The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1917-11-20
His Invention

on dispassionately.
"There T. remarked Obed contented-
Iy. II don't b'lieve I can better that
much; don't see where it's lackin'
anything"
"Jest what is this contraption s'posed
to be, anyway" asked Mr.. Peaslee.
"It's a rig to keep my shed door
closed tight against them hens" ex-
planned Obed, with an inventors eager
ness. II can work it with this cord
'thout goin' out into the shed.
II d'know's ever give much thought
to machines to shut DOORS" remarked
Mr.. Peaslee musingly. "Solon Gage
did, though, one time. His machine
worked, too-mebbe as well as you're
hopin' yourn WILL"
"Who was Scion Cage" demanded
Obed, land was his rig anything like
this Of mine?"
"Solon Cage" said Mr.. Peaslee slow
ly twas a man that lived over in Am
herst long time ago.
"Solon's trouble" Mr.. Peaslee went
on, "started with a hired man he had
that wouldn't try to learn nor do as
he was told. This man was a greet
quite dare to undertake to thrash him,
so he rugged up machine to kind OF
help out.
1.-THE trouble was, the hired man
was bound to use the front door. that
bein' the handiest when he come in
from plowin' and field werk; and he'd
traipse through there with his feet
all mud. and Mis- Gage got so out Of
patience that she made Solon's life
nothin but time of quarrels.
"Solon went to the man with what
she said and the feller jest grinned
at him. So f1n'ly he sot himself to
work to see if he couldn't better things.
Il amt goin' to try to give you all
the workin's of the thing he rugged up,
for I don't know 'em. But I do know
front door that would let anybody open
1t mebbe halfway, and then the door'd
shoot so hard that it would drive
middlin' sized pusson halfway to the
front gate. That spring was so stiff
ard smart that Scion had to rig a
windlass to set the thing.
"Workin' quiet so that the hired
man wouldn't mistrust what he was
dom, Scion fn'ly got the thing fixed
to suit him, and then he sot it and
waited for the hired man to come into
the door again. But it so fell out
that just then the Teller was called
home for a day or SO. and Scion didn't
have any chance to see how twas goin'
TO work.
"Mebbe havin' all the extra work
throwed onto him like that made Scion
forget bout his invention anyway, the
whole thing must have sort of dropped
out Of his mind, or else the thing
would never have happened that did
happen.
IN them days." Mr.. Peaslee di-
crossed to explain, "there was a good
deal of juniper knees dug-for ship
buildin', you know; and Scion dug a
lot Of 'em himself-dug 'em out on his
own land and bought the right to dig
EN- on other folks land, when they'd
sell EN-. Old Mr.. Brewer had swamp
Of the timber, and time and time again
Solon'd tried to dicker with him for it,
but the old man was kind of pudjicky
and notional and wouldn't.
We'll, jest at this time it happened
that Scion had a big order for juni-
per knees and they were gettin' scarce,
SO ne went down one night and made
a reslute set at the old Teller, to see
If he couldn't buy 'em. The old man
hemmed and hawed c'nsid'able, but
hn'ly he told Scion that he'd let him
know within twenty-four hours.
so the next day the old man come
up to Solon's house. He was kind Of
Ugnified old goat-he'd never think Of
such thing as goin' to the back door
so when he got to the front door and
raped and didn't get any answer
eolon and Mis- Gage bein' out in the
pack yard at the time-he opened the
uoor and started to go inside; and
"hen he did, things happened.
Cordin' to what I could find out,
Tile door got a wallop at him that
switched him off'n his feet and broke
every pane Of glass in the side lights
u the door. Mis- Gage and Scion
heard the crash and heard the old gen.
ueinan groanin,' and they put round
" see what the matter was and there
nc laid, with the wind bout all knock
W out Of him, and hurt some, but not
aurt half as much as he was madded.
,Hey say he talked to Scion something
"etul, c'nsiderin' they were both