The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-16

one element, which is the basis of every
thing. All the different shapes and condi-
mere variation of that force in conjunction
with numbers of that particle. Am l getting
beyond your depth?"
"Of course. / know what feeble brains
the average woman is possessed of. stu
try to keep that in your mind. Now, listen
to this: / have discovered how to disunite
that force and that particle. / can with a
touch fling loose upon this earth a giant
whose strength is irresistible and immeas-
urable."
Then why object to making your dis
covery public?"
I'm the first place, because there are still
a thousand things and more to be learned
along this line of investigation. The moment
a man announces his discoveries he is first
ri6iculed: then, when the truth # what he
affrms is proved. there rise in all parts Of
the world other men who say they knew all
about ii ten years ago and will prove II, too
world: in the second place. because l am
a humane man l hesitate to spread broad
cast a knowledge that would enable any
fool 20 blow up the universe. Then there is
a third reason. There is another who, l be-
lieve. has discovered how 10 make this force
Reefy. i as grip Pbila Se the En the nnite d
States
What! You don't meaan the KeeIy motor
MANI cried Jennie, laughing. That ar
rant humbug! Why, all the papers in the
world have exposed his ridiculous preten-
sions. He has done nothing but spend other
peoples money"
Human beings have, since the beginning of
the world, stoned their prophets. Neverthe-
less, he has liberated a force that no gauge
made by man can measure. He has been
boastful, If you like, and has said that with
a teacupful of water he would drive a
steamship over the ocean. l have been
and he has been working away with his
eye on me. for each knows what the other
tc 6nin0 g aftha 80 NC fcnnxnrc hnu- ~
control this force. then that mans name will
go down to posterity forever He has not
There fs ee is st aRle an 5S ep d III ns1tee betR Reye us i:
he appears to be able to loosen that force
In his own presence; l can only do it at a
distance. All my experiments lately have
been in the direction of making modifica-
tions with this machine. so as to liberate
the force within the compass, say. Of this
invisible rays which this machine sends out
and which will penetrate stone, iron, wood
or any other, substance must unite at a
focus and 1 have not been able to bring
that focus nearer me than something over
half a mile.
Last summer 1 went to an uninhabited
part of Switzerland and there continued my
experiments. blew up at will rocks and
powders on the mountain sides, the dis
1 examined the results of the disintegration,
and when you came in and showed me the
gold recognized at once that some one
had discovered the secret I have been try
ing to fathom for the last ten years. /
thought that perhaps you had come from
Keely. 1 am now convinced that the ex-
caused by myself. This machine, which
you so recklessly threatened to throw out
of the window. accidentally. slipped from its
support when / was working here some
time after midnight on the 18th. L placed
IT Immediately as you see 1t now, where 1t
throws its rays into midair and is conse-
Quently harmless, but / knew an explosion
must have taken place in Vienna somewhere
within the radius of half a mile. l drew
the pencil semi-circle that you saw on the
map of Vienna. for in my excitement in
placing the machine upright / had not no.
ticed exactly where it had pointed, but /
knew along the line I had drawn an explo-
sion must have occurred and could only
hope that it had not been a serious one.
which it seems it was. 1 waited and waited.
hardly daring to leave my attic, but hearing
no news of any disaster / was torn between
the anxiety that would naturally come to
not wish to destroy life-and the fear that
If nothing had occurred l had not actually
made the discovery / thought l had made.
You spoke of my actions being childish,
but when I realized that / had myself been
the cause of the explosion a fear of criminal
prosecution came over me. Not that L should
object to Imprisonment IL they would allow
me to continue my. experiments, but that
doubtless they would not do. for the author
tiles know nothing of science and care less"
found herself gradually coming to believe
in the efficiency of the harmless looking
mechanism of glass and iron hat she saw
on the table before her, and a sensation OF
horror held her spellbound as she gazed
at II. It's awful possibilities began slowly
to develop in her mind, and she asked
breathlessly:
What would happen If you were to turn
that machine and point it toward the GEN.
ter Of the earth?'
81 told you what would happen. Vienna
would lie in ruins. and possibly the whole
Austrian empire and perhaps some adJoin-
ing countries would become a mass OF i'm
palpabIe dust. 1t may be that the world it.
self would dissolve. / cannot tell what the
magnitude of the result might be, for L
have not dared to risk the experiment"
"Oh. this is too frightful 10 think about
she cried. You must destroy the machine,
professor, and you must never make an
other"
What! And give up the hope. hat my
name will descend to posterity?"
Professor Seigfried, when once this ma
chine becomes known 10 the world there
will be no posterity for your name to de-
against nation, with different countries full
of those unimprisoned maniacs whom we
call tingoes-men preaching the hatred OF
one people against another-how Ions do you
think the world will last when once sucn
The professor looked longingly at the ma
chine he had 50 slowly and painfully con-
structed.
cit would be of much use to humanity II II
were but benevolently employed. With TINS
coal fields everywhere diminishing. ii would
supply a motive force for the universe thai
would last through the ages"
Professor Seigfried;' exclaimed Jennie
edge of that machine to become common
property 1t IL His will that the end of the
world shall come"
deeply wrinkled brow, gazing earnestly a
the mechanism. In his hand was the ham
mer head which he had previously given Il
the girl. His arm went up aid down as !