The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-02-04

Humpty and the comb cracked like
everything. What makes if do that?n
81 think Wen have to study that
to might" l replied "Where's Humpty?"
In the kitchen. Shall l call himy"
IF you please; bring pussy, too"
Johnny was soon back with Humpty
and Nebuchadnczzar that's pussy. We
call him Neb, for short Then we went
into the library and put out the lights
"How can we see what the comb does:"
Johnny asked.
"Some things can be seen in the
dark" replied. Then | drew the comb
brissly through lohnny's hair, making it
snap and sparkle beautifully. See"
| said, bringing the teeth Of the comb
opposite my knuckle, "this is what
makes the swapping"
"How prettys' Johnny cried, as the
tiny sparks flew from the comb to my
knuckle. "What is it?"
Lightning" said |.
Lightningi In my hairs"
Certainly" l said. LET ME comb
out some more
John was almost afraid of himself
when | brought another lot of sparks
from his head.
Folks had better look out when I'm
around" said the little fellow, pompous-
ly. MARY says l make more noise than
a thunderstorm sometimes; | guess it's
the lightning in me. Somebodyll get
hit yet"
Not very severely, let us hope" said
l, laughing. "Suppose we try Humpty.
Maybe he's lightning-bug, too"
Sure enough, when we passed the
comb through his shaggy coat the sparks
flew finely. SO they did when we rubbed
him with the hand
Lets try Neb," said Johnny; "here
he is under the sofa; | can see his eyes"
But Neb had no notion of being
rubbed the wrong way. AS soon as the
sparks began to show his patience gave
out, and he went off with rush.
Il guess Neb's lightning goes to his
eyes and his claws" said Johnny
After that we tried the sbeepskin rug,
Mary's muf and several other things of
the sort, getting sparks from all of them.
Everything seems to have lightning
in it," said Johnny.
apparently" said |, but you can't
make it show in everything alike; any
way, not by rubbing Try the chair
back, the table, the sofa and such things.
Generally when two things are rubbed
together the lightning-or electricity, as it
is commonly called-eScapes quickly.
When it can't do that it accumulates--
as it does in the rubber comb--and goes
off with snap when it gets chance.
When cloud contains more electricity
than it can hold some of it Jumps to
another cloud or to the EARTH making a
Hash of lightning. The thunder is It's
prodigious snap and the echoes of it.
Are your slippers quite dry?"
81 think So" said Johnny, wondering
what that had to do with lightning
" / think the furnace has been on long
enough to make the carpet quite dry,
too" | said, turning just a>glimmer of
light on. "lf it is you can make little
thunderstorm of yourself easily"
How?" Johnny asked eagerly.
"Just skip around the room a few
times without taking your feet from the
carpet"
Johnny spun round like a water-beetle
FOR minute or two; then ! stopped him
and told him to reach out his fore-finger
When he did so, | reached my fore finger
to his and, as the points came together,
sndpi went spark between them,
whereat Johnny cried " Ohr' and put his
finger to his mouth.
did it burn your"
mo-" SAID Johnny, "but il scared
me-"
He was rot so badly scared, however,
but he wanted to try it again and again,
came out 1rOIl UIIucI -tnO 'yoi.-
what WIS going on, and Johnny sent
spark into his nose, 1t didn't hurt him
any, though it surprised him not lit
tie.
"Wouldn't it be fun" said Johnny,
" to give Mary a shock?"
"Charge yourself again" | said, then
come to me with your hands down."
Johnny did as bade him, whereupon
| stopped and kissed him IN the mouth.
1t was his turn to be surprised that time.
Just then Mary came to tell the young
catcher that it was time to go
to bed.
"All right" said the little rogue,
cheerily, skipping about the room " Kiss
me goodnight, Mary, but don't touch me
with your hands," he said, at last, de-
mulely holding up his mischlevous
mouth.
Mary gave the kiss, and got in return
what she didn't expect.
"You little rascal" she cried, you've
got pin in your mouth.
"No, haven't" he said.
CTS piece of rubber, then"
No, it isn't rubber"
"What was it?"
Lightning" said Johnny. See"
and he skipped few times across the
floor, then gave her a spark from his
finger. Then he ran off to bed, laugh
ing at Mary's bewilderment-ChrtSttdn