The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, July 23, 1902, Image 6
ttioldehht
ay
Ccpjrirtkt by B
CHAPTER VL
Continued.
Luncheon over. I sought to create a
diversion by reminding my uncle of
bis engagement to examine the Holdenhurst
deeds. He seemed very pleased
with my attention to bis wishes, and
at once followed me Into the library,
my father and the other two guests
adjourning to the drawing-room. It
was then I learned that uncle Sam
bad been in the library with my father
In the morning, and had looked
through some of the deeds. He spent
the whole of the afternoon In com*
nloHnv hla AT?inln*?tnn rtf thpm. tfllk
log to me on various subjects meanwhile,
and amusing me greatly with
bis blunt candor and bis unsparing
criticism of village communities in
England. His strictures upon the
Rev. Mr. Fuller were no less amusing
than severe, and mj sides ached so
much from continued laughter that I
was much relieved when at last he
rose and said:
T rn #lr\r\A Po.
A. uric* UJJ ?A/,? I * UU IV uvuv. *?V
place them carefully where you took
them from, until I send your father a
steel safe worthy to contain them.
They are very interesting and ought
to be carefully preserved if only for
their historical interest By-and-bye,
your father told me just now that he
has invited yet another parson to dine
here this evening?the Vicar of Holdenhurst
Minor. You know him, of
course."
I replied that I knew him very well
Indeed.
"I would rather be 91 war with
twenty brokers, for a. vetr." continued
ancle Sam. "than talk with a parson
for an boor. In a small company It Is
impossible to ignore an individual
member of It, and I could never listen
to anything from a parson without replying
to it?except in cburcb; and I
tune often been tempted to do so
tb^re. I am afraid I shocked your
father somewhat at luncheon; though.
Goodness knows, I said nothing either
untrue or unreasonable. I speak as I
think, and hope always to do so. However.
I Intend to be as reserved as my
nature will permit at dinner to-day."
This declaration waa a distinct relief
to me. though in no case should I
have much feared a meeting between
my uncle and the Rev. Evan Price.
The Vicar of Holdenburst Minor
iraa a youthful bachelor, and enjoyed
an Income of ?00 a year. There being
no vicarage in the pariah, the reverend
gentleman lodged 'with a farmer,
wboae two daughter* made it the chief
business of their Uvea to please him.
Indeed, the competition among the female
community of Hohlenburrt Minor
and thereabout* for the smiles of the
Rev. Evan Price was very keen, a
condition of affair* to which til* rover.
end gentleman owed many substantial
benefits. Probably no man in England
was better provided with slippers
than the Rev. Evan Price; and there
was a rumor tbat bis name was recorded
in tbe last will and testament
of at least one wealthy old maid. Tbe
amallness of bis Income was balanced
by his popularity, whlcb was based
opon his fine atbletic appearance, bis
affable manner, bis skill as a cricketer,
and tbe brevity of bis sermons. He
bad a great mjmy friends and no enemies,
and on leva tbi:n a hundred a
year contrived to live better than
many another man with an income ten
times as large.
CHAITER VII.
COBSTAXCK U\R&H.
Tbe visit of my uncle and aunt to
Holdenburst was soon ended. Uncle
8am tried bard to induce iny father
and me to accompany Llm to London
- for a few weeks, but fatl*er would
not consent to such an arrangement.
Several farms on the estate bad been
for a iong time without tenants, and
we were working them ourselves bj
the aid of a steward. The tirst week
or April bad now arrived, and my
father did not feel himself justilied in
leaving the place. He agreed, how
ever, that 1 should go to Loudon witl
my uncle and aunt and remain theii
guest for three weeks, <t being furthei
arranged that on the termination oi
my stay in towu 1 was to take mj
father's place at Holdenhurst, whih
he, in his turn, visited his brother
that our interests iu Suffolk migbi
not "i>e left entirely to the care of Ue
pendents.
The liberality of uncle Sam aston
Ished everybody with wboui he cutu<
Into contact during his stay in Suf
folk, and it would exceed the limit
of this chapter to recite his benefactions.
but It is essential to the purpos<
of these memoirs to refer to a few o
the more remarkable
In addition to clearing off (he larp
mortgage upon tbe HoJdenbnrst ei
late be paid to tbe credit of toy fatb
er*s banklug account do le?s a #uu
tnan ?5000, "for presert use." as h
said. He advocated tbe laying wast
of every furiu in botb tbe Holdea
bursts and cor verting tbe entire estat
Into a lar^e park. "Tbat done," sail
be. "and tue ball thoroughly repairei
and partly refurnished, tbe place wll
be worth living in for six or eigb
weeks In each year."
To tbe tfrst of these proposals m;
iwwit ucuiui-u 10 ugrw, wuereupoi
ancle Sam remarked that be c-onsld
ered bim a fool, tot tbe proposal t
? renovate tbe ball wo accepted. An;
antavorable impression which unci
Sam migbt bare created on tbe mini
of tbe Rev. Mr. Poller at tbeir firs
meeting was speedily removed wbei
next tbey met. and my ancle an
Bounced bis intention, if permitted b;
his brother, of restoring tbe chord
of Holdenhurst Major, an ancient edi
flee mocb decayed. Tbe necessar;
permission being at once given, and
flam said be would bate the cburd
examined by an cctoclaailcaJ archi
t
i'cgfe-i'lHallj' I
8
ft NoorL D
/ALTER* BLOOMFIELD o
s
r
orxiT Boim'a So*?. a
tect, and order the restoration to be p
made at once. MI don't suppose the t
i job will cost more than ?1000 or d
' ?1500," Mid he, whereat Mr. Fuller a
dropped his lower jaw on his white s
I tie. aghast at the presence of a man n
I WOO COU1U IBIS SO m il J Ot BUUJ ?OiK?
, sums of money.
i Tbe moment of our departure having c
: arrived onr comfortable old carriage, s
drawn by a pair of greys, stood ready n
at the door, old John?among wliosc p
duties was numbered that of a coach* >
man?sitting on the box. As uncle tl
Sam, aunt Gertrude, my father and I I
passed through the hall my uncle hes- !i
itated and stopped. "Where are tbe b
servants?" he asked, and being told a
they were in the kitchen be desired e
them to be called. Our entire domes- o
tic establishment, consisting of four b
women and a boy, responded to the in- n
vltatlon. Hastily giving two sover- k
elgns to each of the women and a half tl
sovereign to the boy be stayed not to s
bear their thanks, but banded bis wife n
into the carriage. Uncle Sam and I e
followed, the driver cracked his whip b
and the horses walked slowly down e
the path as we waved our hands to t
my father, who stood outride the
house in the porch. p
Tf TP** iflmo mlnntea hpfnrc thp hall li
was lost to our view, and to the last v
moment It teemed to engage my on- C
cle'a attention. "There, Gertie." said v
the, pointing to the old house from s
which we were now rapidly receding, p
"to think that It was a mere accident t
?a woman's feeble will?that saved n
me from spending my life In that o
placer 11
I was surprised and not altogether v
'pleased at bearing my home?where li
no effort had been spared to make our t
guests comfortable?spoken of in this a
contemptuous manner, but concluded
from my uncle's munificence that he f
was an* extraordinarily rich man. ac- a
1 customed to the best of everything t
the world could supply, and conse- c
quently quite out of his element In a h
Suffolk village. r
"Don't you think, Sam, the antl- v
quated appearance of the old ball will d
suffer from tbe repairs you are going a
to maker asked aunt Gertrude. c
"Not a bit In tbe world. The main li
structure won't be Interfered with." a
MI think I xrfluid prefer it at it is. If to
lb were mine."
"Ail old place* have to be repaired? 1
some of them pretty much and often." t:
said uncle Sam. selecting a cigar from a
his cats. MI don't doubt but Queen a
Anne would have some difficulty In ?
recognising Windsor Castle if that It
lady could come to life again to look at
it; it Is continually being patched, tl
As for Westminster Abbey. I question c
if a handful of the original structure f
remains. A small snuff-box would g
contain the -dust of all the Pharaohs.
Everything substantial is transient <]
and passes away. Human nature v
alone is unaltered and uoalterable. u
Consider that parson Fuller. Two i
days ago he could hardly disguise his D
horror of me; yet when I offered to re- c
store Holdcnhurst Church did you no- a
tice how bis tongue fell out of his 3
inoutb as if he wanted to lick ivy e
boots on the spot? I suppose the poor v
chap hopes for a commission from the j
contractor. Well. I'll see that he'fi not n
disappointed." " i.
"8am, Sam. bow 70a <lo talk," said v
his wife reprovingly; then turning to e
me as I sat silent with folded arms. ^
"I am afraid. Ernest. It will take you T
some time to understand your uncle. c
He's awfully cynical, but those who n
know him best like him best." s
I forget what answer I made, but ..
1 certainly 1 was not disposed to converse
much. The novel experiences of ^
the last few days, and speculations as ^
to my visit to London engrossed my {
thoughts. Though I had more than
completed nineteen years of life I bnd
s'.'en little or nothing of tbe world.
Eleven of those years bad been passed
in a school at Bury St. Edmund's, with
the exception of the Interval between
Friday night and Monday morning ?
each week, which was spent at home.
During the school holidays my father ;
had been accustomed to take me with j
him to the seaside?Lowestoft. Yar- j
mouth. Aldboroucb. or some other of j,
the summer resorts on the east coast r
-and occasionally to London. My ac- j
quaintance with the world being c
comnrised within these narrow limits. ,
f and tluj present being the first occa
nion on wh|ch, In tbe ordinary sense of
phrase. I bad left home. I was
moved to contemplation. Particularly
! did I regret my defective education?
defective because of the idleness of
i lay nature and my love of reading poe
try and fiction. I had been well and
e carefully taught, but was never able
f to acquire more than a smattering of
Latin, lireek and French, insufficient
tf to enable me to read with interest a
r book io any of those languages. Engi
lisb I bad mastered fairly well, and
j developed some facility in its compoe
sltion: while for mupic it was acknowle
edged that 1 had move than ordinary
i- ability. 1 was painfully conscious t
e that my mental equipment was a very j
J poor one. and wondered whether my j
J uncle would keep much company dur- (
it in- 1.1? nfor In Vntflnml wKa* n/
11 >Ufi UiO PM?/ *** MW^IHUU, nuai CVIi V* ^
t people Lis friends were. aud in "wbat j
manner they would regard a young ,
f gentleman of aocb slender attainments j
Q as mine.
I- Both my uncle and aunt endeavored ,
o to make me talk, but they were not
y very successful in their efforts, and j
e little more was said before our car- ,
d riage passed rapidly through North- j
t rate street, wary sl tumuau s, auu (
a dashed into the station yard there. ,
i- Uncle 8am was the first to alight ,
y "See to your aunt and the luggage
b there, Ernest," he said, and lhcn ran ,
1. np the stairs three steps at a time. j
y "lie is always like this when we
e start on a Journey." observed annt
b Gertrude, aa I assisted her oat of the <
U carriage. "We hare tern or twalv* '
;s. "... . -
statutes to spare, and during that tlms
ie will despatch at least that number
f telegrams. I bare never known blm
o content himself so long without
us in ess as during his stay at youi
ouse."
The luggage had been labeled and
?ut Into the brake, my aunt and I
rere comfortably ensconced in oppo?
ite corners of the first-class compartaent
which had been specially re*
erred for us, and the train began to
aove out of the station before uncle
am emerged from the telegraph
ffice. But he was equal to the occa*
ion. Jumping lightly into the carlage
he shut the door with a slam,
nd seated himself as far from us as ,
osafble. Begging his wife to enteraln
me as well as she could, he prouced
a^large pocketbook and pencil,
nd at once became engrossed in some
tudy, no* did" he again open his lips I
iftll we reached London.
The changeful weather?exhilarating
unshlne alternating with gloomy
loud* from which descended heavy
bowers of rain ?greatly Interested
iy aunt, who for my edification comared
the climates of England and
forth America as our train sped
brougb the low-lying Essex meadows.
?lke most Americans vbo visit Engind
she was uncomfortably affected
y the chilly dampness of our climate,
nd visibly shivered, though she was
nveloped In a thick wool rug. Though
ur acquaintance had been so brief, I j
ad developed a very real regard for
iy youthful American aunt, whose
indly consideration and uniform genleness
excited my admiration. As I
crutinlzed her delicate features I (
oted their wistful expression, nnd 1
xperienced a feeling akin to pity for 1
er?for I Instinctively felt there could :
xist no bond of sympathy between
bis gentle lady and her husband.
No other part of England is so deressing
as the horrid region between
tomford and Liverpool street through !
rhich the Great Eastern Hallway |
Company conveys Its London-bound
ictlms. Between those places the <
enses of sight, hearing and smell are i
TOMly outraged, and when the unorrunate
traveler finds himself once
lore on terra firma be staggers like
ne awakened from a nightmare, his
imbs stiffened by the close packing to
rhlch they have been subjected, and
is mind and stomach disgusted by
he abominations he has seen and
niffed.
It was with great relief we alighted
rom the train. A splendid carriage
waited us, into which we at once enered,
our luggage being piled u]x>n a
ab which was to follow. Dark clouds
ad gathered in all around, and the
ain descended In torrents as to drove
restward out of the city. At a few j
linutcs past 5 p. m? nearly four hours
f ter we left Uoldenburst Ilall?our .,
arriage turned out of tbe main road ,
ato De Vere Gardens, Kensington,
nd drew up In front of my uncle's
louse there. ,
It was a targe bouse, furnished as
uxuriouBly as possible, Illuminated '
brougbout by electricity, tbougb bere
nd tbere was an oil lamp wblcb shed
subdued tlgbt on the objects around.
!very thing In tbe place seemed absoitely
new?as 1 have no doubt It was
-and tbe best of its kind obtainable,
tie evidences of wealth on every band
ontrasting strongly wfth my comortable
but unpretentious home In
Suffolk.
The footman bad just closed the j
oor after admitting us. and I was de- :
outly hoping that I might neither see :
or be seen by my aunt's sister before j
had had an opportunity of making ;
ayself tolerably presentable?which
ould certainly not be the case with ;
ny one Immediately after a seventy\e
mile journey on the Gre# East- |
rn Railway?w ben the younf^lady of )
rhom I was thinking tripped lightly i
own me tunrs, auu iuru?mg ut-i |
rins around my aunt, embraced ber .!
j a manner which drove me wild I
ritb envy. Tbe next minute, bow- i
ver. Mira Afarsh was herself seized j
y uncle Sam, who held ber gently but j
nth an Iron grip while be gave ber |
sore kisses tban 1 bad pretence of j
.sind to count. Wben at length be de* |
isted, be pointed at me. Faying,
There, Connie, my pet; I have j
rought you home tbe husband I prom* j
?cd you. Wbat do you think of him? |
-ooks innocent, don't be, Con;" Then, ;
urning to bis wife, "Suffolk boys
aake (he best husbands In tbe world, j
b, liertrude:"
To be continued. _ , ^
Bow the Razor Should Do "Stroked."
A Berlin cutler has Just put a four- !
ided "Chinese" razor-strop on the 1
market. Instructions for the use of |
he strop are printed on the case in
iluglisb. French and German. The I
English "direction," as It is termed, i
s not inelegantly phrased: "Stroke the
azor by applying the back and edge
latt. Is the razor yet a little sharp, in
rder to give it a sharp edge stroke it
>n side 4. when tbe razor gets blnuter,
troko It G or S times on side 3, and
hen as often on side 4. Is ibe razor
juite blunt stroke it on side 2. G or 8
imes. and then as many times on sides
> aud 4. Side 1 makes disappear the
taps and notches. The sides 2 and 3
laving been used, then wipe of the
azor clean, before stroking on side 4,
is this side (No. 4) must be kept
luite clean. That then the razor strop
*? not blamed if It does not succeed
o the desire by reason of faulty
isage."?London News.
Fran Station to Money.
There Is. or rather was, years ago
tills city, a gentleman who did a
hriving business in mutton in the mar;et
district, and was well known to
lucdreds of |>eoj>le as a bright and
>rijrinal sort of man. Another man,
rho had not seen him for nearly tweny
years met him a short time ago.
ind after inquiries as to his health
isked if be was in the same business.
"Oh. no." was the reply. "I'm pretiding
now.''
The man who was inquiring about
Jim was realty pieaseu uy mm answer,
ind remarked that he presumed It wa9
Ltis ignorance, bat he must admit ho
lerlved bo idea of his business from
the statement that the former martfet
man "was presiding."
"Why." he replied. 'T mean that I
ltn a president?president of a bank
in Cambridge."?Boston Itecord.
The State wlilch produced the largest
?orn crop last year was Illinois, with
M7.000.000 bushels.
' T i - I a
. - *
| Twentieth-Celtur
WITH the achievements of ^
tbe nineteenth century jet e:
fresh in mind, only the ex- o
treme o? perversity would f
1m? npt to declare that anything is impossible
in tbe prospective achieve- c
mints of tbe twentieth. It is not alone
that the logically Impracticable has
been proved the actually feasible la
instance after instance within our recollection.
but that the process of elaborating
and perfecting an Invention Is,
in these days, so rapid that public interest
is given no time to flag, from
the moment when the theory is first
promulgated until the thing itself Is an
established fact An illustration of
this rapidity of development is furnished
by the wireless telegraphic system
of Signor Marconi, the progress of
whose experiments has been so steady
and so speedy that, from first to last,
he hns been almost continually in the
public eye. At no stage of his proceedings
have the scoffers been able to
f?!rir intn nrint with their ridicule
k V M
anil hostility before his announcement
of another proof of his theory's practicability.
an additional experiment, or
a further success.
In quite another field of modern
science, however?that of auto-locurootion?it
must have appeared to casual
observers that, in this country at least,
the inventors have recently come to a
practical standstill, with their task but
Imperfectly done at best. There is. It
may frankly be said, not a motor carriage
in existence to-day which is not
far from being a complete solution of
tbe problem, nor has there been, during.
say, tbe last two years, that advance
in development which the possibilities
of tbe time, as illustrated, in
other directions, by the performances
of Monsieur Santos-Dumont or Signor j *
rOCBIXG-CARBIAOE FOB CSE 15 AFBICA. |,
Marconi, would lead as to expect. But 3
these are surface iudicatious only. The 1
activity of inventioo Is there, below tj
the surface, and great changes are 0
near. 0
What is difficult for au American to *
understand Is that, for once. In a com- r<
petition demanding a combination of e
scientific research, mechanical skill 8
and practical ingenuity, tbe Yankee inventor
bag been outstripped at, if not b
absolutely from, tbe start, by alien 1
rivals. It is not often tbat tbe crow P
of the French cock can drown tbe T
scream of tbe American eagle, but, so
far as auto-locomotion is concerned. v
we have been fairly and squarely beat- e
en. and may as well admit it grace- a
fully, and turn our attention to what 0
the French are doing, with an idea of 0
profiting thereby, rather than to be 0
dying off at tangents without rhyme ~
or reason, oftentimes merely to repeat,
it the cost of time, capital and labor,
experiments which such men as De
Dion. Panhard. Girnrdot. Fournier or
Cbarron have proved impracticable.
Tb' >ject of the French automobile
. i.s commoner forms has been
too exhaustively treated iu the American
reviews to make it advisable to go
into the question here. What is of |
more interest at the moment is a brief
comment upon the directions in which
the fantastic, though far from unpractical,
imagination of French inventors
is turning, now that the perfection of
the automobile, as a racing or road
carriage, is. to all interns and purposes.
merely a question of time.
While Paris?and. for that matter. 1
practically all France?is on terms of
but casual acquaintance with ice and
snow, the present close relation of 1
French and Russians has naturally t
turned the minds of Parisian inventors ?
nrriril tho rules t inn nf nud I
cuto-sleigbs. In a rudimentary form,
tbe auto-sled has been for some time
an actuality. It was a feature last
winter on the Neva it St. Petersburg,
but. it must be confessed, as j>oor an
affair, when compared with the sleigh
which lias been buiit by a French inventor
for one of the Iti ss.an grand*
dukes, as would have b?en Fulton's
flr^ steamboat contrasted with a
steam-yacht of to-:lay. The crandduke's
auto-slcigh is an actuality as
well, though not till now made public.
It is a thins of beauty, too. designed 1
and executed in the style of Louis XV. 1
But tbe auto-sleigh is by no mer.ns <
designed to be simply the toy of a '
grand-duke. If tbe IIou?e of Savoy <
is not destined to bo crowned wiih 'be j i
glory of the discovery of the north 1
pole, it will not be the fault of one of J
its younger princes. That royalty is 1
i
TttT GYPSY LITE ?
CLD ANP NCW
??
only partially typical of conservatism <
is evinced by the fact that in tne
bands of the same French inventor the
prince in question bae placed a snm
too large for even An entbosiast to '
^Automobiles^
: )
raste on a chimera, to be expended In
xperiments and In the construction
f an auto-sleigh to be used in a dash
or the pole.
But -while Italy is preparing to skim
iver the ice-pack in a miraculously
' v . /yU:
' .4/.' ,V ///f '
av'- * ' / Z.{
wift and powerful machine. Fiance
erself proposes to make the interior
f Africa as accessible as her own !
iland towns, by means of huge tour:g-carriages,
built of aluminum,
baped like a submarine boat, water
igat. ana a Die 10 uurigaiv ntcm ao
eadily as to run on land. The ealcultions
by which our French inventor
rrives at the po:ential practicability
f mch a machine, for use. Fay. in the
ahara, are as ingenious as they are
itricate, being based primarily on the
reiglit of a camel and his burden comJned.
per pound to the square centljetre
of surface represented by the
cro feet which, in walking, rest slmulineously
on the ground. It Is. of
ourse. common knowledge that hard
r high-pressure tires assure greater
peed as well as greater ease over firm
02H18, wnne SOU or ueuaieu urrs aic
qually effective in traveling through
and. A calculation proves that tlie
our great tires of tbe (lexer: autoinoile,
when deflated, give several times
he area cf the camel's Icet, making
osslhle a proportionate increase in the
reight to be carried.
This desert machine, as It will appear
rben completed for the use of French
xplorcrs and engineers, will be a huge
ffair of tremendous power, capable
f three separate and distinct methods
f auto-locomo:ioD. In addition to tbe
rdinary action of the motor upon the
rofoszd acto-sleigh fop. the polar
regions.
lriving-wheels, there is a means of
browing the power onto another
lut eh, operating directly upon a profiler
at the stern. The mac-bine, as
ve bave said. Is water-tight, and the
ront wheels differ from the ordinary
n that the spokes arc replaced by
llsks of aluminum. As a result, they
jot only serve to steer the automobile
vheu on laud. but provide an effective
udder while alioat. There is. in addlion.
a powerful sail, for use in a favorng
wind; the wind is counted upon in
be case of the arctic automobile as
ivell, it being titled with a lee outright*.
Finally, this desert-tour;ng machine
jas a capstan in front, on which the
Motor can at any monnnt be made operative.
enabling it. with a chain and
inchor. to lift the car up unusually
steep inclines, or drag it. when in use
is a boat, against the swiftest rapids.
More than .'.uytbing else, if sounds like
- ? f - / \f .
i chapter rroin mc propuesn.* ui -?n.
H. B. Wells. this prospect of aluminum
A.* ?
V ' l* r ?>,. ? ,
? * *-\il i ^
r* i V. mtyy v<^. i,.
caravans flying across the deserts,
plunging over lakes and rivers, and
bringing stores of gold, frankincense
and myrrh, ivory, spices and scented
wood* to the borders of civilization in
leas time than a eamel reqolrec for i'
single day's joarney. Indeed, the cam i
ell and the borders of civilization alik? :
will soon be things of the past, if aO I
this be possible. And we are told no' I
only that It la possible, bat that it ii ,
imminent, and these are no days it i
which to doubt assertions of the kind j
So long ago aa the French Automo j
bile Show of 1900 there was exhibited j
in the Grand Palais des Champs Ely j
Fees, an enormous touring-car, with i j
dinner table completely set for eight I
persons. At the time it seemed a fan ,
/\EAVY- DRAUGMT
AUTOMOBILE
. *''-.? V*'? ^ <-* *r
rv,v. .; I
wt. 3. IVH 2si?3wv.? i
______^?_____1
.
tactic affair, and. in all probability, I
"for exhibition purposes only." Yet j
now it is known that the King of the j
Belgians already bas such an auto-car, I
only on a scale even more elaborate- i
a car with a state-room, saloon, kltcb- J
cn and office. It is likely to be the ,
onJy one of its kind, for an appreciable ;
time at least. As the builder said, bis :
Majesty is not desirous, in the first '
year of possession, to mH others on j
the road, no doubt filled with Ameri* j
cans. Therefore, up to this time, the
plans, even the appearance, of th? j
King's car have been kept secret.
Sucb are a few of the potentialities j
AUTO SLEIGH BUILT FOB A KCSSIAH
GBAND-DCKE.
of tbe automobile. Tbe French In*
ventor and manufacturer with whom
we have been speaking is confessedly
the final authority among bis compatriots,
but. nevertheless, a man who
believes that the motor vehicles of today
are little more than baby-carriages.
and that the immediate future
will see some developments in autolocomotion
beside which even autosleighs
and desert-cars will be as negatively
interesting as the ordinary automobiles
now seen in our streets and
park*. "For the time being." he adds,
"we in France shall set the example,
and the rest of the world will follow.
But in the end you in America will
outstrip us all."?Harper's Weekly.
Prepare* Solid Foundations.
It is not entirely new to render loose
soil, such as sand and gravel, stable
enough for building purposes by impregnating
it with thin iluid cement,
which binds with the sand and forms
.1 sufficiently hard concrete mass to
serve as a foundation: but this process
is always dependent upou certain conditions.
Thus, for instance, th* soil
must contain no water, because the
water tills out tin* interstices of the
sand and renders tbo penetration of
tbe cement very diflieult. and. in addiIMPREGNATISa
WITH LIQUID CEMENT.
;ion to ibis. tbe water still further
dilute* tbe ccu:ent. which is thin Haiti
already, so that it is impossible fot
tbe cement to bind and form a good
foundation. Now conies a Russian in
ventor with aii apparatus to exhaust
th<* water from tbe soil simultaneously
with tbe forcing iutu it of tbe liquid
cement. This enables tbe cement tc
be proi>erly distributed and also renders
it possible to force it into tbe soil
with less pressure tban when a single
forcing tube was used. As seen in
tbe drawing, tbe two smaller tubes
pour tbe cement into tbe sand, wbilt
tbe larger central pipe is connected
with a suction pump or other exhaust
apparatus. Tbis draws tbe water from
tbe soil and allows tbe liquid cement
indicator to show when the coil bat
been Impregnated by drawing tbe ce
ment into tbe tube afttr tbe watei
Kaan <?vhntic(uil Thu t.iruio Imri;
UU9 UVVU MM Uk ?vu. * uv I'ljrvo lit* V
pointed Leads to aid iu their insertion
in the earth. Nicolas ScbietkieW.c*.
of St. Petersburg. Russia, has the patent
on this apparatus.
_
THE OLDEST WAGON*
% - I
Fotmi k i Pueblo Mw Village
New Mexico.
Picturesque among tbe relics of ancient
Indian days, dating back to tbe
Introduction of cattle in New Mexico,
more than two hundred years ago. says
the Detroit Free Press, is the carreta?
or ox cart, shown in tbe illustration*
which is probably the oldest vehicle
of native American origin in tbe world*
i**-- fnnntl In tin. nm.
X Uf caurio n ao *vru??v? *u ?-v j--session
of a native Indian In tbe an*
cient pueblo village Rio Tesuque. situated
about nine miles from Santa Fe*
the capital of New Mexico. Tbe In*
dian, who was eighty-five years /)ld,
said it bad been tbe property of ill*
great-grandfather, and the traditionsof
Rio Tesuque, when taken in corre*
lation with Known historical events*
clearly establish tbe date of Its makin^ln
tbe latter half of tbe seventeenth
century.
Tbe ancient vehicle shows the primN
tlve conditions of past modes of travel*
Tbe great wheels are made of the cross
sections of the sycamore tree. Tb?hnbs
are of one piecc with tbe body,
of the wheels; they are secured bjf
wooden pins driven through tbe axle*
No iron or metal figures In tbe makei
. 1
J - ft n I
OLDEST WAGON IS AMERICA.
op. wood and rawhide alone bclof
Oftd in tbe coustructlon.
The body of tbe carreta is an open*
rack of cottonwood eight feet long.
Upright slats four feet high form tbitrack.
Tbe frame rests upon tbe axlennd
tbe tongue.
Tbe toDgue, twelve feet long, is a
twisted and gnarled trunk of a me*quite
tree. Tbe oxen wbicb drew thisancient
cart pushed wiib their heads scrt
of yoke in the shape of a bow of
wood bound upon tbe boras with rawbide.
wbicb may be seen to-day insome
parts of France and Germany.
A Track Barrow.
* 1- intnn<t<ul tn fnba tKa
A IIUVA UHIIVIT MM.wvu ?w ??<nv
place of push-carts for running thematerial
out of cut* in cleaning railway
ditches has been devised by *
Massachusetts luveutor. The wheelbarrow
in question has a grooved
wheel, with double flange, which holdsit
firmly on the track, so that tbe per*
son pushing It may walk on one sld*
of the rail Instead of astride. In cod*
nection with tbe barrow there Is alsoa
device which enables it to be jvn on
or off the rail without lifting, and
another which enables it to be run.
from one rail to another without lift*
log. Aside from its special use. thebarrow
may be run on the ground
as well as on the rail like any other,
wheelbarrow, thus enacting loe man
wheeling tbe load to dump It at desired;
A TRACK BABBOW.
I ?
I points away from tbe track, wberea?
in unloading from a push-cart tbe material
must be shoveled off and un
I 'oaded near the track.
XfW Lll? Buoy.
A oew life buoj of an ingenious
! lipn is now being fitted to warships,
lays tbe London Daily Graphic. Its
1 general appearance may" be judged
J frcm tbe accompanying cut. It i?
LIFE SCOT FOR ZXOLI8H VESSELS. ^
j stock oil each day with n ^unjilj- ofH
I fre?b provisions?food nod dr.nk?audi
1 it carries lights wbicb appear auto-H
ma r If :i JI y upon tin- buor toucbiDfr tbeH
I trat?-r At present each ?bip .s to beH
j provided with two of tbe new iifeH
; Lucjs. M
t'naolmlty. I
Fie wished to Ik? poetic, and it seetseAH
: tft iiim h<> hail a cood simile. As be^|
loaued toward her be produced a ring.H
"My love for you." lit- said, "is hkefl
I this ring. There is no end to it." H
[ She (xnmiued the ring with iotereetS
1 and theo ha tided it hack. BR
"My love for you." sbe said. 'Ms alsoB
1 like the ring. There is do hc?inning^|
to it."?Chicago Evening Post. 9H
The Soldier Population. HE
Prance has oae soldier to every
inhabitants; Ciermany. oue to eighty
Kussia, ooe to 134. while England ha^B
oue to every 100. wj
It has been propocec to establish
London a chain of "garages." ivbertflH
autoniobihs may be cared for and opflj
era tors secured.
j England was the tirst Europetn coanBj
| try to have a railwa; Serrii^B