Show T 4 an me martha C CA A thornas NEW 5 mry li IM town hau bell zi im an ivilla 1 V sf binders benders had bad no clock b but t a bell in the cv cn if Z pola dole the janitor was wa one ot of those fussy fellows who make a positive creed of 0 doing everything on the dot he kept hla his watch met get rall railroad time consequently when the old man entered the hall in the morning every one know knew it was exactly one minute ol of seven the tha selectmen net met there the offices of 0 the probate ludge judge were on the tha second floor the town hall had to be kept warm when the janitor loft at night tt it was exactly five minutes past six all at six all the tha bell pealed out its lt only ringing for or the day and people set their watches by it old roxton foston bad a cubbyhole cubby hole 6 of f h his I 1 s own where he could rest and when he busy it was the custom on new N ew years tears eve tor for the town hall ball bell to ring out at midnight though many enthusiastic youngsters 1 would have liked to send the joyous clanging out over the roofs of the town old foxton foston would have none ot of it that day he be stayed seventeen hours in the town hall but nothing Is settled or sure even in a small well regulated village one of the youths ho be haj 4 lff coveted the fun of new year 1 4 IM M kell bell ringing held a conference with ith a friend nate have you ever thought said this enterprising young nan man what a joke it would be to have bare the whole town late tor for a dayl his friend cocked up his bis ears its possible for one individual to send bend the lives ot of a thousand people into a tall spin of unpunctuality over a were mere matter of ten minutes they stared at each other a slow grin growing on their faces you pull tho the right lever and then watch in this case the right lever Is ol 01 old d foxton foston they went into a huddle of secret planning at twelve that night they hey were to hold especial celebration they could count on old foxton foston the moment the big bell began to clang that would be the first instant of the first clauta of the new year tear Exact exactly lyl I 1 there was something floe fine and dependable in the thought of old foxton foston they gave care you yon confidence in the human race he was as right as father time himself at one minute ol of twelve where parties were in progress every one stopped t talking a I 1 k I 1 n g they waited expectantly the minute hand crept on to twelve lips were opened in readiness S to shout with th the se off first ringing of the great bell cut but no sound came clanging over the rooftops only the small ulues of their own clocks chiming the hour SILENCE 1 nothing more they believe it for forty years that bell had been rung precisely on the dot the little clock bells ceased their cl chimes aimes the minute hand crept by the hour all the awaited thrill collapsed miserably ill tell you what it Is cried some one were wrong our time la Is fast I 1 they waited at ten minutes past boat athe the hour the big bell sounded its twelve deep notes clocks were set back ten minutes even those people dwake awakened ned from their sleep bleed looked at their watches and set them right with ike belr next nest day confusion reigned often annoying but not serious radio programs were wera tuned la in ten minutes after iret r 81 two 10 solemn 5 youths i unnaturally go grate 6 were m re e exhibiting their watches to this and that u unconvinced cl tizon 1 I 1 but i youre wrong both of you declared every one we wore were all wrong wi we know it because we wa se set pur our cap clocks qs b by v y ehg th midnight oil bau V a 1 I 1 1 33 y faisst surprised eyebrows but wa we 11 they said have correct railroad time nobody in landers Is right but ual us I 1 it came out at last it had to ot of coluse old borton sputtered to hla his wife his wife told a neighbor the news ran like wildfire though inclined to be at first the whole town laughed it came to be considered a capital joke it if never repeated twenty minutes before midnight the janitor in his cubbyhole cubby hole found himself bound and not too roughly gagged ills HIS watch was removed from his bis pocket and held before his eyes the minutes ticked themselves a away w a y until twelve the rd cd man writhed la in his bonds N not a t a sound from tho the steeple rive minutes past ten minutes past the hour then the slow clanging of twelve strokes foxton foston never discovered who kept him in his chair or who rang the bell bandit wise a handkerchief swathed ell all but the eyes of his laller jailer when the last stroke sounded the stranger untied Fox tons arms ile he swiftly left locked the door and threw the key through the transom by tho the time the old man had treed freed himself there so BO much as a sound in the entire building its a good idea lust just the same remarked one solemn youth to another for a person pot to be right all a 0 the time and then they laughed but never told C wera X |