The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-01-04

engine was Greek; the trap was
plain English. Not SO, however, to
Jabez Doolittle. / found him stu.
dying the engine with great ayidity
and perseverance, inasnuch that the
engineer evidently became alarmed,
and declined answering any more
questions.
why, you needn't snap off so
tarnal short said Jabez; "a body
would think you hadn't got a patent
for your machine. If l can't med.
die with you on the water, as nigh as
I can calculate, I'll be up to you on
land one of these days.
These ominous words fell on my
ear, as saw Jabez issue from the
engine room, followed by the engin.
eer, who seemed evidently to. have
got his steam up.
WELL said I, 'Jabcz, what do
you think of this mighty machine 2
Why he replied, IF that critter
hadn't got riled up so soon, body
could tell more about it; but I reckon
I've got leetle notion on't;' and
teen taking me aside, and looking
carefully around, lest some one
should overhear him, he 'then and
there assured me in. confidence, in
profound secrecy, that if he didn't
make a sragon go by steam, before
he was two years cider then he'd
give up invention. II at first ridi-
culed the idea; but3whenI thought
of that rat trap, and saw before Inc
man with sharp tRinkling gray
eyes, pointed nose, and every line
Of his visage channelofs inlYestiga-
ton and invention, Iicould.uot resist
the conclusion, that if he really ever
did attempt to NEEDLE with hot wa
ter, we should hear more Of it. 4
Time went on. Steamboats, mul.
tiplicd; but none dreamed, ofaisteam
wagon; for even the name of sloco-
motive was then Suil!;neWI as TO
cofoco.' When, about year after
the declaration Of the -,last war with
England, (and may it be the last y
got letter from Jabcz marked
private, telling me that he wanted
to see me 'mcst desparately,' and
that | must make him visit at his
place. nigh Wallingford.' The din
of arms, and the destruction of insur-
ance companies. the smashing of
banks, and suspension of specie pay.
nentS, and various other inseparablc
attendants on the show and 'pomp
and circumstance of glorions war;
had, in the meantime entirely wiped
from memory my friend Jabcz. and
his wonderful rat trap. But l obeyed
his summons, not knowing but that
son hing of Importance to the army
or navy might come of it. On
reaching his residence, imagine my
surprise, when he told me, he be-.
lieved he had got the notion
Notion ?-what notion 2 / in
quired.
Why says he, 'that steam ,vagon
| tell'd you about spell ago. 'but,'
added he, 'it has pretty nigh starved
me out : and sure enough, he did
look as if he had been on 'the anx-
ious seat, as he used to say when
things puzzled him.
i have used up said he "pla.
guey nigh all the sheet-iron, and old
stove.pipes, and mill.wheels, and
trunnel-heads, in these parts; but
I've succeeded; and for fear that
some Of these cute folks about here
may have got peep through the
kcy.hole, and will trouble me when !
come to get a patent, I've sent for
you to be a witness; for you was
the first and only man ever hint
ed the notion to; in fact continued
he, 81 think the most curious part Of
this invention is, that, as yet, I don'l
know any one about here who has
been able to guess what I'm about.
They all know it is an invention OF
some kind, for that my business, you
know: but some say it is thrashine
machine, some a distillery; and, o.
late they begin to think it's q shin
gle-splittcr; but they'll sing anothe,
tune, when they see it spinning a
long past the stage.coaches, added
he, with knowing chucklc, 'won'
they?
This brought us to the door o
an old clap-boardcd, dingy, long
one.story building. with window o.
two in the roof, the knotholes ant
cracks all carefully stuffed will
old rags, and over the door he wa
unlocking, was written, in bold let
ters, No Admittance.' This wa
his 'sanctum sdnctorun.' | coult
occupy pages in description of it, 70
every part exhibited evidence of it
uses. The patent.office, at Wash
| inpton like vour nouoz;na NJ III