The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-10-06

but his neck and face had been care
| fully washed, and his hair well combed
and brushed.
/ washed my face and brushed nv
hair, and in my heart I thought that
to wear all unventilated hat, even for
| three whole hours, couldn't be so very
dreadful a punishment, after all.
had reckoned without my host.
| This way, gentlemen, if you
please" said the hatter's assistant, as
he motioned us to follow him through
a door leading toward the basement.
At the end of a passage was sort
of little room with a sloping roof; it
! was exactly under the shop front.
Side by side were two easy chairs be-
meath each of which was winch for
raising or lowering the chair to any
required height
My companion took his seat at once
he was evidently used to the ways
Of the place. Then the assistant
strapped him in by means of two
thick leather bands, with massive
buckles, one at the neck and the other
at the waist.
Then the shopman suddenly opened
the little trap door, some twelve
inches square in the low, sloping roof
| of the apartment, and worked away
| actively at the winch. The chair
slowly rose, and the head of it's occu-
pant disappeared through the little
| trap door to the shoulders.
Then the man turned large tap,
which was affixed to the back of the
chair, and inotioned me to take my
seat in the other one.
s'Why do You strap us in?'' said to
the man as / took my seat
you'll know. why, governor, by
the time you've earned that half dol
lar" said the man. with malignant
| grin. Nov, look here" he continued,
IF you want to sneeze, or cough, or
anything, get it done now. And don't
you go a-larfing or larking with the
boys at the window; if you do it will
be deducted for"
Then he began to wind me mp, and
made my first appearance in Mr..
Wilkins shop front to a round of
tumultuous applause from crowd of
| idlers in the street, who stared into
the shop window. Then somebody
| carefully fitted hat on to my head
| and gave it a knowing cock.
And then draught Of cool air be-
gan to flow through the holes that
surrounded my neck. Mr.. Wilkins
really took wonderful amount of
trouble to insure our comfort.
At first the novelty of my situation
entirely occupied my mind.
Then took a look at my fellow vic
tim out of the corner of my eye.
He was evidently already suffering
fvor, Of of I,
hat. His teeth were tightly set; he
| drops of perspiration already stood
self very much about him.
| and [ heard the clock of Shoreditch
church at length strike 4. AS did
so was startled to hear the wearer
of the unventilated hat give a hollow
groan.
He had become CHASTITY pale; he
| looked as if he were melting gradually.
In fact, the poor fellow seemed very
| i'll indeed. Strange that a badly ven
tilated hat should produce such
marked effects!
After awhile the clock OF Shore
| ditch church struck 1890 I heard
footsteps in the room below, and at
the same time was deprived of my
ventilating hat. A brand new hat was
placed upon my head and the show
cards which stood behind our respec-
tive heads were exchanged.
The draughts of cool air which
came through the innumerable little
| holes in the mahogany flooring around
my neck suddenly ceased. A current
| of heated air supplied it's place.
looked out of the corner of my eve
at the other head; its face wore an
ecstatic smile.
Then an extraordinary thing took
place. The easy chair in which l was
sitting suddenly began to grow warm;
it then became actually hot - I'M
pleasantly hot.
l saw through the whole flemish
trick at once. l was to be tortured
tortured for a period of an hour and a
half, for the amusement of an idle
crowd-in order that the public might
be gulled into the purchase of the So
called ventilating hats of the fiend
Wilkins.
was being gradually cooked alive.
and l felt that concentrated boiling
gravy, not blood, was coursing through
my veins.
My features were contorted with
agony; the crowd in the street outside
gave me a tremendous round of ap-
plause.
tried to break loose. AS did so a
voice from the room below uttered the
following dreadful threat:
''1t's 1.2O now, my man, and if YOU
move I'll make it /. 5t!''
endured the most dreadful fortunes
for whole hour and half. When I
left Wilkins establishment was more
dead than alive.
1t is the dream of my life that and
Mr.. Wilkins, the inventor of the ven
tilating hat may meet i'll some lonely
place. am not revengeful man.
but feel that 1 owe Wilkins some
thing that l should like to repay
Black and White.
No Stock Ia 1t.
An ignorant old farmer in the
rough regions of West Virginia owned
n fo vuh oh -