AN INVENTOR'S BABY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2841, 4 August 1916, Page 6

AN INVENTOR'S BABY

THE "BOOMB-HERLER"

tTRYING IT IN THE TRENCHES

(By Will Lawson.)

The bludgeon was fashioned to fight with, Because It' oould 'silence, liho fist; An axehead was better than either, lill tlio brain of a. man took a twist, And a bow sent the arrow-shafts speeding To kill wlior'e an'axe couldn't reach— And if a walled city was mot with, A catapult busted a breach. The arquebus, musliot, jyid- rTfle, _Ca,mo after, with cannon that roaa 1 — Oh! there had to bo many inventors Before there could'bo any'war!

.'The old ,man,, with the grey whiskers and serious countenance that belied the merry glint in his eye, was an inventor. .Ho had invented a "boomb-herler/" and the camp authorities, with customary courtesy to anyone with inventions of Jniltary importance, had arranged for his applianco to be tried. Just what the principle of it was, and how far tho trials were to go, no one appeared to know; or whether it was going to or dummy ones. But tho iimmtx>r -was to be given tho freedom of' tho trenches to try-out his machine. ■On; a'piece-of-paper that the old man' carried, were' written down the results 'of the teste that.had been made in 'the village where- the' 'hurlor had 'first. taken shape, and at tho head of- tlioso records writtenin a'full,, round hand, were,the words,' "So-and-so's Boomb-Herler."

"Whera is your bomb-thrower?" an officer asked, y. \ '

The inventor indicated a contrivance of wood and-steel that leaned against the orderly room wall. .The officer, called two orderlies and told them to carry it out 'to the Engineers' training ground, where the trenches # are. ' One of the young soldiers picked it up and swung it on to his shoulder. "The bombs are in that bag," the inventor said ._ The orderly standing near <L leather kit-bag unconsciously flinched. He picked it up gingerly, and tho two sallied out on their'-errand.

' ' "I'm - .expecting . my business manager ;Hny minute," the inventor said' to the officer, who.was to superintend the test. Ho hauled out an immense watch and . consulted it. "However, we can't wait for him," he added, as he and tho officer' followed the orderlies. Halfway, to tho trenches, the officer was called in another direction. He excused himself,' and said ; jjie would follow presently. The inventor -hurried and overtook the orderlies, "How many boomhs are there in here?" the bag-carrier asked.

"Six," said the inventor. hapnen if I drop.'em?" "Have to pick 'em up attain," said the the long gray whiskers and the twiiklmc eyes. ■ •^ r ®. • they dummies" the soldier asked, in a tone that implied that, ho hnd been made a fool of. "Dummies they are. jnv son," replied the inventory "It's the herler that is the patent. Stones,' for that matter, Would do to experiment with. ' But I've made wooden boombs and loaded them with lead to get-the weight." • They had reached the first trench, and the old man was regarding it with critical eyes; when tho business manager arrived, breathless. ' •;'■■■■

That's a narrow trench," the inventor said;.' much narower than what they lhave in Flanders." ■ ■ ■ .

The business ' man 1 took the largo wooden frame with the shining steel springs, and began to jam it into position m tli© trench. An officer of Engineers standing ' yards distant 'called, • Soldier!" . .

One of the orderlies marched smartly him and saluted. . , "Who are these people?" • tho . officer asked.

Inventors, sir," said .the' soldier, with a of , importance in his Tones. ( _Have they permission to be here?" ■T «3, sir,-1 think 50. Ono of them is talking about altering the trenches to fit J ' ls Says .they're different to the trenches m Flanders." The officer dismissed, the soldier and patched from; a distance till tho officer In charge of the test arrived. At his in.vitation several Engineer officers came to ■watch.'

The "boomMierler" was' in position. .Its upper end was provided with metal spikes, and these were rammeOnto the wall of the trench; Its lower end rested on the earth, where a trench running off «r r an Slo3 gave moi'o room. These steel springs were bent cold," the inventor explained, "so as to keep ! temper of the.metal. 1 did it my-'

Keally," said an officer. His mind ivas latent on the machine and what it' was going to accomplish. The business man was hauling the spring "down and • plMUiff a-dummy - bomb on the cup4;sliDg. Tho . inventor came and oiv jtho edge of the trench right IV ," ne 0: ? and criticised the wav . the trigger was set'. It Iraighfc go off he said. If it J,ad, he would ■have received tlie bomb faiV in the face. ?ut with .the contempt of an inventor for tho work of his-brain he stood there and drew the attention of the officers to certain features of ;tho thrower which could .be-improved.- A sergeant-maior . Trho had fought in Flanders suggested -that they had better fire the bomb first, ana discuss.the machine afterwards He did not want any casualties In his • ! tr 9*» #K ? Ihis iras; agreed to, and an ordeily was to d to watch tho bomb an/ find it aftor. it had been hurlet

lyeady V asjcod'thG business ma;

. . ft e £.ffl>». •_ sud. tho. inyeirfior. _ Iherei was a clang ■of-tortured steel as the springs leaped towards- freedom, -ami ■ n-ere-sjiddenlT held again.' The tomb ■rose high and fell short, so that the ' pursuing orderly had to wheel like a rac- . - ing aeropLitte and come back to tho placo v "where the ball had fallen. "Hark the place with a stone," said ' the sergeant-major. •, rile next shot went further, : but-'<ilso . soared h iffh. • „ }t's tiie trench," the inventor said. it s so narrow, the hurler is noarlv '■ ii C^ iU '' shooting too high." . Kegulation tench, sir," the serzeant- • major said. Tho only really delighted ' : <i" u' 1 ' 15 ?' were the orderlies. To : ; them this thing'was immense. Even if it didn t come up to-expecfcatio'ns, it had a most convincing clang about it, and tho shining steel springs looked wicked ; enough for anything. They chased the .-boombs, as they called them, light--heartedly, and marked where thev fell . ; ; with _ military accuracy. Down in the : -.trench tho business man was perspiring his Jvorkj.and the engineer officers beside, him had begun to suggest improvements, radical alterations in fact, promptVcd chiefly by the idea of making the machine small enough to bo operated iu • h the trench without blocking progress to .and from other places underground Presently all were gathered about the ma- : .chine, and eagerly discussing possible iin.provements. The inventor was packin" up his bombs, with the orderlies as rc- . gpectful helpers. To them an inventor ■-was a being deserving the deepest- re- '■ epect. ■ : ; /'What else havo you invented?" one ■.of them asked. ■ "Lots of things," tlio old man answered. "I've been inventing all my ".life. Whenever I see something wanted :,I just invent it. Comes (« bo kind of .second nature." ; Suddenly he oauglit a scrap of tho discussion about his machine. Ho went over and listened. Tlio business man .'looked up and asked him,, "Don't you think so?" ; "No, I don't," replied tlio inventor with dignity. "That's another invention 'of you.r own you'ro talking about now That's my inv&ntion, that one there, as "it stands. I'm man enough t» stand or fall by my inventions as they are. It hurled boombs fid yards from the hotel, 'sis that 'ere paper shows, and I won't Stave it monkeyed with. Thanking you, 7\yntlemen, all tho same, for your kindAaess." ' , "We don't suggest that it is a fail■fcre," the first officer said, kindly, for tho old man's hand was trembling. "The .question is whether it could not bo made ■an even moro powerful and accurate .thrower." "Not th'is machine. It mustn't be .altered," was tho reply. "I've worked it out, and its right, except for a strengthening of the springs and a few .other little touches. And if it's no use, .Sen it's no use. and there it is." He went on with the packing up of his gsjaratus, with tho orderlies helping elm, as though they were assisting at the tieh ceremonials of a donii-god. ■