The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1909-07-23
CHAPTER XV.-Continued.


ventor assured him. wild curren
and wet floor before, badly insulated
handle, too. All fixed up now. Won
be any accident this time" and so on
making the final inspection of his ap
paratus as he talked. Norma reviewed
her fathers work, to be certain thai
all was we'll, and then at nod from
him took her station at the other mon
ster which had not been used hither
to. There was simultaneous move
ment on their part. and, as If suddenly
endowed with soul, the lights once
more flashed here and there, glazing
at them with sinister contempt
Frankensteins under control!
The admiral, fascinated by the mys.
terry of science, stared at the white
haired old man who was calmly watch.
| ing his play of colors, and then at the
girl who with equal self-possession
| and GOODNESS manipulated the strange
currents beneath her hands. They
were animated as by one mind, throw
Ing their levers and switches to and
fro at tdentically the same moment
without looking at each other, and the
click of the closing currents came in
unison. Not until then did they step
back from their stations and inter.
change what seemed to the admiral
mutual glances of congratulation.
THAT assistant of mine is a won.
der" was all the old man said as he
came over, dragged a stool up beside
that on which the officer sat, and glee.
fully rubbed his hands together "She
thinks more clearly than l do"
Brockton, who had been tense as a
violin string and had almost forgotten
to breathe, drew long breath and
looked at the girl who had been lean.
ing against the wall as though ex-
hausted, but was now watching the
slowly cooling metal He would have
asked questions; but the inventor
turned to him and with an air of
triumph said:
] wish you would invite all those
who were here when We made the first
test. Then you will have the explana-
ton unless ! am again mistaken"
The admiral obeyed, and even as the |
cooling sprays were sitting over the |
great pieces of metal they came troop
ing in from the work which thew had
resumed. There were men from the
draughting rooms with pencils behind
their ears, engineers from the outside
with shirt sleeves rolled I'D and for
gotten diagrams under their arms, and
one man came from the laboratory alb
sentmindedly carrying a test tube
balancing it so that he might spiu
none OF the liquid which it contained
Norma was now resting calmly against
one OF the huge dead machines.
In tone of unusual gravity Rob.
erts addressed them. Boys" he be-
san-they were all boys to him-"you
nave witnessed the accidental discou
cry, | believe, of the most powerf,A
ofce the world has ever known. You
lave Deen fortunate. In more than
U years OF life /, who have spent the
ime in strange studies and stranger
Work, have had no privilege so great.
Iou have all been kind to my daugh-
er and to me, and am glad you are
ere now" He paused for moment,
eelng with retrospective eyes all the
reat events of his life Then, recall.
ag himself from this review, he turned {
Jenkins as kindred spirit, and to /
ooyish officer who stood near at
and. c
You two" he said, indicating them +
18th his hand, may have the honor of l.
licking up those plates" i
There was an instant of GREATNESS |
'tonishment. jenkins was the first to Il
'coVer, and unhesitatingly walked {
'rward. The younger man drew
lck as though he had received an q
DER from an insane man consigning u
m to inglorious death. The voice of Il
e admiral put an end to the wait. Il
Go ahead" he said quietly Those
ates may weigh tons; but If DR.. Rob.
Is tells you to pick them I'D, you
and try it, O.