Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-12-15

hundred and twenty. Langton, you'll
go whizzing round and round at the
speed Of an express train, and you'll
be horizontal with the ground and the
boat win go sailing upon her side
and yet you won't fall out because of
the centrifugal power"
He gave one last twist to the cords
that bound me and glared into my
eyes.
But suppose I suddenly shut of
the engine? What them" he asked.
A smile f1ickered across his face. I'll
tell you, Langton," he said. What
happens when you whirl the pail of
water round and round your head and
suddenly stop? What happens to the
water? Does 1t stay in the pail? Or
does 1t go through the air? Langton,
you're going through the air. The
sudden cessation of the centrifugal
force, converted into energy, will
throw you just about as hard as can
non ball.
you may land in the Earfs Court |
Road or you may land in the Preston
Road or In Bromley street. l can't
promise for certain, but my aim is i'm
proving, and I can assure you of four |
hundred yards clean travelling over !
the rooftops." He ceased and broke |
into reyilings. He struck me several
times, kicked me with his heels, and.
in his uncomfortable rage seemed on
the point OF numbering me. Then.
tearing himself away with shout Of
final defiance, he left me.
I heard the mechanism begin whir-
| ring in the engine house and felt the
boat begin to move. 1t glided gently
| at first, but soon its motion was &C
CELEBRATED. Now was flying high in
the air over the grounds; faster and
faster ! flew, till the trees, the build.
ings and the night shadows were moth
ing but blur under me. The speed
was inconceivable! 1t was as though /
were dashed to the engine of some
train which spun on its circular course
at about twice the speed of the Chica-
go flyer. My brain reeled, my senses
were deserving me; terror, even, fed
from my benumbed consciousness and
waited calmly for that supreme mo-
ment when the power suddenly ar
rested, should be sent flying out of
the boat and through the air, over the
revolving housetops. Each moment
seemed an eternity. Would that cul-
mination never arrive? And even as
I wondered I felt a shock that Jared
each nerve in me; a binding light, an
awful sound in. my ears and 1 lost
consciousness.
When / opened my eyes I was still
In the boat. But my bonds were un
fastened and Crewe was bending over
me, rubbing my chafed and tingline
limbs. My head swum dizzily.
Its all right, Langton," he sait
cheerily. "The watchmen have hin
under guard in the engine house."
stared at Crewe, hardly yet con
scious of my surroundings, memory
slowly filtering back through her &C
customed courses.
What happened to you?" I NUT
tered, striving to recall the occur
rences Of that period after Crewe'i
! departure.
: Crewe sat by me in the boat ant
rubbed by legs and arms briskly.
the maniac outwitted me. He cam
: on me from behind as silently as Ca
and choked me into insensibility
! When opened my eyes I found my
self bound In the engine house.
) knew exactly what sort of deviltry b
was up to, and surmised that yo
t would be trapped as easily as !. Pres
entity he came back; he was so inten
t on your destruction that he did no
|, seem to notice me, but from his incC
3 herent mumbling l learned that he ha
d you fastened in one of the boats. H
b threw on the lever which starts tt
mechanism and, as the machinery be
s gan to work and the speed accelel
u ated, he stood there, rubbing his hand
8 and chuckling, with me bound han
g and foot not ter PAGES away, in
}, mediately behind dynamo.
r From where I lay saw the spec
II indicator creep up from nothing t.
ward the century mark. 1 understood
t that, when it reach 120, the max
t. mum, the fiend would throw the leve
n back and send you flying into perd
D. ton. I strove to free myself. l &c
70 could not stir. But / saw an iro
bolt lying not five feet from me an
somehow can't imagine how
managed to reach 1t. Just them til
end came. / saw the Indicator needl
reach the end Of the dial. Shay fun
back the lever with a shrek of 10,
and then, maddened by the though
y that your life had been sacrificed,
, managed to catch his ankle as h
% leaped back and brought him to til
b ground, when / stunned him with Ii
ID bolt. found a penknife in his poke
It cut my bonds, and summoned til
. night watchmen by my cries. But
dared not hope to find you still in til
boat"
"But why am I in the boat?"
cried. "Why did I not go fyir
through the air when he stopped Il
machinery"
why" said Crewe, smiling faintl
"you owe your life to a most prov
Dental oversight on the part of oil
maniac. In his half-witted fury. 1
cfaqd IF ctr