The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1907-03-23
THE TINkERER
BY Fred L. Boait

1
member. My wife called to me
from the kitchen:
| John, here's man who wants
to know if we have any work for
him to do
Tell him" answered, eve
haven't. Tell him"
| uBt my superior fraction was at
my elbow He's so old and little,
and he looks hungry. And his
| eyes"
We had had more than our share
Of tramps that spring. But | would
see him If my wife wished it, So
went to the kitchen, and there
saw framed in the doorway-the
Tinkerer.
He was little, old and bent. He
rested on stout stick. The hands
which held it were small and heavy
veined and seemed to grip the han
die with nervous energy.
But his eyes. ] knew now why
my wife had been impressed by
them; they were peering at me
through steel-rimmed lasses-wist-
full, questioning, searching, hungry
| eyes. | ashed him what he could
do
Anything" he answered quietly.
| You have clock that won't go?'
Mani" | cried. Come in. We
have such a clock. For more than
10 years it has refused to turn a
wheel. 1t belonged to my great
! grandmother"
But first he must eat That's my
wifes way. He had wren's appe-
| tite--a cup of tea and a slice of
| bread and butter
That clock has been the pride
and despair of our family for three
| generations at least. 1t is beauti-
| full clock, with a glass front, and
on it picture OF Buckingham pal
ace and pretty ladies in hoop skirts
| and absurd swans swimming in a
pond. 1t is a quaint, square, awk-
ward thing, that clock, and very
| old.
The Tinkerer took it down from
| the mantel shelf He removed the
| glass front. He poked mysteriously
with a bit Of wire among the
wheels. He took out a cogwheel,
cleaned it, and poked some more.
Then he replaced the cogwheel. put
in the glass, touched the pendulum,
| and
"Tick-tock, tick-tockt' said the
clock, the first time in 40 years.
What next" asked the Tinkerer
He mended two umbrellas. He
put In the screens anent the fly
time. He glued together the halves
of a plate of blue ware Of which my
wife was extremely fond, so that
you had to look twice to see the
crack. | asked him how much
should pay him for his work. He
said, with some hestancy, he
guessed 80 cents would be about
right offered him more, but he
shook his head stubbornly. He
came again the following fall. older
thinner. more bent.
"How's the clock?" he asked.
Hasn't lost a minute"
He seemed vastly pleased. He
took out the screens, explained why
the furnace smoked and seemed tC
consider quarter too much.
After that he called on us twice
a year-nOt regularly. but generally
in May and again before the first
fight Of snow. The years did not
impair his usefulness. His quick
fingers seemed to itch to show theil
skill.
The Tinkerer came again laSt
spring. Never had he seemed sc
old and worn. When he was leav
ing asked him why he had never
settled down. And courage was
needed, for he had never volunteer
ed a confidence.
! "You are skillful,' | told him
land even now"
He stopped me with a gesture.
"Your way is not mine. You worl
regular hours for regular pay. Yo,
sleep regular hours. You eat three
meals day. You go to churcl
Sunday and to lodge Thursda.
night. You are identified with on
community and take an interest il
its affairs. 1t Is a good way, but
! is not mine.
"When | leave here | shall go
somewhere, | don't know where.