The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-01-05

HESS lIOupiCS III lOdnu, ~ AnO 'D"AAA'AA
ed as completely as does the thin
mist beneath burning sun. Later We
learned that the old man had one
day visited his Office when both papa
and his private secretary were absent
and had opened the safe. II then he
distracted and carried away this pa
per, as papa always firmly believed,
stealthily hiding it somewhere, still
all memory of the fact had left him
wiped out. as when wet sponge pas
ses over slate:
Grandpa's end was fast drawing
near. Suddenly from the head OF the
stairway we heard the deep tones OF
the old clock as ii. began to strike the
hour Of twelve. The old man struggl-
ed, partly rising and muttered, point
ing with a trembling toward the
clock. "The clock, the clock. It Is
- Then he fell back, his life had
led-fied at the sixth stroke of the
hour of twelve; and the sentence new
er was finished. Nor was the striK-
ing of that hour. AS his spirit LETT
him, life too departed from the clock,
the musical knick-knock of the pendu-
lum was no more. The old clock was
dead!
For years after, in gloom and 81
lence the clock stood at the head OF
the stairway; and there in gloom and
silence it would be standing now,
had not Herbert-that is my beloved's
name-don't you like it drought
back its life while searching for the
lost document, which he always held
had been hidden, or the secret of It's
whereabouts, somewhere within It's
case. AS both grandma and mamma
were very fond of him, he had only
to intimate his wish to overhaul the
clock; and so one morning, erect like
a mummy in it's wooden shroud, its
wondrous mechanism was revealed 10
view. Herbert peered in. long and
earnestly.
Hand me that stiff steel wire, will
you. DEAR" said he, as he set the
pendulum once more to swinging
Then he poked and peered, and peer
ed and poked with the wire among
the wheels, and soon heard the sound
of something falling. AT the same
moment there doomed forth deep
cathedral-like tones as six notes were
struck-the six that failed to sound
when the old man died. The hour
of twelve had come. was again by
grandpa's side; the whole past was as
if it had never been. To the old
clock time was not What change in
fate or fortune did this pretend?
Solemnly the pendulum ticket its
tireless knick-knock. The old clock
was running.
ooh, my husband, my husband,
have you come back to me? The old
clock is calling to you!" we heard as
joyful cry from the head Of the
stairway and looking up beheld grand
ma standing there, TRANSPORTED, glori-
fed, the look Of an angel upon her
face. Then she sank slowly to the
floor as mamma and 1 rushed to her.
Fortunately, she was, poor dear, not
long unconscious; and when return
ed to Herbert found that he had not
only stopped the clock but had taken
of the great wooden pendulum-bob
and was examining it most critically.
ooh, you bad boy" said / reprov-
ingly; what will grandma say?"
His only reply was to show me a
small steel key.
found it at the bottom Of the
clockcase. Dislodged it when was
pOking around with a steel wire. Oh,
1 know what was up to. Jared, l
suppose, from its resting place, and
falling, lodged between the wheels.
All this just when your grandfather
was dying; and it stopped the clock
forever, too. The first stroke recall
ed to him, undoubtedly, where he had
hidden that document; his actions
and speech proved that; but he died
before he could reveal the secret. I'll
wager anything that in the clock-case
is Its key; perhaps even the docu-
ment ITSELF" said he, taking my cheeks
lovingly between his hands. why,
they are as red as posies. They'd
tell the secret if you were its keeper.
Well, well shall have to trust to this
little key, since you will not or can't
help me. After all, it may unlock the
secret. A clock-case is not the usual
storehouse for keys like this"
While Herbert was saying this he
slipped the wooden sunfowerlbios
SOM from its place. but nothing was
revealed save a layer of smooth paper.
"The mystery deepens. Why this
paper? Something must be conceal
ed beneath" he said as he ran his
foreinger over it. Here" he said
excitedly, hand me that stick-pin
from your throat, Alice dear; and
with the pin he jabbed fiercely at
particular spot. The pin entered
about half an inch. 81 though as
much" he sair, tearing away the pa
per and revealing a small lock-plate.
This little key fitted the key hole per-
fectly, turning easily and something