The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-08-08
,oct. being of dull. unpublished iron

object being OF dun, unpohsheo IRON
without any decoration
IL never saw anything so clumsy said
the Plane. II can't imagine what u can
be good for. II has no blade
and no teeth" answered the saw. with
n little buzz of self-satisfaction'
.Tt could no more bore hole In q
hoard than | could jump rope sneer-
cd tho nile Anger, regarding the strange
newcomer with a contemptuous glance
"Poobi poohr gasped an ola Bellows
wbcn tho Hammer. the Chisel. the screw
driver and the Monkey-wrencn hdu al,
made uufavorablc comments shouiu
like 10 see IL start fires the way useu
a. 40 In the good old days, what can
our boss be thinking about TO BRING SO
foolish-iooking thing here why II
uould disgrace a junk-shop. II is III only
for old iron. and the sooner II is hlei'eu
up the better e,ra,,o,
Curiosity as 10 the use OF the suI"s
tool kept the shop lively for several uays,
subsding only before most eN' i',,,o
piece Of news brought in by the i'''''
| Gimlct ,, .hts
tool "The boss has contracted 10 MI
the side Of a house without taking down
Nonsense! IT can't be donew shrieked
q concert of voices.
"T'u believe 1t when 7 see it. said the
Compass. which was considered a clever
tool I'm afraid there's a cavern III
our bosss upper story.
In snite of the unbelief prevailing in the
shop. however. one bright sunny morn
ing the tools. big and little, found them
selves stored away in wagon Tor trans
portation. 80. q,
I'VE are now going 10 lift the house,
announced the little Gimlet win an en-
phasis on tho I'VE"
And then there was general laugh as
tbov saw the new tool In a corner OF
the wagon. II still stood on its beh-nke
base. saying nothing. and apparently
taking no notice Of the general contempt
in which it was held.
The wagon. with the boss and his men,
logged along out Of the town. taxing
country road. and finally stopping III 'front.'
OF an old-fashioned brick-house That look
ed as If it might fall over AT any moment.
where's all your help?" asked the
HORSEPOWER. coming out TO meet the ca.
penter. Il expected that you "oulu
bring at least half n dozen men,
81 guess Mike and I and the Little
Fellow can manage it," was the boss
confident answer.
There was a good deal Of excitement
presently among the tools. Inc "a"
buzzed loudly as it divided great piece
Of timber in two. and the sound OF the
Sledge-hammer might have been heard
quarter of a mile away.
But how is this going to raise the
house?" injured the Gimlet IN an inter-
val Of ouiet. The Little Fellow who
| ever he might he. that IS going TO heip
the boss and Mike. must a pretty strong
little fellow. though he's not very prompt
for he hasn't made his appearance yet
In the furry and commotion OF getting
N work every one seemed TO forget Inc
new tool. until il was noticed mat the
carpenter had taken IL 10 the cellar ana
placed It under a heavy piece OF uprlg'
timber supporting the sunken corner o.
the house.
"Aha," said the Saw, finding itself sud-
denly thrown aside.
"Oho," said the Plane. which had been
given so little TO do that IT wondered
why it had been brought at all
And now Mike grasped a thick iron
bar, and inserting one end of it into one
Of the round cavities Of the strange tool
turned the body Of the latter halfway
around. At the same time IL was noticed
that the sunken end of the house moved
up a little.
IAN right Mike" said the boss well
pleased Another turn
The next turn Of the little tool revealed
a powerful screw inside IL. With every
turn of the lever more of the screw APP
peared and with a succession Of gentle
little creaks the side of the house went
up as il by magic.
All the tools looked on I'm wonder and
admiration. and all knew. now who the
Little Fellow was To think that that
unpretentious little object which seemed
| to them good for nothing but to be melted
up. had such power within IT, Even the
| owner Of the house came down TO the
cellar to pay his respects 10 the Little
Fellow that stood so bravely and quietly
| bearing the weight OF several tons OF
| brick and mortar on its head.
When the work OF Strengthening the
house had been completed. Saw and
Hammer had nothing TO say, while the
Plane. with it's little friend the Chsel,
as well as the Anger. and all the rest
| looked crest-falen and ashamed.
Perhaps because the wise Spirit-level
| had been silent so long II felt that 1t had
| a right to be heard now, so il took breath
| and said:
well. my good friends IL is best not to
| despise people that you do not understand.
| You should not assume that. because they
are not like yourselves. they are necessar-
| ilv useless or contemplate. And don't
naunt your little possessions either Of
| knowledge or OF strength. in the presence
| OF strangers. Fancy how YOU must an
| now appear in the eyes OF the Little Eel
| low. otherwise known as Jack Screw
JANE ELLIS JOY.