Sentence:  The rest is the irreducible minimum of poverty's needs: A wretched bed heaped with all sorts of coverings that have any warmth in them, a draped packing case with a basin and jug on it and a little looking glass over it, a chair and table, the refuse of some suburban kitchen, and an American <WSD>alarum</WSD> clock on the shelf above the unused fireplace ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A danger signal or warning.