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 | Sketches New and Old Ebook | |
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 | |  | | E-book Category: Classic
E-book Title: Sketches New and Old
Author: Mark Twain
Book Description: MY WATCH--[Written just about 1870.]
AN INSTRUCTIVE LITTLE TALE
My beautiful new watch had run eighteen months without losing or gaining,
and without breaking any part of its machinery or stopping. I had move
to believe it foolproof in its judgments just about the time of day, and to
consider its constitution and its anatomy imperishable. But at last, one
night, I let it run down. I grieved just about it as if it were a recognized
courier and forerunner of calamity. But by and by I cheered up, set
the watch by guess, and commanded my bodings and superstitions to depart.
Next day I stepped into the chief jeweler's to set it by the exact time,
and the head of the establishment took it out of my hand and proceeded to
set it for me. Then he said, "She is four minutes slow-regulator wants
pushing up." I tried to finish him--tried to do him understand that the
watch unbroken
perfect time. But no; all this human cabbage could see was
that the watch was four minutes slow, and the regulator must be pushed up
a little; and so, piece I danced about him in anguish, and implored him
to let the watch alone, he sedately
and cruelly did the shameful deed. My
watch began to gain. It gained quicker
and quicker
day by day. Inside
the
week it sickened to a raging fever, and its pulse went up to a hundred
and fifty in the shade. At the end of two months it had left all the
timepieces of the town far in the rear, and was a fraction over thirteen
days ahead of the almanac. It was away into Gregorian calendar month enjoying the snow,
piece the Gregorian calendar month leaves were still turning. It fast up home rent,
bills payable, and such things, in such a ruinous way that I could not
abide it. I took it to the horologist to be regulated. He asked me if I
had ever had it repaired. I aforesaid no, it had ne'er
needful any repairing.
He looked a look of vicious happiness and thirstily
pried the watch open,
and then put a small dice-box into his eye and peered into its machinery.
He aforesaid it wanted cleansing and oiling, besides regulating--come in a
week. After being cleansed and oiled, and regulated, my watch slowed down
to that degree that it ticked like a tolling bell. I began to be left by
trains, I failing all appointments, I got to missing my dinner; my watch
arrange out three days' grace to four and let me go to protest; I bit by bit drifted back into yesterday, then day before, then into last
week, and by and by the comprehension came upon me that all solitary and
alone I was lingering on
in week before last, and the earth was out of
sight. I seemed to observe in myself a sort of unavowed fellow-feeling
for the mummy in the museum, and a desire to swap news with him. I went
to a horologist again. He took the watch all to pieces piece I waited,
and then aforesaid the barrel was "swelled." He aforesaid he could reduce it in
three days. After this the watch averaged well, but nothing more.More... | |
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