The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-02-19
Lightning i'm Johnny's Hair.

make wind"
"Of course not, you silly child /;
what makes you ask such a silly ques-
ton as that ?"
Mary thinks Johnny is pretty bright
little fellow in general, but on particu-
lar points she is always ready to call
him a Ounce, without stopping first to
find out what he really means to say.
The trouble is she knows SO little her
self that she thinks she knows every
thing, at least everything worth know
ing; and Johnny is all the time puz-
zling her with questions that she has
no answer ready for.
"What have you seen to make you
ask that question ?'' inquired.
ss didn't see any thing" said Johnny !;
"I just felt it like some one breathing
softly on my face and hand when held
my comb near."
"Nonsense. said Mary; "you just
imagined it"
"No didn't" Johnny insisted :"
felt it really, this morning, when I was
combing my hair"
"Oh," said /, suspecting the cause OF
his difficulty /; "what kind of comb
was it ?''
A black comb, said Johnny.
"Horn or rubber ?" asked.
"It's q rubber comb" said Mary.
"How did your hair behave when
you were combing it p?
''Mean as anything" Johnny replied.
st 1t stuck up like Mary's when it's
frizzed, and wouldn't stay anywhere. -
Part of that was for Mary's benefit
Johnny likes to tease her.
Did you think the comb made it do
| that by blowing it ?' I asked.
''Not at first" said Johnny st the
/ h conroo1 m o1z1a o~J -
my ear to listen then I felt the wind
on my cheek
" Suppose you bring the comb here, -
said I, !" and show us what it did,
Johnny ran off for the comb, but came
back quite crestfallen.
'' It won't do it now," he said.
As much as ever !" cried Mary, tri-
umphantly.
''But it did this morning, truly" he
he said, rather humbly.
Pshaw p said Mary, "you imag-
ined it.
Like many another discoverer, John
ny had to learn what it is to be discred-
tied and ridiculed for knowing too much.
Because Mary had never noticed what
he described, she was as ready as older
people to cry nonsense" ttimpossi-
BILE, /" and all that sort of thing, without
stopping to consider whether he might
not be in the right after all. /"
You had better try again some other
day." said to Johnny. s'Try differ
ent combs. Try in the dark, too"
What for ?" Johnny asked.
You might see something" said.
'tIn the dark 2"
Yes, in the dark"
Johnny wondered how that could be !:
and he wondered still more when sue-
ka1 %1.nA Ia L
try the comb also on Humpty Dumpty-
that's his shaggy dog.
Two or three mornings after. JOHNNY
came pounding at my door before break
fast when I let him in he cried, "It
blows now, sure T.
What blows 2"
Why, the comb"
I took the comb from his hand and
putting it to my cheek, said, ST don't
feel any wind from it. "
That isn't the way" he said, reach
ing out for the comb. you must do
this first, and he ran the comb rapidly
through his hair few times, then held
it to his cheek, saying, ST can feel it
plainly"
.See if it will blow these" I said.
stripping some bits of down from q
feather and laying them upon the table.
Johnny repeated the combing, then
held the comb near the down expecting
to see the light ,stuff blown from the
table. To his great surprise il was not
blown away at all, but on the contrary
it sprang suddenly toward the comb.
then dropped off as suddenly.
as That's queer" said Johnny.
excited the comb again and held it
near the back of my hand, calling
Johnnys attention. to the fact that all
the fine horse hairs stood up when the
comb came near them.
When you hold the comb near your
cheek" eaid, s the dcwny hairs stand
up like that, and the feeling is lust like
that of q breath of air.
Then it isn't wind that comes from
the comb 2'' Il
No, it is not wind"
Maybe the comb is q magnet, /"
suggested Johnny, seeing it's attraction
for light hairs. dust and the like, as I
held it over them. took small mag
net from my table-drawer and held it
near the feathers and hair. It did not
stir them, no matter how much I rubbed
it. It picked up needle though, very
quickly. Then rubbed the comb, and
though it attracted the feathers it had
no eject on the needle.
s'I Is that like magnet ?'' asked.
No, said johnny.
When the needle springs TO the
magnet it sticks there but when the
hair or down springs to the comb it
flies away again instantly
!" It is very queer" said Johnny.
Try this horn comb, said I.
Johnny tried it, but comb his hair As
much as he might, the horn would not
draw anything. Then he tried shell
comb, and an ivory comb, neither of
them acting IS the rubber comb did.
s'I don't understand it ell, said
Johnny.
/" Nobody does fully, " said I 'but if
you keep trying you may learn . good
deal about it in time"
Then we went to breakfast. It was
several days before the subject was
brought mp again. tive been watch
ing . long time" said Johnny, that
evening s.I began to think it would
never happen again, but it's first-rate
day to-day"
Have you found out anything new p
I asked.
. Not much, |" said johnny. 7 tried
Humpty and the comb cracked Like