[Illustration] [Illustration: The Wonder Clock] [Illustration] [Illustration] The WONDER CLOCK OR _four & twenty marvellous Tales, being one for each hour of the day; written & illustrated_ By Howard Pyle. _Embellished with Verses by Katharine Pyle._ _New York_, printed by Harper & Brothers. BOOKS BY HOWARD PYLE MEN OF IRON. Illustrated. Post 8vo A MODERN ALADDIN. Illustrated. Post 8vo PEPPER AND SALT. Illustrated. Post 8vo REJECTED OF MEN. Post 8vo THE ROSE OF PARADISE. Illustrated. 12mo THE RUBY OF KISHMOOR. Illustrated. 8vo STOLEN TREASURE. Illustrated. 12mo TWILIGHT LAND. Illustrated. Post 8vo THE WONDER CLOCK. Illustrated. Square 8vo HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK Copyright, 1887, by HARPER & BROTHERS Copyright, 1915, by ANNE POOLE PYLE Printed in the United States of America [Illustration] PREFACE. I put on my dream-cap one day and stepped into Wonderland. Along the road I jogged and never dusted my shoes, and all the time the pleasant sun shone and never burned my back, and the little white clouds floated across the blue sky and never let fall a drop of rain to wet my jacket. And by and by I came to a steep hill. I climbed the hill, though I had more than one tumble in doing it, and there, on the tip top, I found a house as old as the world itself. That was where Father Time lived; and who should sit in the sun at the door, spinning away for dear life, but Time’s Grandmother herself; and if you would like to know how old she is you will have to climb to the top of the church steeple and ask the wind as he sits upon the weather-cock, humming the tune of Over-yonder song to himself. “Good-morning,” says Time’s Grandmother to me. “Good-morning,” says I to her. “And what do you seek here?” says she to me. “I come to look for odds and ends,” says I to her. “Very well,” says she; “just climb the stairs to the garret, and there you will find more than ten men can think about.” “Thank you,” says I, and up the stairs I went. There I found all manner of queer forgotten things which had been laid away, nobody but Time and his Grandmother could tell where. Over in the corner was a great, tall clock, that had stood there silently with never a tick or a ting since men began to grow too wise for toys and trinkets. But I knew very well that the old clock was the _Wonder Clock_;