Sharp County record., 1908-03-20
VIII IN AL5ER ]
PROPOSED
He Tried It at the Wrong Time.


thoughts, truth compels me to the
statement that Nellie Putlow's young
est brother-Albert Sidney Putlow-
is boy who will one of these days
come to bad end.
To know Albert Sdney-to know
him thoroughly-is an education in jul
venile deprayity, a lesson in tablo1ded
hendishness. He's right enough super
hcially mind you but when you get at
the soul Of the boy your faith in the
innocence and harmlessness Of juve-
nifty generally is gone forever 1t
was last Christmas eve when | probed
the depths of Master Putlow. III tell
! you in what circumstances.
For very good reasons | wished to
secure freedom from Albert Sidney's
attentions on the evening in question,
felt, somehow that the task of ask
ing his sister Nellie a certain little
question would not be made easier in
any way by having her young brother
buzzing around offering to regulate my
watch or exhibiting some homemade
marvel in the clockwork mouse line.
Master Putlow, | may tell you, is
prodigy III a mechanical direction.
When other small boys are learning
to play football he Is fiddllng about
with spur wheels; when they are
dreaming of getting their international
caps Albert Sidney's sleep is punctu-
ated with visions of cogs, ratchets and
perpetual motion.
"Tll have none Of him." thought
and during the afternoon sent around
with my best wishes for a happy
Christmas, book calculated to keep
any other nineyear-old boy as quiet
as an oyster till each Of its 240 pages
had been dogs cared as black as coal.
In the evening | called round. Mel
lies father and mother were, as
expected, out on a Santa Claus excur-
sion to their married daughters, al
bert's at his book, | suppose" | re-
marked, when | was asked into the
front parlor.
"No," said Nellie; he's doing some.
thing to Waterbury watch in the
back Been busy all day, Look here"
pointing to an od-fashoned clock
fixed to the wall "He unearthed that
from the lumber room three days ago
1t hasn't been going for ten years
and he's cleaned it, put It in order,
and fixed 1t up as surprise for dad.
It's going splendidly."
or course | didn't mind a little bit
about the book not claiming the boys
attention, SO long as he was occupied
elsewhere | was perfectly satisfied.
We talked about nothing In partlcu
lar for five minutes, then braced my.
self up for the ordeal Nellie was In
the rocker and was on the saddlebag
lounge by her side, 1t was then or
never
Nellie" | whispered, glancing at
my cuff, on which had penciled my
headnes Nellie, have long"
"Whiw!"
She looked up, not at me, but at the
clock, IT'S going to stnke' she said.
"Bongl" The thing had a note like
Big Ben,
81 have long"
Bong" "Better jump in at the in.
teYals' thought |, for anybody would
have needed megaphone to make
himself heard above that din "long
felt that life"
"Bong!" isn't It splendld?" Nellie
smiled,
decided to wait til the awful thing
had finished, Bong bongl bong!
bongl bongl" AZ the eighth stroke |
gave sigh Of rolief and started again.
81 have long"
"Bongi" That's too many" said
Nellie what are you saymg%
"Bongl"
"Bongl"
! was losing patience with that lum.
borroom nnd, II ocoasIoued me no
surprise that the clock was somewhat
erotic after master putlow's atten.
tlons, but that It should seize lust that
particular time to exhibit its vagarlos
annoyed me- Never mind" thought,
ut can't strike more than 12,"
| had altogether mderostImated lts
capabilities When | had counted %
whlms and bongs, Nellie started laugh.
Ing, walked to the door and called to
Albert Sidney
lie came, bringing an odor Of clock
oil into the room,
Something's the matter with that
clocks striking gear" | said, with
forced oalmnoas
Been strlkn' lonRw he asked
"Thota the 3Oth time" anawcrod
as another Bong" s1t all tho man.
tohsholf ornaments dancing,
Albert sidney whlatlod Thought Il
might 40 Ike that" he grlnnod. Good
clocks ofton do Il hasn't suWcI, for
ton yoora, you see, and now II won't
stop I'm ltg done all lle hNek striking "
Great juriterl A lightning calculation
told me that, roughly speaking, $4,000
bongB wore overdue, At ftur 10 the