Catoctin clarion., 1918-06-06
BLOWING BUBBLES
BY GEORGE ELMER COBB.

"ZOunds" shouted out Deane War
Ing, and leaned from the window and
looked down and across to where
little urchin stood, a dish of soap and
water before him, clay pipe In his
hands. AS Waring sat delving over a
sclehtlhc problem at his work table,
something had floated In through the
open window, struck his face, explOd-
ed, sending cloud of vapor into his
nostrils and stinging shower into his
eyes, and startling him so that he did
not realize that 1t was soap bubble
balloon.
You Soung scamp!" he shouted
down, and then was sorry and
ashamed. He now discovered that the
youthful bubble blower was innocent
OF intent. Again. sudden comprehen-
sion of his own situation forced smile
ne could not get away from.
Actually getting cranky with my
delvng into invention! Why, that lit
tie child Is doing exactly what I'm do
lhg-blowlng bubbles. Only he has the
run OF 1t and l the work and no re-
Suits HIM! blowing bubbles! That's
what I've been wasting time over for
months. Hello"
AT the echo of wailing outbreak
Waring leaned again from the window.
The little lad stood sobbing and in
tears, mourning over the broken pipe
at his feet. Evidently Warnings rough.
ness had frightened him into dropping
his precious bubble blower.
"ToO bad! I'm a brute" Waring
censured himself. "But I'll mend It,"
and he straightway put on coat and
hat and proceeded to the nearest to.
bacco store. There he purchased half
dozen clay pipes and gained the
fence surrounding the next door lot. A
gate was open, he passed through 1t.
His victim was not in sight, but he
heard voices beyond a mass of trel-
Used vines. Advancing he discovered
this to comprise one end Of sort Of
arbor. On bench inside sat
young lady. In her lap was the youth.
ful bubble blower.
Don't cry, Ted" she was saying
soothingly. "I'll get you a new pipe
next time l go down town."
'The man broke my balloon and he
made me drop the pipe!'
(Which was wicked and wrong"
spoke forth Wnrlng, and he confronted
the twain in the arbor. "FOrgive me,
miss, for my intrusion, but as soon as
realized the damage had done,
fastened to repair it. Here little fell
low, I've brought you half dozen nice
brand new pipes"
Ted fairly beamed at the prizes all
his own. The young lady smiled indul-
gently. She murmured something
about her sisters child, his ecstatic de-
votion to sending up the rainbow-tint-
ed globes.
'IOu are a deserving little worker"
commended Warng, as he stood at the
spot where the basin Of water was. He
was glad to linger. 1t was fair gar
den scene and its faircr queen Of grace
and beauty fitted into 1t in a charm
ing way. "Theres patent bubble
blower 7 have in mind, Ted" spoke
Waring. May bring 1t to him?"
"You have been too kind and
thoughtful already" said Miss Blanche
Tyndall.
The trfling event marked change
in the life of Deane Waring. For near
ly year he had squandered time and
money striving to work out an idea
that promised great results. He had
failed. He had blown many bubbles
of hope, endeavor and promise, only to
reach block in his experiments.
Waring began to devote more atten-
tion TO the department in a great iron
and steel plant where he was employ
ed, almost completely ignoring his in
ventive speculations. Perhaps the fact
that the delivery of the toy pipe had
led to n further call at the invitation
OF Miss Tyndall, led to this result. His
visits did not seem unacceptable to
the charming girl who was interested
in him as much because he was a
dreamer as that he was on the whole
handsome and most estimable young
man.
Waring dropped In upon these new
friends Of his one evening to find Ted
propped up in chair with piece OF
flannel about his throat. It was hard
for the little fellow to be coOped in the
house, and Blanche was amusing him
by cutting out paper houses, animals,
and the like.
make me one Of those curltcues
like you did last winter, auntie," said
Ted, land I'll get mother to let me
try 1t on the kitchen stove pipe to-
morrow"
Blanche amiably began the task and
Waring admiringly watched her nimble
fingers transform circle of paper into
long spiral. Then as Ted received
1t and Swayed 1t up and down Waring
uttered a sharp, quick ejaculation.
"Tve hit it-I mcan you have" he
cried "Why, the very thing! Please
excuse me, Miss Tyndall, but your cur
licue here has given me hint. I
must utilize it In my workroom while
the inspiration is on." and he left the
house aglow with the theme.
He told Miss Tyndall next day Of
the valuable suggestion her casual pa
per clipping had been.
"Spral pipe" he explained, "collap-
sible seams-it means fortune to
mel"
Blanche did not very clearly under
stand until the model Of the invention
Waring had worked on so long was
shown to her. Waring had, indeed,
'hit it,"
"Tm made man so far as money
is concerned" he told her later. "T'll