The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1873-06-04

powers to besr upon it. Three DAYS
and three Dights he gsestled with the
idea, and on the morning of the fourth
he successfully evolved the notion
mentally constructed the clock.work
man to its perfection.
During the ensuing six months
Eliphalet Perkins worked night and
day at his man. It's construction
consumed two hundred pounds of
wrought iron. three thousand feet of
steel spring, the wheels out Of seven.
teen old clocks. and other materials to
numerous to mention. But it was
done at last. Il stood complete 10
the back room Of Eliphalet's house.
for he had kept its constrNstion rigid.
ly secretrstcomplete in all its wonder.
full parts. 1t worked to charm. A
keyhols in its back was the winding
up place, and when once wound up 1t
tramped about the rsom like thing
Of life. .
Eliphalet Perkins was overjoyed.
The first thing he did was TO go on
grand celebratory drunk, which lasted
week. When sobered up, he pre-.
pared for an exhibition of his inven-
tion. Swampt0wn was flooded with
handbills, and crowds applied for
preliminary sight Of the wsfiderful
thing but the inventor steadfastly re-
fused all applicants. The clock work
man should take the first walk at the
time and place appointed, and not be.
fore nsr anywhere else.
The day drew near. Eliphalet
clothed his man in a new suit of
broadcloth, oiled his joints. and wait
ed impatisntlsA for the hour Of his tri.
umph.
Swamptown was crowded when the
day finally came. The fame of the
iclockswork man had gone abroad, and
people flucked in for miles around.
At the appointed hour main street,
where the exhibition was to take place,
was almost impossible. 1t was with
the utmost difficulty that n passage
was kept clear for the expected tourist.
AT length shout went up from the
crowd nearest Eliphalet's shop, us the
great inventor emerged with his ma
chine. The latter was carried into
the middle Of the street ana .aeed in
the direction of the proposed march
OF triumph. Then the great inventor,
his face suffused with glow of tri-
umph. carefully wound up the auto
maton, and pulled out the knob that
was to start it.
But it didn't start,
Something must be wrong. Elipha.
let's heart stood still ut the thought
Of failure. He nervously examined
the vitals Of the image, and they SEEM
ed to be all right.-What could the
matter be Eliphalet was almost wild
He went around to the front of it /;
and that instant there was a sudden
whizzing sound among the wheels.
Some mtthing brake loose.
Eliphalet stood with his back To it.
The spectators saw the clock work
man sway and quiver, as if the ma
chinery was running down with fear
ful rapidity. Then they saw its right
foot suddenly projected, and, with a
velocity and momentum terrible to
contemplate the iron pedal struck
Eliphalet behind.
Such a kick had never been known
ia the worlds history.
1t lifted the recipient about four
feet in the air. and when he came
down it had another ready for him.
The spell bound crowd, in Mortified
amazement, saw the machine, ad
vance down the street. kicking the un.
fortunate Perkins with the precision
and violence of a walking. beam.
No sooner did his feet touch the ground
than the outlying right foot Of the
clock work man caught him on the
same spot. Thus the Internal machine
marched on and out of the village.
kicking Eliphalst before il, and the
awe-Strcken crowd chasing II FAR 10 the
rear.
"There' -screw--loose
-cussed-thing' g's-right--leg," jerk.
ed out Perkins, as he was bounced
from their sight aud hearing.
1t took six miles 10 run the clock
work down, and overy foot of that dis
tance was twelve inches of sUlid ago
ny for Perkins. When he was able to
leave the house again, three months
afterwards, he seized an az anI smash
ed the clock wsrk man past the posi-
bility of reconstruction. aai