CHAPTER VIII 



"Tick-Tock" Talk 



ON our return the old clock is wig- 

 wagging away in its accustomed 

 place just as on the day we left. It 

 has one virtue not possessed by the 

 fire-place; it is always alive and ticking. 

 The hearth cheers only when the tem- 

 perature outside permits or demands 

 its use. At other times it is a purely 

 negative blessing, loved and valued 

 for faithful service rendered in the past, 

 and prized and longingly regarded for 

 its potential powers and latent pos- 

 sibilities. But the clock will talk to 

 you at any time, and those who have 

 ears to hear its calm and even-tem- 

 pered comment will find it oftentimes 

 dispensing very sound philosophy. It 

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