The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1909-07-16

Norma. as il the excitement vi wv
discovery had acted as TONIC 'e'
leased herself from the supporting
arms walked to the shining prass
structure, and leaned against II,
Brockton pulled off his cap anu
scratched his head in a puZzieu way
and Jenkins removed the glasses from
his nose and began nervousiv poiish,
ing them. The other engineers sapeu
at each other, at the inventor anu 'neh
bact To the hole wherein to all appear
ances was buried the thing on "illcn
thev had built all their hope. 'olo
Ril' Roberts stood by its edges, look
ing down and examining the oroAeh
wires. a picture of perplexity or oe.
sn.ir He came back and CROWDED
through their midst, examining coh
nection and tracing out one OF lhe
strands, and then stood in lstless a'
titude, his brows drawn into 1ro"h'
and his arms hanging loose and pendu-
Ions from his shoulders. The time
stretched into minutes, and jenkins
and Norma began discussion, "
which the others listened, striving 10
understand the phraseology OF elec-
tr;cal science, Of which many OF them
had little more than the layman
knowledge. Suddenly sharp CRY
came from the inventor.
They lotsed to the other side OF the
Il room whittier he had retreated, anu
beheld him jumping up and down IKE
0 mailman. His fists were clenched
and thrust into the air, where they
e onened clawlike and waved a tremolo
t, Of excitement. I've got It. ne
e screamed. I've solved it,
"a They drew back from him, fearing
Re that failure had loosened his brain;
y but he rushed through the group, e1.
u citedly calling for men to repair inc
g. break. The admiral, unused to MS
5, periods of enthusiasm, stared at MN
u. blankly, his lower Jaw unconsciously
III dropping until his mouth yaWned IN
cayernous suspense. In his mind
4 nothing but insanity could account for
q this outburst.
Al Norma, on the other hand, laid a
n restraining hand on his arm and said:
II Father, what's the matter? Wha'
VI is it,"
i We've been working in the dark
M he answered vehemently, and then
y with the jubilatic1 of boy but IN
Il calmer tone continued: by an &C
= cjdent we have discovered powers II
II our combination of electricity ant
N metallurgy that we have not dreamed
II of, and which, If we can control them
i make the resistant armor we cam
II down here to manufacture as useles
VI as a wooden hull!
II The admiral suddenly dropped hi
M bulk to a stool Good God!' n
V gasped, ARE you mad?"
VI Norma, like one from whose eyes
III hoodwink has been Suddenly removed
e. 81 and appearing almost tH have read ne
III father mind, put ner hard out TO Il
vi shoulder and looked at him sealcnlh
M ". A slow grin of great eAui'".',
IN swept over the lean old %a'e ~
IN which she peered, drove the aiihni'
IA into the corners of the eyes, anu
vi mass of radiating burrows rounG\ "
NJ mouth.
You've guessed it" he said, al
then turned to the admiral "Brocktc
II YOU don't know what that hole mean
I'D but in an hour from now I'm going
~ show you. That is, Norma, my
sistant, and l will"
Then in a sudden frenzy for VIC
he asked them all to leave until
sent for them, and they, wonderl
and specializing on his next endeav
/ obeyed. Only the workmen, who q
descended into the cavity and W.
preparing to hoist the plate and me
and the admiral, by special invitati
remained. The clang of hammers
sounded holloway through the 70
as the timbers beneath the floor W
shored up by the carpenters; Il
came the setting of another and
. ger tank than the one which had b
- so Unexpectedly driven into the ca
= The smaller plates which had been
tended only for experimental purpt
- were exhausted and therefore
- had nothing on which to operate
two immense castings weighing m
tons. Wide sliding doors rolled b
some and workmen from the foundry,
prang straining muscles and clinging
slowly pushed in low-wheeled cars
saster which rested the huge pieces OF m
wn in A steel crane projected its unga
whose arm, reached slowly down, and
which Titanic grasp picked up one p
chair, moved it into position over the
I'd her bed, and deposited it in a great
rooms whose material indicated that it "
lie. be able to withstand any heat.
errible The admiral in boyish exuber
,e and would have thrown wide the door
She's the inventor, remembering the
'arsely. contretemps, forbade. The
a wild busted himself for a few minut
under his storehouse. and returned W