Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-07-21
THE BOY INVENTOR,
BY LOUISE 3. CUMMINGS.
Copyright, 1909. by American Press Asso-
citation


cationl
Once upon a time there was a boy
not story boy, a real boy-who was
Of an inventive turn of mind We
shall call him Dick. That was not his
NE, but ii doesn't matter, so far as
story is concerned. Dick was a
farmers boy, and there wasn't at that
time anyth'r@ in farming to stimulate
invention. Now there are steam
plows and moving machines vf inf
mite variety to start 2 boy on the road
Of contriyance But then the blowing
and the reaplng were done in the old
fashioned way.
Dick wa born an inventor and If he
had lived on a desert island would
doubtless ave invented things. The
only imple uent he had to work with
was JAG knife, but this he put to
very good Sc. There are lots Of peo-
pie in the World who have every ad.
vantage and accomplish nothing,
There are q few who have none and
accomplish q great deal. Dick was
one Of the latter kind With his jack
knife he Whitfield out a model Of a
machine he had contrived, and when
he had put it together, his face light
ing up with the enthusiasm of genius,
ne took 1t TO his father
1t has been often said Of n boy In
derisi0n that he knows more than his
father. This could be truly said Of
Dick. The poor fellow WAS crushed at
seeing his parent give his model a kick
that reduced it to fragments. saying;
"I'll have no boy about me who will
spend his time at such foolish things ="
In order to keep his son from fool
ish things" and enable him to earn an
honest living he apprenticed his son to
Tom Hogan, q blacksmith Dick took
with him the remains Of the model his
father bad broken up and after his
days work was done spent his tima
putting IL together. replacing those
parts that were beyond repair with
new ones. When he had il finished
he began TO think what he should do
with IT, lie had seen # kicked to
piecel once and didn't fancy running
the risk OF having 1t destroyed again
However Hogan was a kind master.
and Dick finally concluded to let him
have look at It, He not only let him
see It. hUt showed him how 1t worked
The little fellow demonstrated his
machine. absorbed in its clumsy mo-
TONS, for il was but an imperfect af
fair. occasionally looking mn tnail}v,
remembering the last kicking 1t got
aud fearing another, now calling at
tf to some defect that needed
j. e aren't. now TO one tbat, after
mus. Thought and experiment. had
hoen overcome, nj all times showing
zeal necessary 10 the breaking
ID = 81 obstacles which stand in tha
way ~ the accomplishment OF great
results.
The blacksmith looked down en- his
apprentice and his contgiyance. sin
guar expression ON his face as be
compared what he could do with his
>ledre with the results to be achieved
hy the boys Ingenious invention. now
und again turning from the machine
to III his eye resting on the young
face with a curious wonder
The next chapter In this simple story
Il the boy experimenting the constluc-
tion of machine on the lines of hi
model the cost Of which was provided
hy his master, the blacksmith. who
bad now become his friend and patron
When il was finished it was found TO
work, practically doing automatically
what from the time the earliest gar
mentS were made by man had been
done by hand. The first power loom
tad been invented and constructed
Wealth was now within the grasp Of
the two, who became partners The
blacksmith furnished the means for
building looms, for which -NvS cayo
him a portion Of the profits nut this
was q mere tribe ia comparison with
the benefits conferred upon mankind
Thousands who before had been ua
clad or were covered C-jy with the