Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-25
The Town Clock.
IOrlglnnl.l

liet place Of Schrambcrg, In the Black
forest, looking up at the clock in the
church tower.
ut has stopped" said one.
"No. but the hands move Mt snais
pace" said another.
II have been standing here fully ten
minutes" said third, ''nnd can't de-
tect the slightest change"
And have watched II for an hour"
said fourth. "Thc long hand shows
gain of two and n hng minutes"
when was the change notlcedT
AT " o'clock midnight. 1t has not
struck the hour since"
Let me see-two and n half minutes
TO the hour At that rate the minute
hand would sweep the dial in twenty
four hours. The clock registers but
IN hour Il day"
From little shop near by old Roth
holz. the matchmaker, glanced out OF
his window. ut the group, shook his
head at them, then turned and resumed
his work. The day before his son had
come TO him, wrlnging his hands.
"Oh. father" he exclaimed, "Cicily
has been condemned Old Mother
Gault swore that she had seen her
with her own eyes vomiting crooked
pins
"What. That innocent girl con-
dcmned for witchcraft on the testl-
mony of that hagi'
Eyes, and she is 10 he burned Mt the
stake in three days. Oh, father, helpl
We are betrothedv
The youngster, still In his teens, had
not ceased to rely on his father for
everything. The old man scratched
his head and gave himself up to deep
thought. Presently he said' II cannot
prevent this tragedy, but may delay
It."
"Howi" nsked the boy eagerly
you know. my son. that the clock
In the church tower, which l made
and about which no one except my
self knows anything, is the legal time
In the village-that |, the town clerk
rs we'll rs matchmaker, keep the legal
calendar and keep it by the clock. II
l stop the clock stop the village time
but In that case they would adopt an
other standard. will make the hands
20 very slowly. This will delay the
execution, and something may happen
TO save the GIRL
In the middle OF the night the old
man went up into the tower and chang
ed the clocks rate TO one hour in TWEEN
tyfour. Cicily could not be legally
burned for more than two months.
The group standing in the. market
| place after further discussion moved
together to old Rothholz's shop, told
him that the clock had nearly stopped
and he must fix 1t. Don't bother your
heads about the clock" he said; at
will go well enough In time" "When?"
after the girl who was condemned
yesterday has been burned" "Whnt
has that to do with it?' II don't
know. only know That the clock,
! which has kept perfect time ever since
1t was set up in the tower, has sud
denly gone wrong" "Nonsensew ex-
claimed most OF the party, and they
went away.
The old man insisted that he could
not fix the clock, though, to satisfy the
authorities. he pretended To try. In n
few days the burghers, finding new
subject OF Interest, ceased to talk
about the clock. A week later Antoine
! IIecker presented II note that was due
to Karl Becker for payment. Becker
declared that lie would pay 1t when
the town clock should say the time
for payment had expired. Hecker
went 10 Rothholz and asked for GER
tificate TO that effect Hecker declared
that by the village time the note was
not due. The result was Il quarrel be-
tween the debtor and the creditor.
Then came widow who wished to
marry again. BY the terms of her late
husbands will she would lose every
thing he had left her IL she married
before certain date. The date had
expired, but the legal town time said
that 1t had not The clerk said it was
his duty to keep the calendar by the
clock. He could do nothing. The
judge ordered him before the court
and TO fix the clock or keep the calen-
der by another timepiece. The town
clerk refused to break the law, and
the judge had 10 power to compel him
to do 50.
AS the days and weeks elapsed the
condition of the people OF the village
became more irritating. They quar-
relied about the time TO go to bed, to
get up. for meals. The children would
not go TO school till the clock struck
the hour. Nobody would go to church
because there was no knowing when
they should go Those who had
watches tyrranized over those who had
not and Quarreled among themselves
as to whose watch was right. At last
the hubDub was so great that it be-
came intolctablc. A committee walt
oil on tho tnN,.., otarl anl hao0od hin,