Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1885-01-03

'he South Pole. Gently, firmly, rever-
emily, as if III the presence of a mighty
force, he put his hand upon a great
brown knob, and listened. He opened
curving- door-the cylinder was hollow.
A dull smoke, like dust of opium, strug-
gled out. and for second he staggered
as against the Influence OF sleep.
CAL the pores OF the steel boxes
eak a little STILL" he said, as he
thrnst the yclping dog inside and closed
the door upon him.
\ st. Vrain went to the other cylinder
and, opening the door, peered in. A
warm and fragrant and inspiriting
breath rushed out. He closed it and re-
TUNED to the first one. Four silver
knobs were close to his hand. He spoke.
as if explaining the mysteries of the
mechanism to astraDger.
'Now, when [ touch the first knob
my Solvent Force will operate, and pain
lessly and instantaneously melt that dog
into his original atoms. When I touch
the second knob, these atoms will flow
out through the nonow white wire, and
into the second cylinder, arriving there
long before they have lost any of their
mutual attraction, or relationship
drawn there by the virtue of the force in
that cylinder. When I touch the third
knob this Force will instantaneously and
painlessly reconstruct the creature,
down to his every hair, and even reor-
ganize the ink particles of the letter I
hung to his neck. When l touch the
last knob the cylinder door will open
and he will step out, his accustomed
cur.ship, unconscious that henceforth
he is immortal, as the first living creature
that was telegraphed through space.
The inventors eyes glowed and his
form dilated He touched the four
knobs, one after another, as rapidly as a
musician would strike four consecutive
notes. The door OF the second cylinder,
sixty feet distant. Changed open, the dog
sprang out, and came to st. Vrain at his
call. About the animals neck was the
paper roll. He opened it, read the mem
oranda, and cried aloud in ecstasy: "The
paper is more porous, and the ink seems
faded; but | must not expect to transfer
whole libraries across the Atlantic with
out little more practice.
Then for long time he was lost in
thought Suddenly he exclaimed:
81 must know the experience myself.
Who of all the world, but ST. vrain,
shall first Of men traverse space thus ?"
That frenzy and utter obliviousness to
danger, that at times heset all genius of
the highest order, now controlled ST.
Nrain, and lie threw prudence to the
winds.
anyone will do" he cried "Any
person can touch four knobs one after
another"
ue hastened out upon the street just
rs the faint dawn began to streak the
cloudy east. drunken sailor Yves lean
ing against post. st. Vrain approached
him.
Come on, want you to help me q
minute, and I'll give you twenty dol
lars"
"All right, capt'n, I'll go aboard
Money all gone. Time to ship foi
mother v'y'ge."
Then st. Vrain hustled him upstairs
and, opening the door of the second cyl
inder, thrust him in moment, till The
vital emanation som It's walls somewhat
sobered him. 4 few minutes later St
Vrain and the ignorant stood before ths
mysterious door over which the four sill
Yer knobs CLEANED.
Now" said st. Vrain, II am tryine
an experiment of great Importance
When | open the door and step in ant
close it, you must touch, one after an
other, these knobs marked one, two
three and fonr'
AND ne made the man go through
with this operation several times. til
sure that he understood it.
"When l come out, v Vhich will be a
soon as you touch the last knob, I vii
give you, instead Of twenty dollars, th,
one-hundred-dollar bill tha, l hold il
MY hand"
ST. Vrain stepped into the dark cylin
der, armed with a firm will, and antici
pating the establishment of the sailol
when he should step forth from tn,
other. He closed it, and the man in
stantly reached up to the four knobs
He pressed the first; St. Vrain wa
whirled into the depths of total uncon
se;ousness. Dizzy, however. with th,
returning effects OF his potations ant
with the atmosphere from the interio
Of the cylinder. the sailor failed to pres.
the second knob and open up communi
cations he pressed the third. and {
soft light filed the room; he pressee
the fourth, and the second door opened
the light ceased again the Vital Fore,
revived his whiskey-sodden brain 10 &C
tivitv. No St. Vrain returned. H,
waited fifteen minutes, and he tried Il
open the door Of the cylinder, but falet