Show how thompsons watch cost him a wife BY WILLIAM BLOSS copyright 1802 by dally daily story pub co I 1 gentlemen ot of the leisure close clam dont carry watches wat chea nowadays said our host thompson dogmatically pausing to light a second cigarette james since coptain barry wishes to toe be exact you may look at the library lock clock and tell him what time it Is it la is striking eight air replied james respectfully as he quietly tilled filled the captains glass j A e was i 0 snug a party of six all lounging over their wine and tobacco after dining regally at bachelor board barry had to catch a train for tit paul at Q 9 p m he wanted to stay just as long as possible abble before summoning a cab to take alim to the depot and upon consult ing bis his vatch for the hour had been elded by forebodings as to the ac curac T of the hands his inquiry as an to the right time had led to the hancs bo fita remark barry flushed a latto as it fell the seemed to his mind super cletlous and barbarously un american barry himself wae was a man of the people end and was proud of it so too waa thompson or had been once 0 what do you mean by gentlemen ot the leisure lel class you gray haired fraud he demanded demand nd in half halt anger do you mean to cay say I 1 am gentle man because I 1 carry a watch and like to know what time at Is when I 1 have a train to make certainly not replied thompson with placidity of course not you are a gentleman because you are a man of education intelligence good breeding and some ancestry 1 huh huhl I 1 grunted the mollified marry what then the but you are not continued ve tte host bost a sent zent leman of the leisure class because you buey yourself with your commercial affair affairs and even at your age continua at my agel age im full five years younger than you are thompson waved the interruption aside as its irrelevant 1 I was going to say that it if you quit business busl nesa and be came a loafer As you have yes as I 1 ha hie ie then you might ac the watch plunged into tao thi chicago river count yourself a gont gentleman leman of the leisure clasi when I 1 wae was a young person continued thompson just beginning life on the board of trade utter leaving ann arbor my uncle jacckson thompson who bad had sent me to school and bad in fact reared me we from boyhood as his own son wt w much ceremony I 1 one day pre pretended tented ins with a time ploce known as an the family clock and told me with moist eyes ores to cherish it aa an the apple of my eye a always to be aa exact and reliable as true to duty us honest aa as industrious as it wax was itself tom eald he you know bow much we thompsons Thomp sons think of this watch it belonged to your great grandfather graid father he lie bought it in liverpool before the revolution and it has been in the family and running too most of the time ever since take it it my boy and remember to live up to its principles 1 1 I vas much affect affected eC naturally faff far I 1 knew know uncle jackson regarded thas watch aa as his treasure I 1 made all sorts of protestations of good be hallor and careful solicitude for the ancient undo uncle jackson went back to bis his michigan farm and I 1 went to work among the bears and bulls here in chicago on the old board the watch as you remembered carroll was an enormous bulls eye and weighed halt a pound easy but I 1 wore it and laid aside my own more modern timepiece the boys used to laugh at it a good deal and got in the habit of asking me what time it was just to see me lug it out and to pretend that I 1 had been selected to decide disputes dispute a as to the exact hour and second and all that sort of nut ance sance you know but I 1 mui much h care uncle jackson could have any old thing he be wanted anted from me we then he was getting old and be he had a bushel of deeda to good michigan land one saturday afternoon hurrying on to the boat going over to visit uncle jackson I 1 took out my match to see if it I 1 had time to run back upon dome some trifling errand I 1 bad had forgotten the ancient chain parted a link the vatch rolled from my iny hand fell upon the gangplank quivered there an in slant t rit and then plunged with a mall cious plunk and gurgle into the chicago river 1 I came near to diving after it ca ej c a it went down so great was my consternation ster nation tion but finally was content to hire two river roustabouts to try to recover it with the promise of a big reward then the boat cast oft ott her lines and aind I 1 started for the lions mouth wondering what kind of a lie would go down with uncle jackson Jack soh he ile always wanted to see the old watch about the first thing 1 when I 1 went over to visit bin him on sunday after deep thought I 1 concluded to say it was in a jewelers ha ids for repairs trusting that my amateur divers would recover it toi tot me by the time I 1 returned perhaps I 1 faltered a little in detail when I 1 told him this tale he ile was very inquisitive about it and it seemed seamed to me unduly suspicious nevertheless ho he affected to believe me and at last I 1 breathed freely then he confounded me again by ty announcing a desire to return with me on monday morning io to chicago As the boat landed my divers met me gleefully at the wharf watch in hand claiming their reward they had recovered tho old turnip at the drat effort I 1 learned atter afterwards ards but they prated much of their desperate des search in the dirty river and insisted upon receiving the promised 50 1 I was caught red handed so to speak uncle jackson took in the situ situation atlon at a single look he lie was very grave 1 I could have excused your heed Ic too tom he said but I 1 hate to have you lie to me dont do it again my son remember the old watch it never told a lie in all its life he its went home that very afternoon wearing a severe countenance I 1 was full of gloom all my worldly prospects hung upon uncle jacksons good will I 1 ahat hat night out of the pure per hersity which makes a man do the wrong thing when ho raould be pur suing only the right one I 1 began a wild opree the first arst and last one of my life it lasted a whole week when it was over my watch had 4 41 jag appeared and t had oo 00 knowledge of its whereabouts at my lodging when I 1 returned 1 I found a telegram two days old from uncle jackson summoning me to michigan it was briel but sum clentry pointed am taken with pneumonia como it 0 once bring the 1 now that have given you a chill there was another com munt cation as well it was irom rom ethel ethel was the girl I 1 was going to marry she said she had bad become acquainted quain ted witt my reckless conduct that ehe she my indifference and that our engagement sir was at an end forever you can imagine I 1 aa as sufficiently as I 1 hurried with my aching head and wretched deatle body to take a michigan central train for the other side of the lake 1 I 1 found uncle jackson wita the finger of death at his throat but his hin mind vaa vas clear enough have you brought the watch he gaped sternly as 1 bent to embrace him 1 I was about td murmur some maudlin excuses but hut he be checked me sharply hie ilia lawyer was present they were awaiting me it seemed my uncle called tor fo his will under it was a clause leaving me at of his modest fortune he lie grimly 1 I reefed the cutting down of this neat sum by the excision of a cipher the will III then gave me instead cf the bito bite thus taken from my plum wan waa given to ethel on condition that she marry my cousin charlie whom I 1 hated with true rancor uncle jackson calmly signed the altered will then he turned his face to the all and quietly departed tor for a better world the story storyteller teller ceased and once havo have you brought the watch be gasped sternly more raised ills ilia half filled glass witt a gesture of invitation ahat bat in the world do you suppose became of the old watch anyway demanded cusack vac poss possessed posses ested cert va 84 inquisitive mind huhl answered thompson when I 1 cot home again min a saloon keeper sant 1 me word ho he had my watch in hia his safe waiting for me he had taken it away from me one night in fear I 1 w would uld lose it while on that couty spree 11 knew its story and wanted to protect me and then then As econ as I 1 got my hands on it again I 1 walked deliberately to the wells street bridge and a second time consigned it to the chicago river its there yet I 1 hope |