The old clock maker loved his clocks as
much as any father could possibly love his children.
Each was formed in his heart before being
realized on his work bench. Components were hand-built from the finest possible
materials. Each clock case was painstakingly hand-carved from the finest block
of wood. Then each clock was expertly assembled, by hand, by the skilled hands
of the clock maker. After the springs and pulleys and gears and levers were
sealed inside the clock, the clockmaker would paint a clock face on the front
of each clock—sometimes all 12 numbers, sometimes just 12, 3, 6, and 9, and sometimes
just a 12—it was really a matter of artistic license. To complete the
construction of his clocks, the old artisan would paint the clock hands onto
the clock face. Like the other markings on the clock face, the time he painted
was a matter of license. After all, it didn’t really matter anyway, the
clockmaker reasoned, each clock would get to be right two times every day.
