pon the barbaric habit of having Sunday

turally, have been daylight; and much unpleasantness might have been avoided, for the gas had not

trouble myself by bringing up

e genial air than he usually exhibited when that top

g no new inventions by its

the gifted inventor, casting a

d the lady rather tartly. "We escaped with our l

wkins, "if you kne

the doings of the Russians in Manchuria, and a discussion

He appeared to be nursing something beside wrath, a

riggs, and smoke a cigar

the inventionless home,

med the door behind us. "It's a wonder to me that women

we walked in silence

Arabian grain field after a particularly bad locust year; but beyond noting the general

ndows, it struck me that something

ome of the

the inventor, with a pro

e you made i

uld you say, Griggs, to a fire-escape th

nay,' if any one w

up-stairs and I'll sh

a firm hand. "Is it another contrivance? Has it a m

inventor gruffly, trudging

d reached the upper floor. "That

for transportation of the family "wash," and it was piled with what appeared to be the remai

said with a blan

silk which looks like junk to your unaccustome

y the common or domestic vari

hing for my purpose in this experimental model. Now, you see, when the wings are spread the

basket, point it in the right direction, and it

ke yours, permeated with cheap humor, would take. Really, I don't suppose

n't think I cou

Anti-Fire-Fly!"

s-what?" I

Say, Griggs, how that will sound in an advertisement: 'Fl

a fire

d-wings. "No more climbing down red-hot ladders through belching flames! No more children being thrown from fifth story windows! No, si

to insta

concluded Hawkins, opening the window and shoving out the bas

"You're not going to

eh? You

nto the basket before I

, giving a push

o on strike. Hawkins, basket, wing

pening, the wings spread gracefully, the descent slackened, and Hawkins floa

r a special dispensation of Providence or a

back to my side, up the stairs, wit

imed. "What do yo

y seems to b

oof and have a drop with me. We'll

on't count me in on that. I'll wait for the

y. I'm going down once more. Y

ire-Fly into passing through the scuttle, but Hawkins finally ac

afety," he said proudly. "Just sit down in the basket and

nervously, after crouching beside him f

d Hawkins, grabbing my coat a

at

stuttered the inven

breeze caught the wings and tilted th

ou'll break your neck, man! We're rig

ere over

y eyes and gripped the basket as the accursed thing swayed from side to

adier presently

hite as death, but still serene. There, also, wer

led to note that the high wind was

s!" I said. "What

as caught us," replied the i

suppose it's goin

murmured Hawkins with assurance that did not reassure. "You-you know

wonders," I retorted. Then a sudden puff sent us up fully

inventor as we sailed gracefully ove

tunate when we pitch down

you see-is it beyond your little mental scope to realize that we have fairly fallen over a great discovery, something that men have been seeking for ages?

d as we flitted swiftl

hundred feet above the ground and rising at every puff of wind; that we were in a crazy clothes-basket, suspended f

y lower limbs were developing excruciatin

y. The houses below passed

what their sentiments would be when some kindly ambulance surgeon had brought home s

to leave our fate unexplained, or whether it would accompany us to our doom and be found gloatin

meditations, I noted that we w

thusiastically. "You never came d

to again, Hawk

e how it floats! Oh, I've thought it all out in the last five minutes. It's astonishin

you mean to say that you expect

ow, although I was a trifle startled at first. It's only a matter of minutes when we sh

the side-twenty

we shan't fall. The construc

ied. "We're going right toward the bay-suppose

ter-proof, you know," sai

we could walk back if we escaped being

ided. The br

eemed bent on landing us in New York harbor, and before many minutes we were suspe

suspended high above that expansive, and in

er of a mile from shore, it proceeded to die out in

and farther from hope; and it was not until I opened my mouth to vent a few las

oat! That fellow on the roof! He's g

loft and nearly collap

ically. "Catch the basket with that h

The man on the roof seemed to comprehend. He reached

ich told of our capture! I

u are positive that your entire anatomical structure is complete, and likewise

which several dozen stout cords rose to that idiotic p

nd pull the whole business down with us. And

led. And the man with the boat-hook pulled. And at the psychological m

Anti-Fire-Fly lay on the roof of the ferry-boat, while Hawkins and I hung far abo

t!" gurgled the inve

hen breath had retu

straight for Staten Isl

I'm caught tight her

vered that individual. "We may hit

e climbing down red-hot ladders through belc

d Hawkins. "I will say I'm

rangled by a cord which persisted in tw

my part, I was too dazed and too fir

he happened to be facing ahead, and now and

," he announced after some

hank Heaven! We're

into insensibility by the eccentric dives of the affair and

ggs, we're sink

the truth. The wind was indeed going down,

ng forth black smoke in disregard of the Sabbath,

fully. "We're safe, after all, just as I

e Lord,"

awkins excitedly. "Yes, sir, that's where we'll drop. D'ye s

anced up i

"I knew we'd be all right! Maybe the Anti-Fi

ed. "But I'll take

hirty feet from the ground and steering straight for that di

he man with the wheelba

bawled

ntinued the workman, wav

ied Hawkins cheerfully

t drew the foire, an' thim's the hot c

?" asked Hawkins

f the cinder p

alled the inventor jocosely, as the wreck o

n. "Bedad! They're into it! Mike

were

d no sooner landed than I bounced to my feet with a shriek, for that cinder p

led wildly in one direction, I could feel

screamed. "Come my way! Lord!

over that infernal heap!" I

! They're bu

ming on the red-hot cinders, it caught Hawkins and hurled his panting pers

lowing in water and m

nce away, torn, scorched, drenched, black w

," he mumbled,

om fire with the Ant

end of the

d the hose, and in other bits of clothing contributed by kindly facto

nting the Hawkins' steps, presumably to inves

capable of speech. Mrs. Hawkins was th

an ominously calm tone,

smiled f

efully. "Fly away from fire with the Anti-Fire-

essed her husband and

Moreover, a successful author told me last week that u