The Virginia enterprise., 1906-11-16


ca, and / shot through the opening.t 8 =:
I saw the hallway before me;;; i Is.
member observing with vague wonder
that the gas-ltght went out just as It
caught my eye. And then an awful
flash blinded me, roar of 10000 car
non seemed to split 1ny skull-and that
was ALL e.
My eyes opened in the Hawkins
drawing-room-or what remained of 1t,
Our family physician was diligently
winding a bandage around my right
ankle. An important-looking youth in
the uniform of an ambulance surgeon
was stitching up 4 portion of my left
forearm with cheerful nonchalance.
My brand-new dress suit. observed.
had lost all semblarce to an article OF
clothing; they had covered me, as I
lay upon the couch, with a torn
portiere. '''''
The apartment was strangely dark
Here and there stood lantern, such as
are used by the fire department. In the
dim light l saw the figure of a police
man standing tiptoe upon satin chair.
plugging with soap the broken gas
pipe which had once supported tho
| Hawkins chandelier.
The ceiling was all down. The walls
were bare to the lath in huge patches.
The windows had disappeared, and a
chill autumn night wind swept through
the room.
Bric-a-brac there was none, although
here and there, in the mass of plaster
on the floor, cleaned bits of glass and
| china which might once have been
parts of ornaments. Hawkinsite had
evidently not been quite as powerful
as its inventor had imagined, but It
had certainly contained force enough
to blow about 10000 dollars out of
Hawkins bank account
From the street came the hoarse mur-
muir of crowd. twisted my head and
my eyes fell upon two flremen In tho
hallway. They were dragging down
a line of hose from somewhere up
stairs.
Across the room sat my wife and
Mrs. Hawkins, disheveled, but alive
and apparently unharmed. Hawkins
himself leaned wearily back upon a
divan, huge bandage sewed about his
forehead, one arm in sling, and a
police sergeant at his side, notebook in
hand.
I felt flendish exultation at the
sight of that official; for one fond mo-
ment I hoped that Hawkins was un-
der arrest, that ne was in for life
sentence.
''He's conscious, doctor,' said the
ambulance surgeon.
"Ah, so he isl said my own medi-
cal man, as the ladies rushed to my
side. "Now, Mr.. Griggs, do you feel
any pain in the
"Oh, Griggs!" cried Hawkins, stag
gering toward me. "Have you come
back to life? Say, Griggs, just think
of it! My workshops blown to smith
Greens! Every single note ever made
has been destroyed! Isn't it aw-."
In joyful chorus, my wife, Mrs Haw-
kins and l said:
| 'Thank Heaven!"
But think of it.! My notes! The
careful record of half a.
"Herbert!" said s-considera bly,
better half. "That-will-do!"
"It-oh, WELL" groaned the inventor
disconsolately, limping back to the
divan and the somewhat astonishe ed
sergeant of police. Hawkins must have
had some sort of influence with the
press, Beyond bare mention of the
explosion, the matter never found its
way into the newspapers.
After l got around again / tried in
vain to spread the tale broadcast l
mad some notion that the notoriety
might cure Hawkins
But, after all, I don't know that it
would have done much good 1 can.
not think that man whose inventive
genius will survive an explosion OF
Hawl1insite is likely to be greatly wor-
ried by mere newspaper notoriety.
Copyright. 1906, by w. G. Chapman. }