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

powers to bear upon it. Three DAYS
and three Dights he wrestled with the
idea, and on the morning of the fourth
he successfully evolved the notion
mentally constructed the clock.work
Inau 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. II stood complete in
the back room of Eliphalet's house
for he had kept its construction rigid.
ly secretrs4complete in all its wonder.
ful parts. 1t worked to charm. A
keyhols in its back was the winding.
up place, and when once wound up il
tramped sbout the rsom like q thing
Of life.
Eliphalet Perkins was overjoyed.
The first thing he did was TO go on
grand celebratory drunk, which lasted
a week. When sobered up, he pre-.
pared for an exhibition Of his inven-
tion. Swamptown was flooded with
handbills, and crowds applied for
preliminary sight of the wonderful
thing but the inventor steadfsstIy 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 impatiently for the hour of his tri.
umph.
Swamptown was crowded when the
day finally came. The fame of the
clock work man had gone abroad, and
people fuckcd in for miles around.
At the appointed hour main street,
where the exhibition was to take place,
was almost impassable. 1t was with
the utmost difficulty that a passage
vas 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 and .saced 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 il.
But it didn't start.
Something must be wrong. Elipha.
let's heart stood still ut the thought
Of failure. He nervously examined
the vitas Of the image, and they SEEM
ed TO be all right. What could the
, matter be 2 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 thing broke loose.
Eliphalet stood with his back 10 it.
The spectators saw the clock.wnrk
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 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 OH the
same spot. Thus the Internal machine
marched on and ont of the village.
kicking Eliphslet before it, and the
awe-strcken crowd chasing It far 10 the
rear.
"There'-a-screw--loose-
-cussed-thing's-right--l jerk.
ed out Perkins, as he was bounced
from their sight aud hearing.
1t took six miles TO 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 ak anI smash
ed the clock wsrk man past the posi-
bility of reconstruction.