Charlevoix county herald., 1908-10-31

Probably a third Of the people or
the civilized world know of the exist
ence of the great glass company, one
Of the wealthiest Of corporations. and
at least a third more have seen In
shop windows in all parts OF the
globe glassware Of every description,
clear as crystal or most perfectly col
ored, and annealed by a wonderful
process, which renders 1t SO tough
that an ordinary blow has no effect
~ ION 1t.
It is the Allglass Company which
Las reyolutionized the art, and which
came into existence through strange
chance.
For years glassware had been John
Temples hobby. His house was
filed with the choicest gleanings Of
many lands. His uncle, whose name
he bore, had left him enough Of for
tune to devote his time to such things,
and he followed his bent with zeal
sufficiently below mania to be termed
genuine enthusiasm. During his
days Of collecting, two points were
brought forcibly to his attention. He
could procure glasses of the most
beautiful tints, but at a price which
made them beyond the reach of people
in ordinary circumstances. Again,
when he had procured treasure, it
must be kept in a case or handled
with care lest some chance Slip might
prove its destruction.
To overcome these two things-to
make glass Of perfect coloring and
at the same time one which would be
tough enough to be serviceable-Tem-
pie bent all his energies. That it could
be done he was positive, but ten good
years Of his life, spent for the most
part in an ill-smelling laboratory, net
ted but scant results. He had, how
ever, made some advancement, and his
determination to accomplish his end
was no whit lessened.
One afternoon in March, after weeks
of disheartening work, he had discov-
cred process by which perfect amber
tints could be obtained at a nominal
sum. 1t was three o'clock when he
finished work and locked the labora-
tory. 1t was Temples custom after
hours of concentration to walk down
town, pausing now and then to peer
into shop windows, that the trifling
interest he found there might relieve
the strain of the preceding hours.
1t was windy afternoon and heavy
clouds hung the sky. He walked
briskly, for the air was chilly, and it
was not until he was well down town
that he paused before the windows Of
a secondhand bookshop. Within was
miscellaneous collection of books in
more or less battered condition-vol-
umes Of encyclopedias, Dickens,
Thackeray and textbooks-and, strewn
about, paper-covered novels with sug-
gestive titles and more suggestive
sub-titles. In the center of the win
dow was a huge family Bible, opened,
the text of Matthew on the right-hand
page, and on the left blank page of
the Family Record"
AS he stood there, the sun broke
through the clouds A moment later
he was staring through the window
with wondering eyes. On the page Of
the Family Record" indistinct at the
beginning, but growing clearer as he
read down the page, were these words,
written in a cramped, but painstaking
hand:
this method of annealing gives a
toughness which will resist any ordinary
shock 1t is, moreover, IL practiced on a
large scale, cheaper than any known
method and for
The remaining words were quite illegi-
BILE. The rest of the page was SEEM
ingly blank. He read and reread
the words and then rushed into the
shop
Let me see the Bible in the win
dow" he said to the clerk, with as
much nonchalance as he could mus
ter.
When the book was handed TO him,
Temple turned at once 10 the last
page of the Family Record" 1t was
perfectly blank. He scanned the pre-
ceding pages and searched through
those headed Marriages" and
Births" He found merely few con-
ventional entries in faded ink. lover
work." he thought to himself, as he
went up the street, yet when he re-
membered every detail Of the writing
the explanation was far from satisfac
tory.
Two days later he stood again be-
fore the window. 1t was, perhaps, an
hour later in the day than his pre-
vious visit. The sun shone from a
cloudless sky. There were the bat
tered books and the novels, and there
was the Bible. 1t was with a queer
thrill that he turned his eyes to the
record page. He could scarcely be
lieve his sight. In the same cramped
hand he read these words:
-practiced on a large scale, cheaper thar
any known method, and for years
sought TO put this knowledge in the prop
or hands. 1 distrust ID. c., which makes