Ah Unreliable Timepiece

One night Mr. Oopley's olock suddenly got out of order, :vnd ut midnight it truck six. Ooóley h'appened to be awake, mul when ho heard it ho jiimpod frorn bod, and, lifter routing out Mrs. Oooley, he dtossed himself. Theu he tros sürprisod to iiud tlwt the seryant girl wns not tip, nnd ho waked lier and told hor to make the bont poBsible timo ahe eould and htirry np broakfast. Then the whole finuily carne down utairi wondering how it was (boy feit BO (deepy. But tbey lighted tho gas and bustled ftbont as usual, preparing for tho dny's work. Cooloy's brothor Bill had boon out to a party, and abotit half -past twolvo ho oiinni home. Whon he saw tho liglit in the house he suspected at once that it bad been eotored by butglars. 80 h; oropt up to tho door nnd hstenod. _He oould difttiiftly hedrÖie robbers moving about inside, and lio ooncludëd that he would got a gang of policenieri and capturo thiim. AVin'Io lui was gcne on hia orrand the clook stnick neven, aud Mrs. Oooloy Raid Hhe thought it was queer tlmt it WBS Htill o daik out of doorn. I'rctty Koon ilill rotnrnod with two oflicors, .-ind they determinad to act proraptly and docisively. 15ili unlacked the front door, and as he did so apoJiceraan flred ln's revolver at a burglar ho aaw going thneugh a door rit thoofeher ond of tibe hall. Then tho whole party oponod on tho robber, and ho hroppod, howüng ; and the othei robbers in the back room bogan to Bcrearn. Then Bill rushod np and saw it was Oooley, and ho ascertained that theyellsoamefrom Mrs. Cooley and tho hirod girl. Oooley was shot in tlie leg. Whon bis brotbèr Bill rcoogsnised him ho begon to apologizo, but Cooloy said: - " G'way from horo, you BCoundrel ! I'll have you hung for nmrdering me 1 What d'you rncuu, anylunv? " Bofore Bill oould repiy tlio olock struck eight ; and Oooley said it was au outrage for him to stay out all night and como home shooting at his family at eight o'clockin the morning. Then Bill insisted it was only two o'clock, and the [joliceman said he was right. Cooley bogan then to grasp the situation, and ho was just about to swear at the elock when it struck fifteen. Theu he told Bill to stop that doek or ho would go crazy, and when Bill stopped it, it struck tw(;nty-six. This excited Oooley so much that he seized a chair and fluug ït at the timepicce, whoroupon it promptly struck two huudred and thirtyfour. Then Bill threw it into tho street, where it struck straight ahead xmtil five o'clock, while tho Cooloys and Bill all vent to bod. Mr. Cooley purchased a chronometer on the following Saturday, and forbade anybody to bring a striking clock anywhere near the