The Washington herald., 1907-11-12
CHAPTER XIV.
The Poet in the ONCE.

The next morning at halg past FIVE
Philip Calmont found himself awake
and drcssed-in wide. sonorous, empty
house The doctor and all the Healthy
Family were asleep. Some would sleep
for hours Others would come yawuing
dowa about eight. But all were equally
ignorant that the third son of the house
idle. dreamy Phnip-had begun his lies
career. IL was a clear morning, with
the sun showing well above the wavy
outline Of the Keir hills TO the east.
The bells of the ironworks were clang-
ing. the conches blowing from an the
pitheads far and near Presently the
night shift would be coming up. and
u was Pills duty TO be down in the
little office which had been erected near
the descent of No. for Vic Morris 10
DO his paper work in. What he was eX-
pected to do. or how he was 10 DO H.
Phil did not know But ne knew that
Vie Morris must necessarily spend a
good many hours each day underground
And so. with new kind Of provision not
at all natural 10 him. ne routed out and
slipped into his pockets several dusty
volumes of Todhunter, together with an
old Colenso's Arithmetic. But he quite
forgot all about any dinner.
lie was standing with his hands in his
pockets. little chill from his early
rising. when Vie Morris arrived his
morning fold Of thought barring
his brow. Morris started a sight of
Phil Calmont, and FOR moment that
youth thought he was going to deny all
knowledge Of him. The next he nodded
brusquely, but kindly.
That's right; you are on time he
said. There is much 10 be done. See
that file Of books? These are patent speci-
fications Run through all OF them for
the last fourteen years. and mark the
places Of everything that deals with the
ventilation of mines. ] am going below.
So long: ! shall see you in the afternoon.
You will find pens and paper about"
And Vic Morris. without further in
structions TO his new aid, was gOne.
Phil found il very lonely left to him.
self in that small wooden house: the
German stove in one corner scrupulous-
ly clean, and the stovepipe only used 10
hang oiled paper copies OF plans upon.
the walls three deep in sections" geo.
I logical and typographical. colOred with
the most death-dealing reds and far
reaching blues.
But Phil soon found paper and a blot
ter. He had fountain pen in his pocket
He took a rapid glance through the vol
umes to get the scale Of his work and
then lost himself for many hours. Phil
Calmont had a natural quickness Of un-
deTstanding, and instead OF merely mark
ing the places in the volumes Of reports
he added TO each reference a brief resume
of the special features of the invention
81 far as he was able 10 understand
them. He had a ready talent for sketch
ing roughly. but with sufficient correct.
ness to convey an idea. He added. there
| fore many j0ttings of apparatus. ant
when Vic Morris returned at O'Clock hC
found his new hand still at his work
| quite a solid pile of notes skewered OT
| the desk and the last volume of the
patents series IN course Of being digested
! He stood a moment in astOnishment
| Truly, il seemed that there We're many
/ things that he must take back. He die
not speak at once. but, while Phil con
| tinued his eager search, his eager scram
| bling up one page and down another. hi:
/ fountain pen scribbling feverishly, anC
] his mind happier and more content thar
/ ever he had known il. Vic Morris pickle,