The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-01-30
| Ohm RAWN
Copyright 1912 BY Emerson nough

$4,000 ~~ +8I E@NEe =
at the edge Of the great inland city
still vas silent. The directors ragged.
They wanted to drain to the last drop
the strength even OF this t~ireless
giant. They wanted TO begin to bot
tie. measure and sell, sell for ever,
the very force which holds the spheres
In their places In time we shall per-
ihaps see completed what these men
planned. There Is no logical reason
why. IL n planet a be owned by a
John Rawn OF SO, yet others should
nor
For a long time Jim Sullivan, fore
man at the factory OF the Information
al, wondered and pondered as to the
real intent of these strange machines
which he saw little by little growing
up under the uncommunicative direc-
ton Of the superintendent, Halsey. He
had never Q anything like them,
with their vast coils OF insulation,
their intricate cogs and wheels, their
centrally-hidden huge glass Jars, and
the long, toothed ridge, like a delicate
metal comb, which surmounted the
tOp VI CdCus lnGIb WIS bOiiltiUlIk
mysterious about Ii all. He wal sure
that Halsey did something with these
machines when the men were not
about. The very air seemed throb-
bing with some tense quality of mys.
terry. The men themselves were sus-
picious, irritable. Never was the air
In n factory more surcharged alike
with ignorance and with anxiety. Man
after man, good mechanic though he
was. quit the place simply because he
did not know what he was doing. The
feeling Of mystery was tense, oppres.
lsiye.
On one certain Sunday morning Jim
factory. He knew that the superln-
tendent had spent almost the entire
night there working alone on one of
these mysterious machines. 1t stood
there now. And-yes! 1t was different
from what II had been when Sullivan
last saw 1t! II was now apparently
complete, 30 far as he could tell.
There was no n a 1t. Halsey had
gone home, to bed. OF late he had
been very tired, pale, haggard; and he
always was at work In the factory,
when good men slept, and knew light
winged dreams.
Jim Sullivan stood now looking at
the grim. uncanny machine, hands In
his pockets, wondering. He looked
aboIs him, superstitiously. There
seemed to be something in the air, he
could not explain what. He turned,
looking behind him, and tiptoed to the
front door, where Tim Carney, the
b~lue-coated guardian, stood leaning
against the wall.
"Timl" he whispered, although there
was none to hear. Come on In herei"
what is 1t, Jim?' asked the watch
man.
Il dunno: that's why I'm calm
you"
Has amy wan broke into tn
placer"
Not as i know, but somethin's hap
pened here. I'm fgurin' twas the boss
done 1t. Come In and have a LUX. now.
He's gone home"
They stepped gingerly on across the
floor, along the row of unfinished ma
chimes. and paused at the one farthest
from the door. which had excited
Jim's curiosity.
Here's where the boss worked all
last night" whispered the foreman
hoarsely. '"Twas daybreak when he
come home, an he was all In. He's
been workin' on her before now, l
know that. I'm thinkin' she's about
done, belike!"
Whatever kind OF a spook joint 10
this. anyhow, Jim?" demanded the
Waterman. Whats she for, do We
think now?" They two, bullet-headed,
hairy, heavy and powerful, stood look
ing at this contrivance, whose growth
through many months they had been
watching. The value of 1t either could
measure In comprehensive terms. 1t
was worth ten thousand dollars to
either Of them who woodland could
tell q certain man how 1t was made.
Il dunno what she's for" answered
Jim slowly, but I'm thinkin' It's no
good at all. It's the devil, maylike.
Not that she's so big neither. l could
almost turn her over with a pinch
bar" He pointed to an arm, or lever,
which stood at the side of the ma
chine. "She looks somethin' like one
o. them drills / used to run in tn tun-
mel. time Hogan vas mayor. do ye
mind3 Whin we wanted to throw her
" we pushed down an arm, somethin'
Ike this"
Sure. Jim. It's you have the head
Ter machines. / dunno about thin at
ALL rejoined Tim. scratching his
bead. ssDut It's q shame we can't throw
her In, now. Nanny a time rye
wondered what twas all about in here.
Why shud strangers be SO anxious as
to-"
She luks like q patent gate in a
nnce, a. much as anything else."I
commented Jim. But as fer THROWN
her IN. how cud we? She's attached
g nothin' at all, so there's nothin' to
throw her into. She's got no wire or
eord runnin' to her unless belize it
eomes up through the iure. She
800 M1EQ che Maa some sort OF motor,