y in the sunset glow, when Hawkins aroused h

luminum it would be far lighter

imagine how one's aluminium knees would crackle and bend going up and down-stairs, and what

ns, impatiently. "I don't mea

d, old-fashioned flesh and bones have been giving thorough satisfaction for the past fe

. "This is not the first time that that mistaken humor of yours has prevented your absorbing new ideas

on of his summer home, and I wondered for a minute i

, but usually he is equally ready to forgive and forget. Hence it astonished me that

ight be better for me to stroll over and beg pardon for my levity when one brigh

may be dropped off at will, converting it into a carriage for two, an

nk of her?" demanded H

ight," I sai

ontinued the inventor. "Jump

ary touring-car, and I was tired of lolling in the hammock. Without m

never been in a machine that was s

. If we reached an uncomfortably sharp turn, the aut

f the road and into big rocks; but the auto, in the most peculi

y going, I suddenly realized that I had

that made the springs under this

e is something out of the ordinary about this auto, are you?

t is

"you are riding in the first and only Haw

nvention!"

n. What the deuce are

inventions

body built of aluminum, this is just an ordinary automo

it?" I s

t two cylinders of compressed gas still connected with it. When I let them feed automatically into the balloon, and then automatically drop the iron

," I said hastily. "I can-I can understand pe

placidly. "It costs practically nothing. The

ugh, the canopy was expanding slo

ad dropped the cylinder. Then he pulled a

arly a foot into the air. Still we maintai

re still going ahead when we don't touch th

e back, so that the auto is almost a dirigible balloon. Oh, there's not

st nervous shock, the contrivance

y rising more than a foot from the ground, and th

thing invented by Hawkins, and my mind woul

, Hawkins?" I asked with what

inute. I want

man. When you get out of this budding airship,

pleasant assurance. "But I'm not going to get out

weight left the car! T

s of racing chauffeurs, leaning far forward, should topple into the road

open space up above, through which we might travel indefinitel

ut of the balloon, Hawkin

machine," said that gentleman brie

orrying me, but there seemed to be nothi

ly at the kangaroo antics of our car, and one or two horses, after their first glance, developed furor transitorius on the spot; but Haw

hoped to turn my face h

efore the court house, float straight over the common, and then b

. "But why perform to-day? This is only the

those trial trips that simply can't go wrong, becau

it; we made f

The court house stands on one side, the post office on t

the grass when I fancied

noise, Hawk

hing in the machin

peculiar shaking in th

s that don't exist, Griggs," remarke

ut

small boy. "Hey! Yer b

ed Hawkins, too full of i

gster, pursuing us. "Dat b

ng about. "Good Lord! So it is!

e rear seats of the automobile

were hanging by a single bolt,

ab those seats before they fall! I didn't screw 'em on with a wrench-only use

sudden jolt sent the

id material had left the

have to finis

ully evident wh

wen

we were shooting straight for the midday sun, that anoth

ions, I believe that

't turned turtle. It was ascending slowly in its normal attitude, and as a matter

s! Sit still! It's a

t breath had returned. "It looks

oks, Griggs. We are. The

es that do us

self together. "Why, we shall simply st

is cursed contrivance do

ng down to his machinery once more. "D

ant, and they were racing along beneath us across the co

e step out on the roof, won

ads!" I snapped. "Steer away from

rding the thirty or forty wires strung directly across o

cried, excitedly, for the

isting this wheel and pulling that lever. "Don't worr

the auto stopped. We had grounded,

ally. "The epilogue will consist of the scene we create

ing serious. I'll just start the propeller

e you start it," I said. "

on't jump!" cr

eplied Hawkins, angrily, leaning over

's coming!" continue

't jump! Don't jump

heir pains," snapped Hawkins. "We shall

u don't know what you may do by starting the machinery. The wires are all

ay, Griggs. If any one ever offers a prize for a pessimistic alarmist, you take my

ed merrily. The auto indulged in a series of unw

floated up f

they're howling about

vociferations was

awed in two by the machine, the

kins!" I cried. "You'r

am? That'll let u

us from being dragged down and dashed to pieces, consider the bill for repairs

I've stopped it, and we'll wait and be taken down the ladder lik

long breath of relief, and began to scan the la

lloon overhead, and below, Hawkins' engine having considerately left a little of

e very far off now, and we

izzling, Hawki

w," he repli

said, sharply. "It seems to me that we'

dee

lloon canopy. "Great Scott, Ha

enly galvanized into actio

happening. See how the wires are s

hy, the gas is simply pouring out of the balloon. And the machine's getting he

all break the wires and drop?"

nventor. "What'll we do

couldn't see what was t

the best thing is to sit

nk of that awful drop! Fo

ul

mply be knocke

oba

ts at the crowd. "Why didn't they bring a fire net? Why hasn

of the six wir

econd had f

loon was collapsing with heart-rending rapidity. From below sounds of excitement were audible

on't you make a vow right now that

wire. The auto swayed

nt another thing a

are right. Where on earth can that hook and ladder be? Yes, you are r

Ping

terally leap into my throat. My eyes closed before

oices nearly deafened me, the seat seemed to hurl me violently into the air, for another brief instant I shot throug

that I st

me upon my feet. Vaguely I realized that Dr. Brotherton, our

nd said that not a bone was broken. I recall giv

s own features were bruised almost beyond recognition, but he, too, was evidently on this side of the R

spot where ended our aerial flight. Certainly they did not wholly retu

-metal that had once been the auto, and the w

aerothingamajig, Hawkins," I o

d the inventor, thickly, removing a wet cloth from his much lac

I added, with still deeper satisfaction, as I pictured in imag

he doings in his "workshop," Hawkins

"I shall be careful not to use that rear arrangement at all. I shall pla

ught I asked you to keep that cloth over your mo

ruck me that that remark indicated go