Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-06-25
CHAPTER I.


Crazy! No, am not crazy. though I
have gone through enough in the last
two days to qualify any man for luna
tic asylum. There is only one salts
faction in the whole business-a Chica-
so drummer is ahead as usual. Tell you
all about it? Well, if can, WILL"
And the speaker lay back on his re-
cining chair. as if to collect his
thoughts There was haggard, scared
expression on his face, wild look in
his eye which justified the suspicion
that he was partially insane.
Here, then. is the story" he said,
after little. II have been in Michi-
gan, and what I have to tell began in
Kalamazoo. had good trade till I
entered Brunton's place. I could sell
him nothing. I could not fix his atten-
ton on my goods, and l could not under
stand things, for hitherto he had been
one of my best customers. Ny pride was
stirred, and when he suddenly said to
me: I think you know something about
electricity and mechanics answered.
promptly: There isn't much worth
knowing about either that Jim Gerar
hasn't climber on to- though what, in
the name of the respected Sam Hill. an
ordinary mechanic had to do with cleo
tricity could not for the lie of me
rarely. You will presently see that I
had now caught Brunton's drift, but I
was bound to sell him goods. and I
would have known all about Criah and
David or the tax systems of Turkey and
Mongolia had Brun,on asked me about
them.
'''Well. come down with me to my
house. There is something there want
TO show you
There was no getting out OF it. I
might lose my sale ii I refused to go.
and I could not leave Kalamazoo without
an order from Brunlon. l wish to
heaven hadn't gone: but I have had an
experience that has fallen TO the lot of
no other man. and if get one or two
points out of the old fellow, have the
biggest thing for the Chicago worlds
fair that has been dreamed of. The
Eifle tower! Pshaw! I'll give them
daily trips around the earth, and for a
consideration stop to enable a fellow
drummer to sell bill of goods on the
way. Only he must hail from Chicago.
We'll. I went down to Brunton's
house with him. It is a goodish look
ing place, fer the old man is comfor-
1ably fixed.
'''Where are the mechanics?' Iasked.
as we passed round to the rear of the
building.
He gave me an odd sort of look, but
Led the way to high structure in the
middle OF the back yard. I concluded
the men must be at work in ii. We en-
tered. and then my wonder and my
troubles began.
Here are the mechanics he said,
pointing to an object with the graceful
outlines of pigeon I saw you mis-
understood my meaning, but you now
see before you the greatest invention of
the age. It is a combined flying and
swimming machine. whose motive
power Is electricity. As you look at it
now its arrangement is such that it
can rise and move through the air at
lightning speed Now and Mr.. Burn
ton touched button. you see it is
fish
True as gospel. Tom, the wings of
the bird closed. its feet were drawn up
under it almost in moment. and right
before my eyes was perfect fac smile
of a fish, probably twenty-six feet in
length
Il forgot soap. sugar and starch Was
I in the presence of Aladdin. or Sin bad.
or would wake up at home from an at
tack of nightmare?
The change can be made in an in.
slant. you see.' continued Sinbad, as he