These were ideas for stories for a second volume of Clokerish Allsorts. The search continues for whether some of these stories were developed beyond this. The only one of these so far located is part of the first story. this is shown below the list of story plans.
Story Plans
Samuel & Radio clock (Leslie?), with L.E.D. Coo! Pardon me for ticking, says Samuel. Leslie explains he is worked by batteries or can be plugged in;”tethered like a horse” says Samuel; “certainly not mobile like me” interrupts Thomas the travelling clock. “Ignore him” says Samuel,”he’s usually enclosed in his case, he’s just let out because they’re going away.Be quiet!” Angelina thinks it time she stepped in to keep the peace. False radio messages; Mywife doesn’t like electric flashing; Samuel restored.
Reginald the Rolex, left to Householder, very boastful, though Angelina struck; Samuel jealous. Reginald sees himself in Penelope’s class. Taken to Mr. Tickspring for overhaul – a very good fake! Samuel loves Angelina too much to rub it in.
Mr.Tickspring getting on, then Felicity says she’s getting married much to Mr. T’s horror, but she will carry on working. Introduces David who is learning to be Horologist! A foot turns up for Clerkenwell, Mr. T even more worried, – should he tell Mr. Dashabout? David says he is looking for job, could he come to Mr.T, eventually for partnership? Then he could tell Mr.D they wished to keep Clerkenwell for shop emblem. All’s well!
Clerkenwell tells story of time. Ask yourself – don’t talk to myself says upstart clock, – perhaps you should, and tell yourself not to interrupt. See “Time” story.
Sundial. Way back before clockworks. Put in garden, but over- shadowed by growing tree. Puzzle solved by moving to position high on wall.
INTERVAL – A Complete Waste of Time. Nothing to do with clocks, but all about tears, when sad, cross or even very happy or lovely music. Village where everyone miserable, along comes Water Wizard, makes them all burst or dissolve into tears, and all become glasses or little fat jugs or tall thin vases according to what they were like as people. Not very practical, – If you got upset water went everywhere. Along comes Lord who Rules the Water, says why miserable, life like our weather sunny and wet changing very quickly, – be happy! Changes them back into people, so all water has to go somewhere, – becomes river running through village. That place known now as Bourton-on-the-Water.
Thomas the Travelling clock, adventures of.?left behind in hotel.
Mr. Dashabout acquires very old French clock, with costumed figures man and woman standing each side.Owing to fault in the making these two could never agree, so clock very unhappy, and couldn’t concentrate on telling time properly. Taken to Mr. T,very puzzled because he can’t find anything wrong with clock. Clerkenwell realises figures are at cross-purposes, lectures them on getting on. Clock becomes happy, Mr.T puzzled why it suddenly goes, not sure what to tell Mr.D, Felicity (who is not keen on Mr.D) says charge him for overhaul.
And talking of ending, that’s just what these stories are going to do.
—
- Samuel & the Radio Clock.
“He’s not himself,” said Angelina from her stand on the shelf above
the fireplace, looking across at Samuel; “not himself at all.”
Angelina, of course, was not a person, standing on that shelf, she was the little clock in a glass case, with pretty flowers painted on her face,
and Samuel was the round,normally busily ticking alarm clock standing on sturdy little legs on the bedside table on the other side of the room, where he produced a loud ‘ding-a-ling’ from the bell on the top of his head every morning to wake up the Householder. Samuel and Angelina still called the man in the bed ‘Householder’ because that’s what they had originally heard him call himself on the phone; and they still called the lady in the bed ‘Mywife’ because that’s what Householder had called her on the phone.
This was in spite of being told by other clocks who lived in the room that their names were George and Margaret, but as far as Angelina was concerned, she had got so used to calling them Householder and Mywife that she forgot to call them anything else. As far as Samuel was concerned, being Samuel, he still called them Householder and Mywife because he refused to believe any different.
“George and Margaret! Margaret and George! Pinky and Perky” he used to scoff.”Householder and Mywife is what I heard him call himself, and Householder and Mywife they are to me. That’s what he said. That’s straight from the horse’s mouth, as they say, though I can’t say he looks much like a horse to me. I should say he’s got more the look of a camel.”
Now, Samuel,” Angelina would say, “you mustn’t be rude about these people. After all, they do look after us, and keep us wound up,and he’s very good and always gets up when you tell him it’s time.”
“Oh, I’m not being rude,”replied Samuel; “it’s just that to me he’s got a bit of the supercilious look of a camel.”
“What’s supercilious?” asked Angelina.
“I’m not sure,” admitted Samuel; “but it’s a lovely word, isn’t it?
And a camel has got such a proud and haughty look, and really he’s a rather moth-eaten animal with old fluffy slippers just used for carrying about people and luggage. So I should think it’s something to do with being super-silly. – And they’ve always got the hump'” he added.
But this morning it was Samuel who had got the hump.
Angelina approached the subject.
“Samuel,” she said, “You’re not yourself to-day. What’s wrong?”
“Oh?” said Samuel rather crossly; “Who am I?”
“There you are! There’s no need to snap my face off,”said Angelina.
“And that’s not like you. So what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, Angelina, I didn’t mean to sound cross,” Samuel apologised.
“I’m just a bit worried, that’s all.”
“What is it this time?” Angelina was always a little surprised that Samuel, who was such a cheery, busy sort of clock, should sometimes see things to worry about that never happened.
“I think they’re looking for a replacement for me,” said Samuel unhappily.
“Oh, come along, Samuel, come along!” said Angelina, rather impatiently. “Remember, you thought this once before. You were going to be put in a case in a drawer, because they were going to get a Teasmade.”
“We had this before,” said Samuel deliberately.”I was going to be put in a drawer in case. And they did put me in a drawer. And they did get a Teasmade. So it’s all very well saying ‘Come along, Samuel, come along,’ but what if Householder should come along with some sort of clock to take
my place, what’s going to come along then?”
“Well, what’s made you think they are going to come along with something?” asked Angelina.
“Well,” said Samuel,” the other night Householder got into bed holding a catalogue with pictures in it, and he showed it to Mywife and said ‘What about something like that?”
“Something like what?” put in Angelina.
“I don’t know; I couldn’t quite see. I tried to give a ring on my bell
so that he’d come over to my side and I might get a look, but he didn’t hear me.But I’ve got an idea it’s something electronic.”
“And what did Mywife say?” asked Angelina.
“She said: it could be an idea.”
“Oh, Samuel!” exclaimed Angelina. “You don’t know anything about women, do you? Haven’t you realised that that’s what Mywife says every night when Householder wants to talk, and she wants to go to sleep? She always says:’It could be an idea’, and turns over and goes to sleep.”
“She didn’t go to sleep this time,” grumbled Samuel. “In fact I think she said ‘A good idea, dear. A good idea, dear, dear,dear.”Samuel was so upset he got all mixed up with his ‘dears’. And he said ‘Yes, I think I’ll look out for something.”
“You think so, Samuel;” said Angelina, trying to reassure him.”But you don’t know. It hasn’t happened yet. – It may never happen. Just let’s wait and see.”
So they waited.
And they saw.
A few evenings later Householder came into the bedroom with a cardboard box.