The Island School — page 291: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

¢ } ¥ * is pune ‘making his will, perhaps.” All the women laughed, they could not help it, ira. 4) 5 hs ‘Miss Elegantine shrilly. The schoolmaster glared at _ Rainstone for a moment, and then bounced out of cthe room. A Perhaps,” said Mrs. Farrell, “you will not mind, _ Rainstone, telling me what Morse is doing ?” ‘He is up to something,” said Rainstone, “ but he ye keeps it close. At least, he wishes the few who know ‘ Dy ‘what it is to say nothing.” | Gis Bae) «6 Very well.” ) Bite “We are quite safe until the morning, Jim says. a ‘ He suggested to me,” continued Rainstone, hesitating, “that I should ask you to prepare some lint for F 4 _ ction it, but Mr. Farrell being here, I did not like to Ae B, _ ‘Scare him.” ae You are the strangest lot of boys I ever ‘met .. with,” said Miss Elegantine. ‘ Will you tell your | "general, this wonderful Gordon, that I should like to ibe enrolled as a POLES ro the would rather the ladies were not in it.” » “Tell him,” said Miss Elegantine, “that two years ome “ago three burglars came into my house in the middle bs of the night. I crippled two with a wood-chopper, and held the third till a policeman came.” --—-—s “ Good gracious !” exclaimed Mrs. Farrell. “ A woman with a chopper,” said Miss Elegantine, unmoved, ‘is as good as a man with a sword. If ever they make a regiment of women in the army, as they ‘may do, now that women are getting their rights, I should advise the authorities to arm them with ____ choppers.” _ She looked, as she uttered these notable words, as aif she would gladly command such a regiment. Mrs. Farrell made a mental note not to quarrel with her ‘when choppers were lying about. | ‘Let us go and look up rags for lint,” she said. Rainstone waited until the women were gone, and then knocked softly at the laboratory door. Morse opened it. _ “Oh! it is you,” he said; “come in. Don’t blunder against anything if you can help it.” ee - ae Rainstone walked into the room as if the floor were. covered with eggs, and he was under a heavy penalty ee not to break one of them. There were a number of jars on the table, and some small pieces of tubing, a _ which he regarded with a suspicious eye. “TI want you to go on filling these tubes with wool,” ‘said Morse; “here isa wooden rammer. You need not be afraid. Ram it in tight. Ke , “There is something in this tube elready,” said -Rainstone, peering down into it with one eye, and a _ head sideways. C7 “ Can’t say, sir,” answered Rainstone, maliciously ; : De ekdares ; it might be wanted. Icamein to men- | . ‘6 T will, ma'am,” answered Rainstone, “ but I think | _ hands of evil-minded people they would be horribly 4 were boys, they were remarkably cool. F Hy iy + 19 ig Die " : ‘iS ; ‘ OL, ja @ ry: KA i Ih 3 ] Pa eh es sar > ¢ * <* “Yes, I Tater, ” “yistly. answ red J work, as 1 have a lotto do. Only be careful not to drop Pha tubes on the floor. No great arm might come if you did, but I can’t be sure.” obi Rainstone prdbesded to carry out the Ingtructions he received, and Morsé, in his deliberate, tho htful os way, brought out a minute pair of scales, with w ich he weighed out small portions of powder sr frotii diffe ferent ci iy bottles, placed them on a piece of paper, nixed ca en fully, and put the whole into a tube. Pe At 4 es 3 In all, twenty were prepared and ‘eivetul 5 or i i in Was a box about a foot square, with wool between, ii ao “ For to-night, of course ?” said pes ne * Yes,” answered Morse. “Ten would cutee, pe haps, but a little extra dose won't nthe as Bie esi ve “ What's the lifting Power ofthe lot?? Nene Morse smiled. 7 ba Bi “I haven’t calculated it to a ton or two.” “ Well,” said Rainstone, “ what’s the lifting p of one of them ?” &, “ae : ‘3 Depends upon what it is under, and how i it is - placed.” “A couple of tons, say P” ee “Go into three figures, if rightly worked.” Rainstone gasped. nin “Good heavens!” he exclaimed. : toed aa “‘ Hverything depends on the way it is used,’ ee said Pi Morse. ay me “ Morse,” said Rainstone, leaning his elbow on the table, and staring at his friend in Se lesniran's af what ah a strange fellow you are !” Meg a 4 x any inventions and discoveries come natural. to aa me,” replied Morse, simply. “There are some ‘things . I shall always keep to myself, I think, because in the — By "OF Ask 396 i Cpe iy 7 dangerous.” sa He took the box containing the loaded tubes— metal-cased cartridges they may be called—and dis Son Sh missed Rainstone to his other duties. . i ss b Shortly after Jim came in, and the pair conferred a together. Then Martin appeared, and others in turn . all interested in the work of the night, and individu-— a x ally and collectively they received instructions from in a the young chemist. 54 E They were all very quiet. There was certainly an air of suppressed excitement, which was natural under F the circumstances, but considering that all but Martin e = é Z mi! When they finally left the laboratory, they oe asked questions by some outside, who were louse about, suspicious of something being in the wind. The only answer they got was: “You will all know our plans tomorrow.” ale