The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1908-01-31
in Juvenile depravi

UQ him sb ah0f education
in Juvenile %depravity. a lesson In
tabloided fiendishness.
For very good reasons l wished to
secure freedom from Albert Sidneys
attentions on the evening in question.
! felt, somehow, that the task OF
asking his sister Nellie a certain little
question would not be made easier In
any way by having her young broth
er buzzing round oiering to regulate
my watch or exhibiting some home
made marvel in the clockwOrk mouse
line. Master Putlow, l may tell you,
is a prodigy in a mechanical direction.
LII have none of him." thought l.
and during the afternoon sent round.
with my best wishes for a happy
Christmas, a book calculated to keep
any other nine-yea-old boy as quiet
as. an oyster till each of it's 240 pages
had been %dog-eared as black as coal.
In the evening / called round. Mel
lies father and mother were. as l
expected, cut on a Santa Claus ex-
u " lltiI 4IiiiSu d|uoheSA ~
"Albert's at his book. l SUPPOSE" l re-
marked. when I was asked into the
front room.
NO" said Nellie; hes doing some
thing to a Waterbury watch in the
back. Been busy all day. Look there
renting to an Old fashioned clock
1.ed to the wall. He unearthed that
from the humber room three days ago..
It hasn't been going for ten years.
and he's cleaned it. put it in order.
and fixed it up as a surprise for dad.
It's going ~splendidiy."
Of course, l didn't mind a little bit
about the book not oisinirg the boys
attention. So long as he was occu-
pied elsewhere / was perfectly salts
fed. We talked about nothing in par
ticular for five minutes, h g | braced
myself for the ordeal. Nellie was in
the rocker, and l on the saddle5ag
lounge by her side. 1t was then or
Eel.
Nellie" I whispered, giancing at
M cuff, on which I had penciled my
headings. Nellie. l have long"
"Whirr!"
She looked up. not at me. but at
the clock. Its going to strike" she
said.
'Eong!" g
decided to wait until the awful
thing had finished. Bong! bong!
bong. bong! bong!" At the eighth
stroke l gave q sigh of relief and
started again.
II have long"
Gong" That's n too many"
said Nellie. What were you say
inS9"
"Bong!"
was losing patience with hat luxn-
Der room find. 1t oCcasioned me no
surprise that the clock was somewhat
erratic after Master Putlow's atten-
tons, but that Is should seize just
that particular time to exhibit its
vagacies annoyed me. Never mind"
l thought, 1T can't strike more than
12."
| had altogether underestimated its
capacities. When l had counted 81
whirrs and bongs, Nellie started
laughing. walked to the door and
called to Albert Sidney.
He came, bringing an odor of clock
oil into the room.
Something's the matter with that
clocks striking gear" said. with
forced calmness.
Been strikin' long?' he asked.
That's the thirty ninth time" l an
swered, as another Bong" set all
the mantel shelf ornaments dancing.
Albert Sidney whistled. Thought
It might go like that" he grinned.
Good clocks often do. 1t hasn't struck
for ten years, you see, and o it
won't stop till It's done all its back
striking"
lation told me that, roughly speaking,
$50, 900 bongs were overdue. At four
to the minute it would be some time
in April before that awful clock was
up-to-date. I'd the choice of yelling
out my proposal. lodging it in be-
tween the strokes. or of waiting for .
more favorable opportunity.
II think I'll be going" I gasped,
deciding or = postponement, and ON
the sev~enty-eighth stroke. l shook
hands with Nellie, glared murder a.
her brother, and hurried OF. /.
At the bottom Of the stairs I AHbu.
ped to shake my fist in the mechaHi.
cal prodigX's direction. =
"You horrid BOY" I heard Nelfle.
say. !
A howl came from Albert Sidney.
You're as big a chump as he was to
take In that tale about the thing.
workin' OF its back strikes" he said;
I only fixed it to go like that for q
lark. There! I've stopped it now.
Cd and call him back il you want
In" 10Y
FL The prospect CT Master 1T
- & nrota =r-in-law was 10 awful.