Gilpin observer., 1917-10-18
His Invention


''There!" remarked Obed contented-
ly. II don't b'lieve can better that
much; don't see where it's lackin'
anything"
"Jest what is this contraption s'posed
to be. snywayT asked Mr.. Peaslee.
'It's rig to keep my shed door
closed tight against them hens" ex-
plained Obed, with an inventors eager
ness. II can work 1t with this cord
'thout goIn' out into the shed.
II d'know's I 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 Solon Gage" demanded
Obed, "and was his rig anything like
this Of miner"
"Solon Cage" said Mr.. Peaslee SLOW
ly, "was man that lived over in Am
herst long time ago.
"SolOn's trouble" Mr.. Peaslee went
on, "started with a hired man he hnd
that wouldn't try to learn nor do as
he was told. This man was a gre't
twO-fsted lummox, and SolOn didn't
quite dare to undertake to thrash him,
so he rugged up machine to kind of
help out.
"The trouble was, the hired man
was bound to use the front door, that
bcin' the handiest when he come in
from plowIn' and field work; and he'd
trnipse 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 fin'ly he sot himself to
work to see II he couldn't better things.
II amt gOin' to try to give you all
the worklns OF the thing he rigged W,
for don't know 'em. But I do know
TINT he rIgged spring behind the
front door that would let anybody open
1t mebbe halfway, and then the door'd
shoot so hard that 1t would drive n
mlddlin'-sIzed pusson halfway to the
front gate. That spring was SO stiff
and smart that Solon had to rig a
windlass to set the thing.
"Workln' quiet, so that the hired
man wouldn't mistrust what he was
doin'. Solon fln'ly got the thing fixed
to suit him, and then he sot 1t and
waited for the hired man to come into
the door again. But 1t SO fell out
that just then the feller was called
home for day or so and Solon didn't
have any chance to see how twas goin'
to work.
"Mebbe havin' all the extra work
throwed onto him like that made SolOn
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 d.
gressed to explain. "there was a good
deal Of Juniper knees dug-for ship
buildin', you know; and Solon dug
lot Of 'em fsmself-dug 'em out on his
own land and bought the right to dig
'em on other folks land, when they'd
sell 'em. Old Mr.. Brewer had a swamp
Of the timber. and time and time again
Solon'd tried to dicker with him for 1t.
but the old man was kind Of pudjicky
and nOtional and wouldn't.
"Well. Jest at this time 1t happened
that Solon had big order for juni-
per knees and they, we're gettin' scarce.
80 he went down one night and made
a res'ute set at the old Teller, to see
Il he couldn't buy 'em. The old man
hemmed and hawed c'nsid'able, but
anly he told Solon that he'd let him
know within twenty-four hours.
$50 the next day the old man come
up to Solon's house. He was kind Of
dignined old goat-he'd never think of
such q thing as goln' to the back door
so when he got to the front door and
raped and didn't get any answer
Scion and Mis- Gage beln' out IN the
back yard At the ame-he opened the
door and started to go inside; and
when he did. things happened.
"'Cordin' to what could dnd out.
! the door got wallop at him that
switched him of'n his feet and broke
every pane Of glass In the side lights
of the door. Mis- Gage and solon
heard the crash and heard the old gen.
tleman groanin.' and they put round
to see what the matter was; and there
ne laid, with the wind bout all knock.
ed out Of him. and hurt some. but not
hurt half as much as he was madded
They say he talked to Solon something
tire'tful. c'nsiderin' they were both
church members. He said he'd let them