The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-04

| ".
down on the front step in the shadow,
| and not until they had fully started did
he find out that it was not his chum,
| but ''the czar'' who had charge of the
car. The latter hadn't seen Billy, and
the boy made himself as small as pos
sible in the shadow, hoping he would
not be seen.
CHANGING back, ''the car" fastened
the front door of the car with its strong
catch on the outside. and then took
from his pocket bottle of some liquid
that sparkled in the moonlight. Plae-
ing this on the little stand in front
holding the switch and buttons con-
trolling the current, he took several
strips of some kind of metal and bend
ing them so that one end went down
into the bottle while the other went
down among the buttons of the switch,
he rubbed his hands together in glee,
and said to himself, as he quivered with
excitement:
s'Now for the test! / know I am
right, but must prove it to myself!
What are a few lives in comparison
with an eternal truth?
81 will give the crank one notch, and
make connection with the elixir. Now
the speed ought to be four times as
great as it is usually with one notch.
for there is four times the amount of
current on. Anal So it is! We are 60
ing as fast as if I had turned on four
notches instead of one. Now will put
on another notch; and if my rule of geo
netrical progression is right the amount
Of current will be, not eight times
what it usually is on one notch, but
eight times what it usually is on taeo
notches. See how we fyi I'm right
I'm right! Now for another notch to
make our speed sixteen times the or
binary speed of three notches!''
The car seemed to be simply flying.
Was it really going as fast as it seemed,
or was it simply going at its usual
speed down smooth grade? Billy
was fearfully frightened, and so were
the passengers Every face grew white
with fear at the horrible laugh of the
motor-man, and women and children
screamed as they realized the danger
that seemed to threaten.
miles, but at the rate at which they
were going they would soon cover it,
and right at the curve was the crossing
of trunk line of railroad, while up
the valley could be seen train COM
ing swiftly down towards the same
crossing
When the maniac saw this he sent
forth another yell of laughter and ex-
claimed: Heaven aid mel Now for the
supreme test. Five notches will lift
these cars bodily into the air and we
will clear that train at bound. How
lucky that prepared the motor to take
all the current can give it."
His shrill scream attracted the atten-
ton of those in the cars to the certain
death at the railroad crossing, and in
rushing back to the trailer or the next
car, or in the effort to jump off, man
stumbled and caught hold of the trolley
rope, thus pulling the trolley wheel
from the wire and shutting off the cur
rent With yell of rage 1.-The car"
it done Intentionally, grasped |
the heavy steel switch-bar, unfastened !
the door, bounded into the car, Drained |
with one blow the man who had grasped |
the rope, and then readjusted the troll
ley-wheel. No one dared to lay hands
upon the maniac, with his terrible |
weapon.
Then it was that Billy saw his
chance. He had been paralyzed by the
remarkable proceedings of 1.-The czar;"
but now, springing up, he slammed
the door, fastened it with the catch, |
then grasped the crank and turned off