Year: 1877




the old homestead, and only waited
for her convalesence to conclude
the operation. Night after night
sat watching the forms and scenes
that pictured themselves in the
glowing wood-coals piled beneath
the great andirons. and thought
and pondered on the mystery OF
old Forbes money. I was con-
vinced that 1t could not have pass
ed out of existence so absolutely
as to leave no shadow or fragment
remaining, but in reply to my
query, "What could have become
Of it" the wood fire only shot its
hickory sparks farther out on the
hearth, and the old clock ticked
solemnly and monotonously along
in its accustomed corner. Though
I had looked the clock all over,
back, front, bottom, outside and in
side, many q time since I had been
master at Oversee, il never struck
me that there was anything un-
usual about 1t, except the little
figure on top, INDUCED in angular
antics with every musical ring of
the mellow hour-bell, until towards
morning of the 26th of January, I
caught myself saying in whimsical
sleepiness, "Is it seven to sixteen
OF sixteen past sevenf" and, some
, how, the prompting figures seemed
to stand out palmer than had ever
seen them before. They were only
a cramped and brownish az" which
was close to the numeral TX, and a
like "16" close to the numeral Y.
1t happened to be exactly quarter
to five, and the scanty hands had
Just placed their points on the
figures.


Did you ever have some slight,
unmeaning, nonsensical idea drop
into your mind and lodge and an
noy you with the persistency Of q
cinder in your eyei Well, that
seven to sixteen chung to me with
like ridiculous pertinacity. All
day saw it and heard of it, next
night dreamed of it, and after be-
ing haunted by the crippled az"
and Grabbed "16" for o week, I
told Ethel of it, and it nearly wor-
ried the life out of the poor, sick
creature, for it seemed to absorb
her thoughts as completely as 1t
had mine.


I convinced myself that the
figures were somehow connected
with the misfortune, and I sevened
and sixteened everything to which
that mathematical combination
could be applied; l added, sub
tracted. and multiplied, and ap-
piled my results to everything
about the place, from the boards in
the floor to the trees in the orchard.
Ethel watched me, feebly interest
ell and amused, but said nothing
in aid or criticism until, one day,
she suggested that maybe was 60
ing wrong altogether.


"Has it not occurred to you"
she asked, "to take the numbers Of
the clock face into consideration :
May not the singularity of their
arrangement have something to do
with the solution Of the mystery 7"


II You will believe me, l heard
that old clock say "seven by nine"
as distinctly as l ever heard any
thing in my life.


Seven by nine and sixteen by
five, Of course it was, and / went
to adding and counting with re-
newed vigor, beginning with my
usual starting point, the Fireplace.
did not believe there was any
single brick there l had not touch
ed, but mechanically began with
the first methodical arrangement
that presented itself. 1t was deep
cavernous affair, with capacity
for full cord of wood such as dis
tinguished the generous house
keeping of our ancestors; its two
sides were built each OF fifteen
bricks from front TO back, and
nineteen bricks from hearth to
mantle. The back ran into chin
ney, and no count could be made
of its construction, aud, for anal
agous cause, the hearth was not
taken into account. To the sides,
for these obvious reasons ] applied
myself, and naturally began with
the sides next to the clock. Six
teen only could he counted up or
down and / counted up; then five