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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1884)
246 THE WEST SHORE. attempt to resuscitate her woro unavailing. She was doad. There were no marks of violence alxut her. Her uJlui u fiunli hiuI life-like; but Home blue spots on her throat were discuvoroil, and it was then thought that my father hod jierhaps dealt foully with her while he was in one of his fits of delirium. But on recovering sensibility ho declared ho had beon suddenly attacked he supposed by roblxirs and ho knew nothing more. He was ar , rested, and the case was tried before the magistrate, but there was absolutely no proof that he hod committed the crbn, He, too, had been seriously injured, and the whole aff.iir was finally dropped, and regarded by many people as the work of a band of clever brigands that in fested the neighborhood, and which, it was surmised, had Home sjiecial grudge against him. My father's first care after the matter had been decided was to start the old clock, the hands having remained in the position they were in on the morning of the tragedy they still indi cated ten minutes past five. For many years the clock had not lieon stopiod for so long a time, and my father for some reason was much exercised because it had been neglochxL He appeared to have now a greatly increased desire to guard it and keep it going, and he watched it with intense solicitude. It had always been astonishingly regular, and it was expected to continue as before when it was again started; but it failed to do so. I was stand ing close to my father's side when he opened the door to touch the pendulum the first time after the mournful tragedy, nnd I olmerved a tremor pass over him. His hand shook as ho reached out to push the rod. When he touched it the clock immodiaUily resumed its regular Nulling, but there was an instant stirring of the musical apparatus, and the deep notes of a requiem vibrated on the air of tlio silent chamber. As the pipes toured forth the melancholy strain my father started back, bowed his head, and remained in this attitude silent as a statue. He won deeply moved. Binee that fatal night ho had changed for the Mter, and not a drop of absinthe had passed his lips, lie was feeble and nervous, but I be lieved he had resolved to abandon his stimulants entirely, 1 prayed ho might have the strength to adhere to his resolution, and it gratified mo to see that the solemn music affected him. The tears rolled down his Dale and haggard cheeks, ami as silently as I could I stole out of the ehaiulior and left him alone. When the next fifth hour chum round the clock stopped at ten minutes past, lo urn greai annoyance or my father, and it continued in lllia WllV ftir lull ituvil uf.tmiiiiff u4 4.... I t - j j it"1 mm nut! jiimi nve as ofUm as it was started, and occasionally playing the rmpiiein. My father washed it with eager anxiety ami WWII Villi" HO MHIII OH 11 StOpiMHl 110 KUrtOtl it Bglllll. He seemed to have a special horror for the Mmition of the hands ut teu minutes jNist five, nnd constantly fearml tl, very thing which Implied -the stopping of the clock ut that hour. Finally ho declared soim-thing must be wrong wiui mo works, ana though wheu the tt,i dayi k'nM ivir iliA oliwL 'ml .... .... 1 11. - "v... v. a unuui, ue umi nu expert mechanician come to ovirhnul it thoroughly. I .ii,i thU man Willi almost breathless iutertst as ho examined the clock preparatory to taking it apart At last I thought I was to know something about this strati j machine which had, since earliest childhood, been such a great mystery to me. Even in my later years I could never conceive by what means the clock contrived to execute its maniford duties, and I followed the mechanic's movements with, as I Baid, almost breathless interest le first took out the pendulum and the weights and then removed a large upper case which enclosed the principal works. This brought to light a square mass of intricate brass and wood work, and numerous wires of copper that seemed to extend to all parts of the case. The time- measuring apparatus was immediately in front, and con nected with it was a series of wheels and cylinders. Next came the long cylinder, with its innumerable little brass pins, which, operating on a key-board, admitted the com- . pressed air from a bellows arrangement into the piiies. The latter were all of fine wood, over seventy in number, of varying size, and constructed with admirable precision. But the strangest part of the machinery was discovered immediately below the pipes. It was a box-like cavity containing numerous sheets of beaten silver attached to copper frames, and Beveral hermetically sealed glass cylinders partly full of different colored liquids. The whole of this was connected by wires with the rollers and wheels adjoining the time apparatus. Besides those curious things, there were on both sides, and also con nected by wires with the rest, a number of parallel rods of copper and zinc. The man refused absolutely to touch anything but the time portion, and this differed very little from that of other clocks of the period except in the excellence of its finish. There was nothing out of order, and the mechanic expressed great surprise that the clock had stopped. He replaced the few wheels ho had taken out and went away. The clock was left to itself. My father appeared to dread the sight of the room in which it was his old bedroom and never slept there. Strangely enough he invariably visited it several times each day to see if the clock was still going. There was never a more faithful time-piece, and as fuithfully did my father now abstain from all intoxicating drinks. With so much energy did he devote himself to his business that it was not long before he began to recover his lost ground. Before three years had passed he was once more in com fortable circumstances, and seemed to have entirely for gotten the dreadful occurrence which had been the cause of his reform. In the fifth year after the tragedy he was in excellent health in the full enjoyment of returning wealth. He had actually begun to pay his addresses to u rich mid hnndsome widow of our neighborhood, when suddenly the old dock Uk another freak and halted at ten minutes past five, thus vividly recalling the melan choly affair of five years before. It was faithfully started, but bohaved precisely as it had behaved the first time, stopping each day at exnotly ten minutes post five. My father wos extremely troubled. He grew pale and hag gard, and was evidently suffering deeply from the un happy memory. He kept to his room and sat long hour with his face buried in. Lis hands, hearing nothing, seeing