Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1908-04-09
WHEN ALBERT
PROPOSED
He Tried 1t at the Wrong Time.

est brOther-Albert Sidney PutlOw-
is boy who will one of these days
| come to bad end.
To know Albert Sidney-to know
him thoroughly-is an education in ju-
penile depravity, lesson in tabloided
| fiendishness. He's right enough super
| ficially, 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. I'll tell
you in what circumstances.
For very good reasons l wished to
secure freedom from Albert Sidney's
attentions on the evening in question
l felt, somehow, that the task of ask
isg 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 cloclwork mouse line.
Master Putlow, | may tell you, is
prodigy in a mechanical direction
When other small boys are learning
to play football he is fiddling 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
I'll have none of him." thought
and during the afternoon sent around
with my best wishes for happy
Christmas, book calculated to keep
any other nine-year-old boy as quiet
as an oyster till each of it's $40 pages
had been dogs cared as black as coal.
In the evening l called round. Mel
lies father and mother were, as
expected, out on Santa Claus excur-
sion to their married daughters al
bert's at his book, | SUPPOSE" | re-
marked, when l was asked into the
front parlor.
NO." said Nellie; hes doing some
thing to a Waterbury watch in the
back. Been busy all day Look here"
pointing to an oldfashioned 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 it up as a surprise for dad.
It's going splendidly"
Of course didn't mind a little bit
about the book not claiming the bows
attention. So long as he was occupied
elsewhere | was perfectly satisfied.
We talked about nothing in particu-
| lar for five minutes, then braced my
self up for the ordeal Nellie was in
! the rocker and l was on the saddlebag
lounge by her side. 1t was then or
| never.
Nellie" whispered glancing at
my cuff, on which had penciled my
headings. Nellie, l have long"
"Whirr!"
She looked up, not at me, but at the
clock. It's going to strike" she said.
Bong" The thing had note like
Big Ben.
Il have long"
| Bong" Better jump in at the in
teryals," thought |, for anybody would
have needed megaphone to make
himself heard above that din long
felt that life"
| Bong" Isn't it splendid?" Nellie
smiled
decided to wait till the awful thing
had finished Bong! bong. bong!
bong! bong!" At the eighth stroke |
gave sigh of relief and started again.
II have long"
"Bong!" That's too many said
Nellie. What are you saying?"
Bong"
| "Bong!"
| | was losing patience with that lum.
ber-room find. 1t cccasioned me no
| surprise that the clock was somewhat
erratlc after master Putlow's atten-
| tons, but that it should seize Just that
particular time to exhibit its vagaries
annoyed me- Never mind" thought,
1t can't strike more than 10"
| had altogether underestimate its
capabilities. When | had counted 81
whirrs and bongs, Nellie started laugh.
ing. 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 l said, with
forced calmness.
Been strikin' long," he asked.
That's the 39th time" l answered
as another Bong set all the man
| tel-shelf ornaments dancing.
Albert Sidney whistled. Thought II
might go like that" he grinned. Good
clocks often do. 1t hasn't struck for
ten years, you see, and now it won't
stop till it's done all it's back striking. )"
Great Jupiter! A lightning calculation
told me that, roughly speaking, 500 900
bongs were overdue. At four to the.
minute it would be some time in April
4 before that awful clock was up-to-date
Il think I'll be going" | sasped
deciding on postponement. and on
the 18th stroke, | shook hands With
Nellie. glared murder at her brother
and hurried Off
At the bottom of the steps |
stopped to shake my fist in the me-