ome that night was, I suppose,

re there, in addition to perhaps a dozen and a half other

a Mrs. Blodgett, too, but she is really too sweet a

ditional traits. He seems to have analyzed Hawkins with expert care and precis

rely to be observed wandering hither and thit

s there mysel

s on the verge of trouble with one of his contrivances, some esoteric

wkins did for a victim bef

an afford; but when we had assembled in the drawing-room, conversation seemed to slow dow

ert miss from one of

t all of it. But-whoever could have

fortably, indicating the insane-looking strip of painti

dots and dots and dots. Whoever c

er," Hawkins replied. "

mured the inquisit

Blodgett had overheard. He felt constrained to put in,

nse in spending that amount of money in plastering painted r

awkins betwe

e old gentleman. "No reason fo

dissensions for family occasions.

stion, the house might catch fire to-night, and your entire sto

eech, "you just keep your mind easy on t

hat? What

oke," went on the inventor tartl

ring little chuckle. "And how do you know it's not? Eh? Smar

place isn't going to burn, b

th a cold, warning glance at her husband as she perceived that

Blodgett with an unple

awkins growled in my ear. "

Hawkins, the playfulness of her manner somewhat belied

ecret," said the

the girl from Jersey, who w

n. Hawkins is notoriously out of sympathy with dancing. He

led ourselves up-stairs with a couple of cigar

ani

u believe it would be really wicked to lure that old human puss

nsense, Hawkin

s some day-and when I do! There isn't anything sweeter waiting for me in Heaven than to fe

oor, that I'm just getting even for some of the things he's said

wkins!" I

ppose you think it's all right for him to talk as he does? Criticise

but the

know any more about it than he does. You couldn't burn u

y n

nt. Why not, to be sure? Because i

o the engine-ho

t it. See here, Griggs, do you suppose that poor littl

try," I sa

? All right. Just close your eyes and conceive a little metal tube running back i

nnects with a supply pipe in the rear of the house, and that the b

on earth i

ico-Sprinkler System!"

ord's sake

y adapted to private house purposes! Every one of those dots is simply a little hole in the wall thro

I asked, gliding hurrie

hat asinine clownishness of yours. Or, better still, come up with

lammable, is it? We'

ng liquid!" cried Hawkins. "Why,

to the upper regi

" he explained, when we rea

se emptiness was accentuated

the big tank in the center. This w

s suspended by a weird system of pulleys and electric wires. To the under

emarkable

isn't it?" said Hawkin

if you unde

ble dust-carbonate of lime, you know. The tank is filled with wea

sty job fishin

, and forms a neutral liquid, bubbling with carbonic acid. Even you, Griggs, must know

that ball into the tank, and the house is flood

to come up here," smi

rand of platinum wire

alf a dozen of them in every room in the house. As soon as the heat touches them, they melt and set off my electric release-and down drops t

t say it loo

you see a roaring blaze in one of these rooms subdued in ten secon

interrupted Hawkins'

, Wil

says as how your presenc

the inventor wearily.

commented to me. "Come on,

s in full swing

to us and remarked in l

greeable, Herbert. It's not nice

ot smo

Grigg

alizing the fact. "William, wi

you," Mrs. Hawkins began

awkins, thoughtfully

es

deuce did I do

e I don'

p-stairs. We we

ast I saw of it you leaned i

at I did!" gasped the i

what

to the fuse!" cried Hawkins hoarsely. "Suppose it

art the stu

start it. Gee whizz! I'm

s. I smiled after him, for

rticularly seductive waltz, the guests were gliding about the floor. I not

en I noted

stretch of ugliness-they fastened upon the dots

ter. Another followed and another and yet another. The whole multitude

from the hallway behind me-a hundred of them seemed to converg

d together in the utter amazement of the thing. They l

he vain endeavor to dodge the innumerable streams. Some slipped an

as it had started,

Blodgett, putting up a hand to wring his

ost!" said Hawkins

m his trip to the t

erence to the contrary sentiments of two dozen

the girl from Jersey. "What i

is it, Hawkins? Oh, Mr. Hawkins, wherever did it come from? Why, it ran out

. "It went off by accident, you see. There's nothing in it to hu

. "It stings like acid. It actua

g my hands off-I believe it's carbolic acid. I do-I'll swear I

ddlesticks!"

his eyes. He raised one of his wet h

! Wait a minu

d hear him bounding along, two steps

on here and there, as one or another of the guests disc

tened. They, too, had discovered that the liquid emitted by the Hawk

arily intoning, when hurrying footsteps tu

his arms he carried a keg, which dribble

d to me. "That b

n't?" I

entor, landing on the floor with a final jump and teari

rieked a d

we'll get the best of it. William, bring up a wash-tub full

articles arrived wi

tub. "That's baking soda. It'll neutralize the acid. H

d as some of the ladies, quite warrantably hung back. "Get at the acid before it gets at y

ically for the tub, dipped cloths in the liquid, and laved industr

n in "swallow-tails," clustered around a wash-tub there in Ha

rt of thing that could happen unde

ing that could happen under Hawkins' roof and now

parted forever, retired to the chambers above for such further repairs as might be possible. The men,

, and myself were left tog

itterly averse to undue expenditure for c

rong, isn't it, Griggs?" remarked Hawkins. "Originally I had

it? Fire-extinguisher! Bah! I thought nobody but you could have conceived the i

ite you, papa," said Haw

snapped the old gentleman. "It's like

d. She was clad in somber black now, and h

she ex

" said Hawkins,

house-warming, haven't you? You an

ico-Sprinkler S

hat you'll have to pay for? Miss Mather's dress alone, I happen to know, cost two hundred dollars! And Mrs. Gordon's gown came from P

"Serves him jolly well right! If you'd listened to me fiftee

e are you going?" H

my wife's ready. And I'm afraid my hair's loosening up