The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-05-13
SIN yEDDER.s KITE.

every year, and caught all the boys over
five before it subsidized. 1t generally
crept in slowly, q boy and kite at a
time; but this year it came as If big
wind brought it.
Yesterday there had been three kites
up at one time in the main street, and
Squire Jones' pony had been scared
into canter. The Squire and Mrs.
Jones, and the three Misses Jones, and
Aunt Hephzibah had all been in the
carry-all at the time, and they had all
screamed when the pony began to cam
ter. So the Squire had told the boys
he "could not have any more of that
dangerous nonsense in the Streets"
and they had all. come out to DR.. Gays
pasture, on the side-hill, to-day, and
they had eight kites among them;
Sim Vedder's coming, boys" said
kite.S oS1S
"He?" exclaimed Joe Myers. He's
q grown-up man. What does he know
about kitesP'' 7isssfzz:s :.
There he comes now, anyway"
They all turned toward the bars and
looked, for not one of them had sent up
his kite yet.
'Oh, what a kiter'
lit As tall as he is"
''No. it isn't. He's carrying it on
his shoulder" -H -
"It's just an awful kite"
Sim Vedder was the man who work
ed for DIR. Gay, and he was as thin as a
fence rail. So was his face, and his
hooked nose had u queer twist in it half
way to the point.
He was coming with what looked like
an enormous kite trying all the while to
get away from him.
All the boys wanted to ask questions,
but they didn't know exactly what to
ask, SO they kept still.
..Kiting, are youP Well. just you
let me look at your kites, and then you
may look at mine. One at time, now.
Keep back. Make that kite yourself,
Parley?"
'.Yes, L made it''
Had plenty of wood around your
house, l guess. Your sticks are bigger
than mine, and your kite is only two
feet high, and mines five. Look at it. -
He turned the back of his kite toward
them as he spoke, and they saw that
the frame work of it was made of q
number of very slender slips of what
looked like ash or hickory wood.
&c Mines made of pine," said Farley.
..And yours'u break, too"
mo, it won't. Well. maybe yours'n
fly. Set it agoing. There's plenty of
wind" .-a2 -
Farley obeyed, and, mainly because
there was, indeed, good deal of wind,
his heavy-made kite began to go up.
joey said Sim Vedder, "hand me
that kite of yours" .
mines di'mOnd. l don't know
how 10 make any other"
Z" Do you suppose it'll stand steady,
with those forebands so close together?
No, it won't. Up with it, and see how
it'll ,wiggle. Bob Jones. is that
yours?"
The third kite was meekly handed to
him, for the more the boys stared at
Sims big kite, the more they believed
he knew what he was talking about.
..It isn't bad kite, but those fore
bands are crossed too low. It'll dive
all over"
"There's plenty of tail, Sim. Itcan't
dive"
"Tail!-and bunch of May-weed
ut the end of it! How's kite of that
size to lift it allP I'll show you," re-
piled Sim. a
He was unfastening the forebands rs
he spoke, and now he crossed them
again over his little finger, and moved
them along till the kite swung under
them, almost level. :. - , 4
F, ..That'n do. Now IN tie 'em hard,
and you can cut off your May-weed.
There'll be tail enough without it.
When was in China ="
"Was you ever in China?"
"Yes, was. That was when l was
= L.
They spend money on 'em, just as we do
on horses; make 'em of all shapes and
sizes. Don't need any tails.
Kites without tailsa''
"Well. some of 'em have, and some
making of 'em I've seen one like q
dragon, and another like big snake,
and they fioated perfectly. Only thin
silk string, either.'' lga
"Strings got to be strong enough to
hold a Kite" said Farley Hooker.
'.Look at yours"
"Yes, mines strong; it's made of
fine hemp. But it isn't any heavier
than yours. What do you want of a
rope with kite of that size?''
''It isn't a rope"
"It's too heavy, though. Besides,
you've tied pieces together with big
knots in them. You can't send up any
travellers"
whats thatp' -l.sr
a"rll show you. Some call 'em mes
sengers."
just then Farley exclaimed, Sim!
Sim! mines broke! it's coming downp'
Broke right in the middle, where
you notchcd your big sticks together.
Just where it needs to be stron-
gest," said Joe, knowingly.
"No, it doesn't look at mine. ."sa-iisSss
1t was the biggest kite they had ever
seen, and it came down square at the
bottom; but it was not great deal
wider than Parley's. The curious part
of it was the cross-sticks and fore
bands. What did he need of SO manyP
$50 manyP" said Sim. "Why, the
bands take the strain of the wind. If
you put it all on the sticks, they'd bend
or break. Don't You see? There's a
band tied every two inches, and they
all come together out here in tho GEN.
ter knot. 1t just balances ON that"
..Your tails light one
Its. .leng enough, and it spreads
enough to catch the wind. 1t isn't the
mere weight you want in a tail, if your
kites balanced. The wind blows
against the tsil as hard as anywhere
else."
won't yours ever diver
"Of course il viii, with cross puff
of wind; but it IL come right up again:
That won't happen very often. III
sond har mn Yoi, wait anil sea -