The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-04-26

w uCLc you luu S"Jo r.
How came you to know about itY
says Tom.
"I should think it would be hard to
catch nothing" says Bob. 49,,
st found it in the water, in the little
pool in our woods. / saw it first the
other night in the dark, and l caught it
to-day when it was hiding. / took
long stick and gently stirred up the
dead leaves that lie rotting on the bot
tom, and he began to come up-tirst one,
then another-now here and now there. "
"Ho no I" says Bob. "How could
that be? How could he come up in
pieces, and in different places ?"
"Poor thingl" said Pip. "He wath
dead 70
"Oh, if he's dead don't care about
him." says Bob.
"He's far from dead" said the pro-
lessor; "and though he was in pieces
he's all together now, and safe in this
tumbler" And then, Selling the lighted
taper, he turned up the tumbler, held
the taper quickly to its mouth, and
pop went something, with a quick
flash.
"Oh, fireworks !" says Bob.
"Oh, tell us truly about it !" says
Tom. "Where did you buy it? Let's
have some for the Fourth |"
Children" said the professor, 81
have told you the truth about it. It's
gas. It's carbureted hydrogen. 1
found it in the pond. 'Carbureted hydro
gen is its science name. Its poetry
name is 'Will-o' -the-wisp, and there's
another name besides"
Ct should think two names were
enough for nothing" says Bob.
"What tn other name ?" said Pip.
a" Lgnis fatu,ts," said the professor,
"It means Cheating-fre. sometimes
this gas, rising to the top of the water in
bubbles, takes fire (by what they call
spontaneous combustion, or by mixing
with some other gas, or in some other
way), and then, as one bubble after an
other takes fire and goes Pickering along,
it looks as if some one were walking
through the woods, with lantern"
"And thath how it cheat-th, isn't it ?"
said Pip. "But L don't thee how it is
tibet Attire. Perhapth, now-pcrhapth
It's the fire fyth -
"Oh, good for you !" said the pro-
lessor and he chased her round the
table, and caught her, and kissed her.
"Well, how did you ever get it with
that tumbler 2" said Tom.
"Well, easy enough. First, / filled
the tumbler with water. Then 1 laid
the saucer over the top. Then l plunged
the whole under the water, holding tum-
bier and saucer with both hands firm,
and turned them over in the water, and
drew them out. The saucer, as well as
the tumbler, was then full of water, and,
though the tumbler was upside down,
the water couldn't fall out"
"What hindered it, I'd like to know?"
said Bob.
Atmospheric pressure, said the
professor, pushing the words out SLOW
ly. "The whole atmosphere weighs
down on the water in the saucer and
balances the water in the tumbler and
keeps it in"
cit had all leaked out before you
reached home, anyway" said Bob.
1.-THE gas pushed it out" said the
professor. 81 told you how I stirred
up the bottom of the pool. 1t was all
covered with dead leaves. These, as
they rot, give out gas, but it cannot
easily escape from the bottom, and stays
down among the leaves and slime till it
is stirred up. Then the little bubbles
of gas come popping up, and, as they
mount, am ready with my lumber and
saucer. slip them both softly into the
water little way of, draw out the sau-
Ger, slide the inverted tumbler over the
bubbles before they break, and the gas
mounts into the tumbler-each bubble
of gas displacing a little water; then
over more bubbles, and more and more,
until all the water in the tumbler is out
and the gas is in its place then fill
the saucer with water again, slide it un-
der the tumbler, and bring it home"
"Come to your luncheon, children, v
cried nurse. "The pudding will be
cold"
ooh, wait minute, ",said Tom. "You
said the gas drove out the water in the
tumbler. Why don't it drive out the
water in the saucer"
The professor looked puzzled.
"Well, it would in time, / suppose
But, you see, its nature is to push up
ward, because it's light"
ooh, now, it pushes the same every
way" said Tom.
"There's something we don't know,
said Bob.
"Oh, yeth, am afwaid we don't know
it all, /" said Flip.
"Well," drawled the professor, {"
don't know, only I guess it's because tn
water is too dense-too close togethe
for one thing; and the same atmosphere
pressure that kept the water in keeps tn
gas in, for another"
"There, / do believe that's it, sai'
Pip. "Oh, how nice it did pop off! Lik
a vewy small fwier-cracker a great wa
off. Now let's have some pudding. Az
pie and sage Just the nithest puddin
in the world p-,St. Nicholas.
Another Kentucky Cave.