LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 571, 18 April 1876, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A VICTIM OF MODERN INVENTIONS. Since quite a child, Harry Gradient had been noted for his ingenuity in devising various mechanical oddities. When not engaged in graver pursuits, he was sure to be ankle-deep in some hydraulic scheme, or head over ears in some other of the mechanical sciences. His knack of invention was truly wonderful, though as yet—at the time I write, Hany was twenty-five—-my f.iend had had few opportunities of turning it to practical purpose. He and I were noth engaged in some engineering works on the continent, undertaken by an English firm. After we had been there some months, Harry received the welcome news that a relative had died, leaving him a nice little property and a comfortable house, some miles out of London, Prior to leaving me to return to England —for there was much to be done in the way of setting the property and the house in order—my friend said, with his usual enthusiasm ; * Mark, my boy’ (my name is Mark Mildmay), * I shall expect you to come and see me when you come back. I suppose you are booked here for another eighteen months or so, and that will just give me time to set my house in order. Such a house, my boy ! You’ve never seen such a one as it shall be. I mean to give up engineering for the public, and to exercise my talents in that way for my ow n benefit and comfort; my house shall be full of ingenious and curious contrivances, such as have never been seen before.’ Time passed on, and the business I had been engaged in was completed, and I returned home. I had written to Harry occasionally ; and as soon as he heard I had arrived in England, he sent me a pressing invitation to come and visit him. I gladly accepted the invitation, for I wanted to see my old friend again, and wrote to him saying I would run down the next day, and arrive at a station some two miles from his house, about six o’clock in the evening. I therefore packed a small portmanteau ; and at the appointed time got out at the little roadside station. Harry was there waiting for me with his dogcart; and soon we were bowling along a pleasant country road. ‘Look,’ he cried, ‘that is my house you see there among the trees; and this we are passing, and that one beyond, and the other, whose chimneys you can just see—are all occupied by friends of mine— as well as some others you cannot see from here—and to each of them I have laid a telegraphic wire; so, when 1 have nothing particular to do of an evening, I telegraph ; * Will you come and have a game at whist ?’ or, ‘ I saw Brown in town to-day ; he’s coming to shoot with you to-morrow.’ ’ We now arrived at the entrance-gate; Harry pulled up, ‘ I’ll get down and open ib,’ si id i, ‘ Sit still!’ he cried. The gate opened of its own accord. ‘ Hollo ! That’s “ Open sesame” with a vengeance,’ I exclaimed. ‘How is it done?’ ‘Why, don’t you see; I have placed across the drive a plate ot iron like a shallow gutter ; when I stop, the wheels pressing on this, cause it to sink slightly ; thus acting on levers and cranks underground, opens the gate; and a catch holds it so, until we pass over a similar one on the other side, which releases it, and the gate falls to.’ ‘ Well, that’s very convenient.’ ‘To be sure, it is : saves me a lodge and gatekeeper.’ We now drove up to the house, where the groom was waiting to take the horse, and the housemaid was opening the door. ‘Do you see, Mark ; they had notice of our coming. When we stopped at the gate, the weight of the dogcart pressed two electric wires into contact, which, passing underground, rang one bell in the stableyard, and another in the kitchen, so that when we arrive, the servants are ready to attend upon us.’ We now entered the house. Miss Gradient met us in the hall, and I was introduced to her by her brother. I should never have supposed her to be Harry’s sister, for she was tall and gaunt; and whether it was the blue spectacles or not, I cannot say, but she struck me as being frigid and severe ; not at all the sort of person you would willingly care to offend. She, however, bade me welcome, asking me if I had had a pleasant journey, &c. As I was taking off my overcoat in the hall, I exclaimed : ‘ Why, Harry, what on earth is taat extraordinary-looking machine in the coiner 7 ’ It looked something like a shower-bath without the curtains ; attached to the upright supports were a number of crooked iron arms, and on the end of each a brush. *Oh, that is my automaton brushingmachine. I will explain it to you. You see, at the bottom there is a small platform about a foot high ; when you step on this, it gradually descends, and as it does so, sets in motion a train of wheels and levers—you are, in fact, the weight, themmotive-porerw r er which puts all in motion. All these arms with the brashes begin to revolve, and brush you all over at one J. But the most cmious and complicated is the hat-bi ash at the top : you see it is something like a hat-box divided vertically in two parts; you perceive they are now some distance apart, so that you can p. ss between them ; they are lined with bristles, and are fixed on two lever-like jaws. When the machine is set in motion, these jaws come together, and clasping your hat between them they revolve rapidly ; and in a few seconds your hat is brushed, at the sime time as your coat, trousers, and boots. When the plai.foi-n reaches the ground, the hat-bi ashes again separate, and you step out; then the platfoim springs up, and is ready for another dusty customer.’ ‘ Well, it is a very curious contrivance. I should The fusee it in action,’ said I. * Trat you shall soon do ;’ and he stepped o.r ti;o liuiile platform All at once the clo f V * aid shoe-brashes began to work viporously; but the hafc-maemne did not cone into action until the others had about half done the : r work ; it then closed upon b's hat, and spun round some fifteen or twenty tinr®, and then flew apart, leaving : Ir'm Lee to walk out. ‘There!’ said Harry. ‘What do you think o; that? Jump up, and try it.’ ‘No, thank you; not just now; some other lime, perhaps,’ said I; for I felt too norvo s just then to trust myself to such an ode; I '. ‘ Excuse me. then, for one moment, while I jnst speak to my s’ster, and then I will go upstairs with you. {To he continued.)