The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-04-23

AAS WV
scampering over the winding road,
their metal suits and armor shining in
the sun, their plumes dancing on their
heads, their forms growing less and
less, horses and men passing into a
gradual confusion until they are swal-
lowed up in green wood.
The summer passed altogether too
quickly. September came and my
children, preferring the gayer life of
Berlin, departed and my wife was
obliged to go with them. preferred
to remain a few weeks longer SO l
let them go, intending to content my
self with the companionship of those
who, in my dreams, had centuries be-
fore peopled my castle. But the days
had grown very short in that north
ern region by September and evening
came all too early. did my dreaming
before the mammoth fireplace where
burned great logs, but, though they
blazed and cracked and sputtsred mer-
rily. did not like being alone There
were servants. to be sure, but could
have no companionship with them.
One night a dark cloud came up
over the sea and brought a shower.
was lying In bed and heard the rain
come down for few minutes, after
which all was still again. / was about
dropping off to sleep when my atten-
ton was arrested by what sounded
exactly like the tick of a clock
Could it be the old timepIece on the
stairs?
waited for a repetition 1t was
not second, but what seemed ten
seconds, when it came again. My
heart stood still Was the old ma
chine about to predict the day of my
death2 poohpoohed. There it Is again,
third tick coming after the same in
terval. I tried to recall something In
the old record book mentioning that
the ticks marked more than a second
Of time Nothing was said about this,
but since they were phantom ticks by
pendulum that was not hung and
since the weights were resting quietly
In the bottom of the case an interval
Of one second was not to be expected.
The seconds Of eternity are some
! times centuries IN duration.
Why had l begun to count the ticks?
I would cease to do so. l tried, but
failed. Four, five, six, seven, eight
I was obliged to count them. They
would not permit me not to count
them. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thir-
teen-it was the 18th day OF the
month, and l hoped there might not
be another tick. Then 1t would be no
warning to me. Warningl What
warning? That 1 was going to die
some time during the month between
the 18th and S1st?
Nonsensel
But my heart didn't say nonsense at
all. 1t beat like triphammer.
There 1t fourteen. Now hoped
1t would tick on. If l must die 1
would rather have time for prepara-
ton. l continued counting the ticks.
had to continue counting them--flf-
teen, sixteen seventeen eighteen.
nineteen, twenty.
What was that moan7
Oh, that's the wind, / have heard
that sough before 1t comes from the
current passing in a certain direction
through openings. But how like a
! moan of one in suffering! It's the i'm
agination that is working upon me- I
wish morning would come. But it
won't. The ticks always begin at
midnight, and there has thus far been
but twenty Of them.
Twenty-one, twenty-two-it seems to
me that there is a longer interval than
at first = twenty-three, twenty-four
Surely they are coming to an end
There Is now a long while between
each. Like the breaths Of one dying
1 counted twenty-seven, and there
must have been half a minute before
twenty-eight came. And it was the
last.
Oh, heavensl I'm to die ON the 2sth
Of this month!
What a night l spent. Would that
my castle had been blown up by the
Norsemen centuries ago and had new
er seen it, Two weeks to livel Two
weeks and one day! would telegraph
my wife the first thing in the morning.
Telegraph what? That 1 was to be
licked out of existence by a rusty
clock with no pendulumf How could
do that? Doubtless when light came
again / would feel better about 1t.
And so l did l arose, ate a good
breakfast and got on pretty well till
evening was coming on, when called
my seneschal-a fat, baldheaded Swede
and told him that would take the
evening train for Berlin.
why, Herr, l thought you would
stay with US to the end Of the month";
1.-THE 28th? No. What am talking
about2 1 am going on the first train.
And, Adolph, l wish you to take the
old clock off the stair landing and put
it down in the cellar. Bury it. No,
don't do that. Don't do anything. I'll
write you"
seized my suit case and walked to
the station, though it was two miles.
| wished to put distance between me
and that old clock. What shall l say
when reach Berlin? That I'm sick?
Who'll believe me?
Nobody did. l told my wife what
had scared me away from the castle,
but we kept 1t from the others.
"Why, l always thought you had
such contempt for superstition" she
said.
80 have till see ghost myself
| replied.
thanked heaven when the 2Sth Of
September had passed and still lived.
There is a sequel to this story, but IL
didn't transpire for a long while. One
night when my wife and were at our
castle ii rained. awakened her.
what is it," she asked
1.-The clock Is ticking"
She listened to the first tick. then
turned over and was going to sleep.
"Well?" | observed
THAT'S dripping Of water"
This time the clock licked all night
Demure, but Determines.
A I,,tdo Inaf>e 90 paodocf and da0nuro