Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-07-03

1t was about a month before the pub
LEGATION OF the circular addressed to the
inhabitants of the Old and New Worlds
that Mr. Maston mad undertaken to fig
ure out the elements of scheme in
which he had promised his associates
the greatest success. For number of
years Mr.. Maston had lived at No. 179
Franklin street, one of the most quiet
streets Of Baltimore, far away from the
center of business, for which he did not
care any thing, far away from the noise
of the great crowd, which disguised him.
There he occupied a modest little house,
known by the name Of "Ballistic Cot
tage," having for his income only his
pension allowed to him as retired Off
Ger of artillery and the salary which he
received as secretary of the gun club
He lived alone, served by his negro
"Fire-Fire. This negro was not an or
binary servant; he was rather an APP
preciatiYe friend and treated his mas
ter as if he were his own brother
Mr.. Maston was a decided bachelor
having an idea that being a bachelor
was the only sensible way Of liv-
ing in the present world. He knew
the proverb, "a woman can draw
more with one hair than four oxen
at the plow,p and he disproved
it. Ii he occupied his cottage alone it
was only because he wished to do So
We know that he only had to make the
motion to change his solitude OF one to
a company of two and his small income
to the income of millionaire. He did
not doubt il. Mrs. Evangelina Scorbitt
would have been only too happy to
But up to this time Mr.. Maston
! had not been happy to and it
seemed certain that these two beings,
so we'll made one for the other-at least
| this was the opinion of the tender
widow-would never reach the transfer
nation period. The cottage was a
very simple one. A ground floor, with
a veranda and floor over it; small
| parlor and small dining-room, with a
| kitchen and another room in an out
| building standing at the back of the
garden. Upstairs his sleeping-room
/ and his working studio, looking on the
| garden, and where the noise of the
/ outer world could never penetrate.
/ Within these walls there had been
made calculations which would have
made Newton, Euclid or LapIace Jealous
How different was the mansion of Mrs.
Evanzelina Scorbitt, situated in the
richest quarter of New Park, with
facade to balconies, finished in
the finest architecture, half Roman
seque, half Gothic, with its richly-fur-
Hished apartments, it's grand halls, its
| picture galleries. in which French art
lists held the highest places; its mag
nif1cent staircase, its great number
of domestics, its stables. it's coach
houses its garden, with the finest
Of flowers, statues, fountains, and
the tower on the top of the
building, on which the blue and gold
coat-of-arms of the Scorbitt family was
upon glittering banner. Three miles,
three long miles at least separated the
palace at New Park from the "Ballistic
Cottage" But private telephone wire
connected there, and in answer to Hell
lol hellom a conversation could be car
ried on between the mansion and cot
| tage If the persons could not look at
each other they could at least hear each
other. 1t will astonish none to hear
| that time upon time Mrs. Scorbitt began
talking and ringing on the telephone to
| Mr.. Matson when he was busily engaged
with his figures. Then the calculator
! had to quit his work with some reluc-
lance He received friendly How do
/ you do?" from Mrs Scorbitt, which he
answered with "a grunt, which was
sweetened into kindly greeting
by the distance over the tele-
phone After a conversation he was
glad to go back to L. figures. 1t
was on the Sd OF December, after long
and last conference, that Mr. Maston
took leave of his friends and members
of the club to begin to do his share Of
the work. 1t was a very important
work with which he had charged him
self for it was the question of figure
mechanical appliance which would
enable him to gain access to the North
4 Pole, and which would allow him to
make use of those large fields of snow
now covered with impenetrable ice. He
1 estimated that he needed at least week
to accomplish this mysterious calcula-
! ton, exceedingly complicated and del
icate to handle. involving several deep
and important problems Therefore
| to avoid all unnecessary annoyance, it
/ had been decided that the secretary Of
the gun club should retire to his cot
tage and that he should not be dis
turbed by any one. This was great
disappointment for Mrs Evangelina
Scorbitt, but she was compelled TO ac-
cept it. While President Barbicane
Captain Nicholl and his associates, the
jolly Bilsby, Colonel Bloomsbury, Tom
/ Hunter, with the wooden legs, were all
saying their good-byes to him and wish
ing him success Mrs Evengelina Scor-