Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-03-12
d" 'speraminten' w d de ste am
Boston Com rcial Bulletin.

Steam. my dear" said Spicer IS be
styCd before the steam heating apparatus,
steam is the magician Of modern times
| and the slave of man. Now you see that
title thingumbob up there is automatic,
aud the what-d' ye-call It it is condensed
and forced out Of it."
Here the lucid lecturer stopped to ex-
anime the drift, and the automatic
tniUgumbob" gave warning hiss and
then Leu fail drop Of boiling wafer about
the size of a muskt t,balI, which struc k
! inst inside Spic er's shrt-collar and me-
andered jnyfully down his spine.
"Oucb! an! 900! Blast the derntd
thins!" huwled the unfortun ate. as he ex~
scuted a wild dance, aud distributed Oaths
and various articles OfIrOnmOngery around
the CELLAR. to the imminent danger Of Mrs.
opi, er who, ON reserved seat on the
top Of the cellar-steps, enjoy ed the enter
tainment win a maddening smile.
Spicer looked at the ak with a gloomy
idea of hing in the furnace~doOr, but
| restraining himself dragged out pair OF
Steps with a vengeful after. and climb
ing up, essayed to stop the siss ng valve.
Getting his head up over it out of range,
he gave it a savage turn,-the wrong way,
of course. With an angry spit ind sizzle,
the es ape sent about pint of steam and
water into Mr.. Spicer's shirt BOSOM and
that terrified individual, hastily jerking his
head up, brought it into violent contact
with q big TN heating pipe with a crash
like theatrical shtet.iron thunder; at the
same mo ent his feet dissolved partner
ship with the steps, he clut he'd wildly at
| hot steam-pIpe, let go with a howl, too (
the step~ladder in q mad embrace, and
came car erIDg down, bestriding that use
full articli like cavalry cha ge, on the
| cemen ed floor,
! Are you hurt, DEAR" asked Mrs.
Spiccr sweetly, as the dust and din of the
| conflict settled down.
Hump SAID Spicer savagely; 80 no; /
have only driven my basement into the
attic. hat all. Ia lise to know VIVA,
that dashed darkey means by leaving the
ssted thing in this condition"
Here Mrs s. remarked that she sup
posed that she was not expected to stay
and listen to such language as that; and
| adding tuat, when Mr.. Spicer had fms led
| breaking ne furniture and the command
ments, she should be glad to see him up
stairs she sailed sereneIy away.
SpIcer gathered himself together, and
concluded he would open the cold air box
"A little, and leave ''Lbe derned thing fol-
the porter to fix" The cold-air box was
operated by cord, and let the air in from
H b. lex shaft, which was about as big and
! breezy rs u Rocky Mountain canon III mi i
winter. Seth had just began to pull on the
| co d when he heard a warning whistle
from Mrs S. overhead. jerking up and
hastily Delaying the curd, he fastened to
| the tube, from VIII CHI issued the voice Ci
| Mrs, Spicer. saying:
. ID you want IT, freeze US 10 here? The
cold air is coming up awtully through
the register, and uas nearly blown .ne o.
The children over
Sch hurried back te the heater and let
~ \, ~ a.. hn h h,.d
! Jam med and would not close, he pulled It,
slacked it, jerked it, and dashed it to no
. rpose, while Mrs. Spicer executed quite
solo on the speaking be. Finally he
| essayed to crawl into the man>bole 40 tx
Things, and was met by blast of air that
froz every particle of blood in the little
desert on top of his head. He bumped his
shins against one obstacle and barked hi:
knuckles against other. backed out and
yelled for II candle; which was no so mel
brought thar 1t was blown out by the colo
air, as were fifteen successive m atchns with
VIII ch Spicer attempted to light it. Finally
he banged the iron door Of the msn>holt
to, kicked it, rushed himsei off, march ed
grimly up stairs, and buried himself be
hind big cigar and newspaper Shortly
alter the coiored porter arrived. and l.
ahout i've minutes put everything il
order aid bad a delightful warmth per
lheSting the house but he renarkei to tn
COX, as he went ouI:
guess de ole man done been 'spermin
ten wid de steam a little tonight, amt g
Jan.W