The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-03-09

arms, and on the end Of each ! brush. & j:
"Oh, that is my automatic brushf{lg.
machine. Il will explainit t. You. Y on
sec, at the bottom there is : small plat.
form about foot high when. you step
on this it gradually decends, and, IS it.
does SO, sets il, motion : train or wheels
and levers--you are, in fact, tho weight,
tho motive power which puts oil in mo.
ton. All these arms with the brushes
begin to revolve, and brush you al over
at once. But the most curious and COM.
ulicated is the hat.brush at tho top; you.
SEQ it is something like 4 hat-brush d.,
vided vertically in two parts; you per.
ceiye that they are now some distance
apart, SO that you can pass behind them
they are lined with bristlcs, and are. FIX.
ed on two lever-like jaws. When the ma
chine is set in motion, these jaws come
together, and, clasping your hat between
them, they revolve rapidly and in q few
seconds your hat is brushed, Ut the same
time rs your coat, trousers and boots.
When the platform reaches the ground,
the hat.brushs again separate, and you
step out; then the platform springs up,
and is ready for another dusty customer"
SWELL, it is = very curious continuance.
I should like to see it in action" I
said. 49,. j., -. :....
''rhat you shall soon do - and he step.
ped on the little platform All at once
tho clothes and shoe-brushes began to
work vigorously but the hat.machine did
not come in play until the others had
about half done their work it then closed
upon his hat, and spun around some
fifteen or twenty times, and then few
apart leaving him free to walk out. .
"There - said Harry. "What do you
think of thate Jump up and try it,
mo, thank you not just now; some
other time, perh.ps,'' said 1; for | felt
too nervous just then to trust myself to
| such IN ordeal.
"Excuse me then for one minute while
I speak to my sister, and then I will go
up stairs with you.''
He had no sooner left me, than, as
stood looking at the curious machine, /
made up my mind to try it. Nobody
was there to laugh at me if I jumped out
suddenly $50 boldly stepped in. The
brushes seemed to do their work very
we'll but I found must keep in my arms,
having got knock on the funny.bone of
my elbow from sticking it out too far
but the hat-brush-oh! horror! I had
forgotten had no hat ON, and that was
bead taller than my friend; the conse.
quence was that the internal machine
suddenly decended, and, Selling me by the
head, whirled round at a frightful pace,
till I thought no skin would have been
left on my nose. I tried to stoop and es-
cape it, but I got such blows from the re.
volving clothes-brushes that was glad
to stand upright again. Fortunately it
was soon over, and then the hateful thing
stopped. l opened my eyes and saw
Harry standing looking at me convulsed
with laughter. felt very angry at the
moment, as rushed out, with ono of nv
favorite long whiskers brushed across nv
face, and the other back over my car,
while my hair was twisted into a vortex
on the top Of my head.
ut is hateful machine! cried. as
tried to rearrange my disheveled locks.
Harry roared with laughter, and as
soon as he could contain himself said :
''Don't you sec it was not regulated for
your height ! If you had tried it when
asked you to would have arranged it
properly
l tried to laugh, and said, "Wcll, I've
had brushing enough let's 60 up stairs
now, for l am anxious to look IN the glass
and see if there is any skin left on the
end Of my nose.
what a jolly large room - said as
entered the apartment that was prepar-
ed for me.
Eyes. this was my poor old uncle s
room, and for the last year or two before
he died he used it for sitting.room as
we'll as bedroom. You 500 that large
| recess in the end; that is where he used to
steep. The bed is there still as it is often
handy ;but the room is only used for Sleep
ing purposes now, have had another and
larger bed put in as well. I'll come and
sleep in the little bed and keep you com.
pany. if you like; that is, il you are nerv-
Gus and don't like being alone as you
used to be.''
"Oh, but that vas such wild, unciv-
ilized place, one could never tell what
might happen ; but I am not nervous at
being alone in England"
"All right, old fellow; but I have got
a great deal to show you here. First OF
| all, as it is getting dark, I'll light the gas !;
that is done by electricity, 1 have rot q
quantity Of batteries down in the cellar,
and wires laid all over the house. Now
sec. I press this ivory knob, which
brings the wires into contact, and an
electro-magnet turns the stopcock E; at
the same moment spark passes across
the gas;jet and ignites it. But that is
not oil. You sec that bar on the ceiling
above the lamp-well, it is composed Of
two metals, one of which expands by heat
much more than the other this causes it
to osnd when it gets hot; and, as it does
! so. it acts on lever and q rod above the
ceiling, releasing catch which hold open
the shutters, yand the Immediately close
with q spring; as they do this they catch
against sort Of trigger, which in its turn
releases weight which runs down and
draws the curtaias.'
Almost as he had finished speaking.
the metal had become sufficiently heated
by the now lighted gas to act on the lev
er, and tho shutters closed and the cur.
tains drew themselves together Is if by
magic.
"rhat is very clcverly managed" said
!. 'But here is another knob with the
letter A upon it; what is that for =
"The A stands for alarm. I have one
Of them in each room, but have never re-
CURED them yet. When either of them
IS pressed, largo alarm.bell- on the top
OF the house is set ringing by electricity,
and it continues to ring until the electric.
power IS turned off again. We won't try