Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-07-18

4
burial place of the raging, steaming
meteor and consequently quite unap-
proachable.
Soon the fire burned merrily, and
the coffee stall Keepers recipe fol
using coffee grounds was put into prac-
tlce. Philip had neither sugar nor milk,
but the hot liquid smcled well, and
he was now so cold and stiff and he
had such an empty sensation where he
might have worn belt that some
crusts of bread. softened by INNER
sion in the dark compound, earned
keener appreciation than was ever
given In later days TO the most costly
dishes Of famous restaurants yet un-
built.
| After he had eaten he dried his
damp garments and changed his soak
ed boots for a pair so worn that they
scarcely held together, but their dry
ness was comforting. An odd feeling
Of contcntment. largely induced by the
grateful heat Of the Gre, rendered his
actions leisurely. Quite half an hour
elapsed before he thought Of peeping
through the back window to ascertain
the progress of external events. The
rain was not now pelting down with
abnormal Alry. II was still falling, but
with the quiet persistence that marks
in London parlancc-"a genuine wet
day The steam had almost vanished.
When he removed his coat from the
broken panes he saw with surprise
that the nagstoncs in the yard were
dry within a circle Of two feet around
the hole made by the meteor. 9Ich
drops as fell within that area were in
stnntlv obliteratcd. and tiny jets Of
vapor from the hole itself betrayed the
presence of the fiery object beneath.
His boysh curiosity being thoroughly
aroused. lie drew an old sack over his
head and shoulders, unlocked door
which led into the yard from a tiny
scullcry and cautiously approached the
place where the meteor had plowcd its
way into the ground. The stones were
| Uttered with debris. hut the velocity OF
tho heavy mass had been so great that
comparatively clean cut was made
through the pavement.
The air was warm with the hot
breath of an oven, and 1t was as much
as Philin could bear wher he stood on
/ the brink Of the hole anc peeped in,
Az u good depth. nearly half his own
height he estimated, he saw a round
ball firmly imbcdded in the earth 1t
was duly red, with its surface all
cracks and assures as the result of the
water poured onto 1t. Much larger
81 "a.
first sight to be the angry eye of some
colossal demon glaring up at him from
dark socket. But the boy was alb
solutely stranger to fear. lie pro-
/ cured the handle of mop and prodded
the meteor with it. The surface felt
hard and brittle. Large sections broke
away, though they did not crunb!e
and he received a sharp reminder of
the potency of the heat still stored be-
low when the wood burst into sudden
fame.
! This ended his Investigations for the
night. He used the sacking TO block
up the window, replenished the fire.
set his coat to dry and dra eyed his
mattress from the bedroom to the front
! VI inc IRE. Inc WdTfnln WlInln ana
! without the house had made him intol-
erably drowsy and he fell asleep while
murmuring his prayers, practice
abandoned since the hour Of his meth
er's death.
In reality Philip was undergoing a
novel sort of Turkish bath. and the
perspiration induced thereby probably
saved him from Il dangerous cold. He
slept long and souptly. There was no
need to attend to the fire. Long ere
the coal in the crate was exhausted
the presenn Of the meteor had renp-
trated the surrounding earth. and the
house was far above its normal tenn
| perature when he awoke.
i The sun had risen in a cloudlcSs sky.
a lovely spring morning had succeed
ell a night of gloom and disaster, and
the first sound that greeted his won
derlng ears was the twittering of the
busy sparrows on the hOusctops. OF
course he owned neither clock nor
watch. These articles with many 9th.
erS were represented by bundle Of
| pawn tickets stuffed into one of the
/ envelopes of his mothers packet OF
letters. But the experience of even Il
few weeks had taught him roughly
how TO estimate time by the sun, and