The Clockwork Twin by Walter R. Brooks Read Free Book Online Page B

Hank said:
    â€œWell, you see Uncle Ben has invented a new kind of alarm clock. He says that the kind with bells aren’t much good, because people get used to the bells after a while and don’t wake up when they ring. I dunno. What folks want alarm clocks for anyway beats me. What’s the use of getting up unless you have to?”
    â€œWell, but they do have to get up,” said Freddy. “That’s why they set the alarms.”
    â€œSo Uncle Ben says. But I never could see why.… Well, anyway, he’s invented a clock that fires off a firecracker. That ought to get ’em up, he thinks. But the trouble is, when the firecracker goes off, it blows the clock all to pieces. So it isn’t any good now except for rich folks who can afford to have a new clock every morning.”
    â€œYes,” said Freddy thoughtfully. “Yes. But there ought to be some way of getting round it.”
    â€œWhat do you want to get round, Freddy?” said a deep voice, and they turned to see Mrs. Wiggins standing behind them. “My goodness,” the cow went on, “first it’s detecting and then it’s pockets for animals. All this thinking! I don’t believe it’s healthy. What is it now?”
    So Freddy explained.
    â€œWell, good grief!” said Mrs. Wiggins, “if the firecracker blows the clock to pieces, don’t put the firecracker in. That’s just common sense.”
    â€œYes,” said Freddy, “but it’s part of the clock. You have to put it in, or you haven’t got an alarm clock that shoots off a firecracker.”
    Mrs. Wiggins looked puzzled. “You’ve got your argument wrong end to, Freddy. It’s when you put it in that you haven’t got the clock. My stars, if I want to shoot off a firecracker, I don’t swallow it first! Not if I ever want to shoot another.”
    â€œNow don’t you start shooting firecrackers,” said Hank. “One around the place is enough.—Hey, Freddy, what’s the matter?” For the pig, who had been looking thoughtfully at Mrs. Wiggins, suddenly leaped up, shouted: “I’ve got it!” and dashed off toward the barn.
    The others looked after him. “I expect he’s got another idea,” said the cow placidly.
    â€œI dunno where he gets ’em all,” said Hank. “In fact, I dunno as I know what an idea is. I never had any myself, I’m thankful to say. They look kind of unpleasant to me—make you run around and yell. Folks are better without them.”
    But Freddy’s idea carried him up the barn stairs two at a time. On the stool in front of the work-bench was Uncle Ben, his elbows on his knees, his chin in his hands. Freddy could not see his expression because of the whiskers, but his eyes were shut and his forehead drawn together in a deep frown, denoting thought.
    Freddy hesitated a minute, but Uncle Ben did not open his eyes, and the pig tiptoed over to the end of the bench on which lay the plan of the alarm clock that Uncle Ben had been working from. It was a perfectly clear plan. There was the outline of the clock and pictures of all the little wheels, and the wheel that went around when the alarm went off and struck a match that lighted the firecracker fuse. There was the firecracker, too, and Freddy could see where Uncle Ben had erased it several times in order to put it in another place.
    So Freddy picked up a pencil and erased the firecracker again, and then he drew a big firecracker outside the clock and drew a long fuse leading in to where the match was. Then he took the plan over to Uncle Ben and nudged him. And Uncle Ben opened his eyes.
    Uncle Ben was a smart man all right. As soon as he saw the changes that Freddy had made in the plan, he realized that if he had the firecracker go off outside, the clock wouldn’t be blown to pieces. He jumped up and grabbed Freddy and waltzed all around the loft with him and then he got