The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-12-30
A BOOMERANG.


tinelisz - surrender stared him IN th
faoe. slowly the Prunslan armies wen
eioslag about him, A few days NOR
hnd kis whole force would be az thel
mercy, An orderly handed him a not
Ifom q gentleman waiting without !
read:
Marshall ara the inventor Of a nylnl
machine which can BE- aiefred IN any a
fecuea. II contains a mechanism which
the auxiliary means q ciochworlt vii
lfpp explosive cartridges AZ stated periods
bny enc of which 10 suficlent 70 dcsirol
~ whole fruAnlan army. ! am. marshal
FREEMAN PETTfPLAcE.
SHOW him In" said the marshal.
Ne. petiiplace was a meek appearing
little man, with a hesiiatlng manner
sho looked better fitted to superlntenf
Sunday school than invent means fol
destroying armies. lie was very much
overcome NJ entering the presence Of
fhe marshal. dropping his hat and step
ping on Il, then upscttIng n camp stoo
and stumbling over Il. nt last sitting
down IN confusion when be should
have stood till hidden to take a seat
Where are you fromr asked the
marshal.
~furtleneld. Come, IN the United
States"
"Ah. an Americana You Americans
sre very ingenious. Where Is your
nnchlnef"
'On the cars AZ a station between
this and Paris presented my plan
to the minister OF war. and he gave
me transportation. left the apparatus
and came on here 10 see you"
The marshal called an aid.de-camp
and directed him 10 telegraph immedl.
ately for Mr.. Pcttiplace's machine.
Then be dismissed the inventor. direct.
Ing him to report upon it's arrival.
The next afternoon the machine mr.
rived and on the following morning
was set upon a platform that had been
built for II during the night The
weather was propltions. and Marshal
BazaIne and hls stan stood beside the
platform with folded arms while the
whole French army waited IN anxious
expectation. The cartridges were plac-
ed in position and the clockwofk start.
ed. Then Mr. Pettiplace turned HIS AZ.
tention 10 putting IN motion the pro-
pelling and guiding machinery. This
he did with much agitation. aud when
he set the steering fan his hands trem-
bled and his eyes were so blurred
with excitement that he could scarcely
see the scale which showed the dlrec-
tion the apparatus was set to so. Then
when the fans were all whlrling the an
Choir ropes were cut and the machine
began TO ascend upward aud onward.
II had scarcely started when its orig
inator turned pale. He noticed that Il
was not going directly for the Prussinn
camp. but slightly 10 the right The
steering fan had been so set as 70
cause the machine to move In circle.
where is the thing golngf" asked
the marshal.
i've set the steering apparatus
&<EoBgs" ffaltercd the inventor
The marshal glared at him, but said
nothing.
TITS going all right" added Petit
place presently. "The curve in which
It moves will carry II over the enemy.
Indeed. its course is for the best. for It
will traverse the line Of camps instead
OF passing over a part"
The French soldiers stood staring up
into the heavens al the flying concern
that looked for all the world Ike a
huge fish moving in an ocean. The
marshal called for his field glass and
alternately examined the object OF his
hopes and dropped his glass TO ask Mr..
pettIplace some question. On the
queer flshlile machine hung the fate
OF the French army and the empire.
Then the marshal noticed that the
inventor was continually taking ont his
watch and replacing Il excitedly
'IIow much time have you given be-
fore the dropping Of the first car
trldgeg' asked the marshal.
"Twenty minutes"
aHm. In twenty minutes. at the
rate the machine Is moving. Il will
have passed their camps"
Mr.. Pettlplace looked again at his
watch and cast an anxious glance at
the machine. BY this time the latter
hah been discovered by the Prussians.
who began firing at 1t. few cannon
shots were sent after 1t and innumer.
allie ride balls. but 1t was out Of range
az both. Presently 1t stood over the
loft Of the cnemy's camps and sailed
along toward the center.
eTime?" asked the marshal fever
ishly
Twelve minutes"
The dropping Of cartridges would not
begin for six minutes. and the "fiier'
was going very fast. Reaching a point
above the Prussian center. the curve
~ rs course promised to leave out the
aneniy's right entirely
crime againT' asked the marshal.
eFifteen minutes"
asacre bleu! IT'S course VIII bring
Il back. and 1t viii pass over vs. as It
Il passfng over the enemy II win be
shove our left In Eve minutes, and in
ave minutes 1t will begin to drop
cartridges. Sound d retreat
The bugles had scarcely sounded
rhen the army. catching the meaning
u Tie move, began a preciniiate
sieht "a the rear. The Prussians gath
erlpg Oh the hills looked down upon
tboir refreating foes, and when the
raebil0 began to drop cartridges and
Anew saw that the French had been
sanght ID their own trap there was
u explosion of laughter scarcely less
and than that OF the cartridges.
uoweveF, not a man was killed, for
fr,assrh eunnaadpd I'm getting out