a refard IN the country paper lie 4
rejected the idea for "a reward might /
have been the object OF the thief. and II
ne WAS slNtt1FlAt hNit AillAts AAtHn AAiAN-
mans well-sweep or horse-block might
be carried on 70 raise another sum Of
money. This suggested the question to
him as to the probable kind OF thief 4
who would lind interest in door Knockers
Three possibilities occurred TO him. IL 4
might have been personal enemies ~
Miss Hartman either wOrkmen who had
been disgrunfled or some one possibly
who had some objection 10 the restora-
tion OF the old house or IL might have
been tourists. or students, or other ire
sponsible beings who felt themselves az
liberty to appropriate anything that
struck their fancy. Or It might have
betn men who take the property OF 9th
ers simply Va the hope Of realizing money.
Miss Hartmans popularity and liberals
IN made II probable that the maletactor
did nor belong TO the FIRST class. fhe
time trouble. and tools required for the
az the knOcker did away with the
theory So Sidney decided
20 assume a real thief ana act according-
ly His first step must be TO make the
snocker. which was OF considerable value
diftcult 10 negotiate. Then he would
tgke u fer granted that the holder OF
this picce OF stolen property had other
things I'm his possession and would pub
ligh threats accordingly. The next morn
ing he appeared before Miss Hartman
with list OF questions and learned that
a Boston sllverSmlth had polished the
knocker and put II la order. AZ Boston
II trnnspired that she design was 50
striking that the slversmith had drawn
every detail OF the old brass to use In
inserted Ia the county weekly and other
newspapers together with a paragraph
describing the loss OF the knocker and
staring that if IL was returned before