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STUDY 19

THE DISCONTENTED PENDULUM

An old clock that had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen without giving its owner any cause of complaint, early one summer's morning, before the family was stirring, suddenly stopped. Upon this, the dial-plate, if we may credit the fable, changed countenance with alarm; the hands made a vain effort to continue their course; the wheels remained motionless with surprise; and the weights hung speechless. Each member felt disposed to lay the blame on the others. At length the dial instituted an inquiry as to the cause of the stop, when hands, wheels, weights, with one voice protested their innocence.

But now a faint tick was heard from the pendulum, who thus spoke: "I confess myself to be the sole cause of the present stoppage; and I am willing, for the general satisfaction, to assign my reasons. The truth is that I am tired of ticking." Upon hearing this, the old clock became so enraged that it was on the point of striking. "Lazy wire!" exclaimed the dial-plate, holding up its hands.

"Very good!" replied the pendulum, "it is vastly easy for you, Mistress Dial, who have always, as everybody

knows, set yourself up above me-it is vastly easy for you, I say, to accuse other people of laziness! you, who have had nothing to do all the days of your life but to stare people in the face and to amuse yourself with watching all that goes on in the kitchen! Think, I beseech you, how you would like to be shut up for life in this dark closet, and to wag backward and forward year after year as I do."

"As to that," said the dial, "is there not a window in your house, on purpose for you to look through?"

"For all that," resumed the pendulum, "it is very dark here; and although there is a window, I dare not stop, even for an instant, to look out from it. Besides, I am tired of my way of life; and if you wish, I'll tell you how I took this disgust at my employment. I happened this morning to be calculating how many times I should have to tick in the course of only twenty-four hours; perhaps some of you above there, can give me the exact number?"

The minute hand, being quick at figures, presently replied, "Eighty-six thousand four hundred times.”

"Exactly so," replied the pendulum. "Well, I appeal to you all, if the very thought of this was not enough to fatigue one; and when I began to multiply the strokes of one day by months and years, really it is no wonder if

I felt discouraged at the prospect; so, after a good deal of reasoning and hesitation, I thought to myself, 'I'll stop.'

The dial could scarcely keep its countenance during this harangue, but, resuming its gravity, it thus replied, "Dear Mr. Pendulum, I am really astonished that such a useful, industrious person as you are should have been overcome by this sudden action. It is true, you have done a great deal of work in your time; so have we all, and are very likely to do more; which, although it may fatigue us to think of, may not fatigue us to do. Will you now do me the favor to give about half a dozen strokes to illustrate my argument?"

The pendulum complied and ticked six times at its usual pace. "Now," resumed the dial, "may I be allowed to inquire if that exertion was at all fatiguing or disagreeable to you?"

"Not in the least," replied the pendulum. "It is not of six strokes that I complain, nor of sixty, but of millions."

"Very good," replied the dial; "but recollect that though you may think of a million strokes in an instant, you are required to execute but one; and that, however often you may hereafter have to swing, a moment will always be given you to swing in."

"That consideration staggers me, I confess," said the pendulum.

"Then I hope," resumed the dial-plate, "we shall all immediately return to our duty; for the maids will lie in bed if we stand idling here."

Upon this, the weights, who had never been accused of light conduct, used all their influence in urging the pendulum to proceed. In a moment, as with one consent, the wheels began to turn, the hands began to move, the pendulum began to swing, and, to its credit, ticked as loud as ever. As a red beam of the rising sun streamed through a hole in the kitchen and shone full upon the clock, the dial-plate brightened up as if nothing had been the matter.

When the farmer came down to breakfast that morning and glanced at the clock, he declared that his watch had gained half an hour in the night.

-Jane Taylor.

Exercises

1. Examine the more difficult words in the story and consult the dictionary for meanings, as, instituted, protested, assign, fatigue, harangue, gravity, resumed, excrtion, stagger.

2. Select the figures of speech and humorous touches, as, changed countenance, on the point of striking, holding

up its hands, etc.

3. Make sentences showing the correct use of the following verbs:

[blocks in formation]

4. Read this fable as a reading lesson with lively impersonation and expression.

5. Write from memory the part of the story most interesting to you, recalling as many of the striking phrases as you can.

6. Write the plurals of the following nouns :

(a) Family, inquiry, body, duty.

(b) Day, money, play, clay.

(c) Life, yourself, half, loaf.

Make a rule for the formation of the plural of each of these groups of nouns.

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