The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-06
DimPle's
By !. r. HENDERSON

inventor" said Dimple, as he stood
back and surveyed the result of his
labor with a complacent smile on his
round face. Talk about fire-escapes!
Here's something that lays over any
line. and it's just as simple as a pair OF
suspenders. It's admirably suited to
these tall buildings too. What do you
think of it. my dearl"
Mrs. Dimple eyed the queer-looking
arrangement of ropes. pulleys and
wooden framework which her husband
had fitted up in the recess of n of the
deep bay-windows overlooking the street.
TIT isn't very ornamental"
"Oh. that's what you think of it. is
it," and something in Dimple's voice
made her wish that she had thought
twice before speaking. Il suppose if
you were called upon to give your
opinion of an improved pile-driver, your
objection would be that it was not built
in the style of the French Renaissance
No, Mrs. Dimple, it is not ornamental.
1t is neither a cuckoo clock nor a plush
album. If you think it's the mission of
a frc-escape to lock beautiful and
esthetic, you're using your alleged mind
to mighty poor advantage. 1t is clear
that if you had your way you would
string these pulleys with yellow ribbons,
instead of ropes, and have a red-white-
and-blue hammock, instead of this stout
leather sack, to let yourself down in"
But it looks kind of complicated. -
said Mrs. Dimple. II don't quite see how
you are going to make it work"
"Of course you don'tl" snorted Dim
pie with reddening face. You wouldn't
he a woman if you were capable of
grasping an idea after it had been
explained to you a hundred times.
Here I've been putting in four hours a
day for two weeks Oh this thing. and
explaining the component parts OF the
apparatus as | put them together, and
now you don't understand how it can be
made to work. Maybe you think its a
sort OF mechanical mule thatTl balk and
push backward and kick the dashboard
to flinders when you try to make 1t go.
You may thank your stars, Harriet,
that | am a paragon of patience and
g~ood-naturc, and stand ready to explain
TO YOU for the fve-hundredth time the
workings of this simple contrivance.
Now. see here" and Dimple, with
the air of a dimc-museum lecturer,
stepped forward and placed his hand on
one Of the essential parts of the tackle,
all you've got to do, when there's a
fire. is to get into this leather sack"
"Oh, myl 1t looks just like a big
mail pouch
Never mind; it will carry females as
well as males. All you've got to do is
to get into this sack. Eth? Feet first,
of course. You wouldn't expect to stand
on your head. would you? And then
swing yourself out of the window? At
the same time you must take hold of
this cord. The harder YOU pull on the
cord the faster you will descend. and in
any case you will be lowered to the
sidewalk gently and safely"
Why, the rope might break"
Dimple thrust his hands into his
pockets and regarded his wife with an
expression of despair.
Mrs. Dimple, your wisdom astounds
me" he said feelingly. 1T is true that
the rope might break. it might break into
a thousand infnitesimal fragments. Also
the law of gravitation might become
reversed and drop you up to the clouds
instead of down to the ground. But