The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-05-13
NUMBER 81.

The other kites were all up now, ex-
cept Parley's broken one, and most Of
them were cutting queer antics, be-
cause, as Sim explained, their fore
bands were tied wrong, and their tails
"did not fit them"
"The Chinese could teach us, But,
the way we make kites, there's rs much
in the tail as in anything else.''
"Oh, but our kites are covered with
paper, and you've put some old silk on
yours"
"Of course / have. It isn't much
heavier. The Chinese use thin paper
through" ~
"Wet? Oh. Sim. it looks as If q
storm is coming now"
So it did, and Sims big kite was go
ing up, up, up very fast, and he was
letting the strong brown string run rap
idly of from sort of reel he held in
his hand.
s' Pull in your kites, boys" shouted
Farley. Lets cut for home"
II want to see Sim fly his. -
/ "You all pull in yours, and we'n go
into the cattle shed. It's only show
er. 1 can fly mine from the door,
The shed was close at hand, and the
door was wide one. In three minutes
more, just rs the first drops came down,
there was quite crowd of boys behind
Sim, as he stood little inside, and
watched his kite. His reel was almost
empty now, and the big kite looked q
good deal smaller than when it started.
How steady it ISL
=. It pulls hard, though"
There comes the rain."
Thunder and lightning too"
Sim had fastened his wooden reel
against the door-post, on q hook that
was there, but he kept his hand on the
string. s.s esas
"I declare. boys! Feel of that! The
string wet, and it's making ightaing-
rod Of itself"
Farley. and Joe and Bob, and two or
three others, felt of it at once. -
b :. LightningP Why. Sim," said Bob.
81 know better than that. I've had an
electric shock before"
THAT all it is. - said Farley.
"Well," replied Sim, ''didn't you
ever hear of DR.. Franklin? We're do
ing Just what he did. He discovered
electricity with kite. A wet kite string
was the first lightning-rod there ever
was in the world" - ls5'tl 81
.'Lightning?' exclaimed Bob. .'Don't
you bring any in here. l won't touch
it again."
ibid lightning ever strike anybody
when he was living kiteF asked Joe.
''Not that I ever heard of," said
Sim. '.But it's beginning to pour hard.
I'll reel in my kite till the storms
over"
He unlocked his reel as he spoke.
but it was well he took q good strong
hold of it. The wind must have been
blowing gale up where the kite was,
and the string was very strong one for
its size.
"I declare! Why
But the next the boys knew, Sim
Vedder was out in the rain, with that
kite tugging at him. He would not let
go, and he could not stop himself. and
the sloping pasture before him was all
down hill. On he went, faster and
faster, till his foot slipped, and down he
went full length. He held on, though,
like good fellow, and there he lay in
the wet grass. with the rain pouring
upon him, tugging his best at his big
kite.
The wind lulled little, and Sim be-
gan to work his reel. Slowly at first,
then faster; and about the time the rain
stopped, the wind almost died out, and
the wonderful kite came in. ss5
"There isn't stick of it broken"
said Sim. triumphantly. ''nor q fore
band. That's because they were made
right, and put on so they all help each
other"
"Oh, but amt you wetr' exclaimed
three or four boys at once. aF
Well, yes; he was, indeed, very wet.
". o. Stoddard, in Harper's Young