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OTawvwawvvwp
love went on, nothing marred its
beauty or peacefulness. Twice a
week evenings John called at the
Newton home and spent a pleasant
hour with the four sisters. Twice a
week he and Adria attended some
village entertainment or took a quiet
stroll.
And now, John, was gravely de
tailing a new trouble to his sympa
thetic companion.
"It's about the dynamite, Adria,"
he was saying. "It's a reminder of
my foolishness. You know a year
ago I got it into my head that there
was something tangible to the the
ory of that scientist, whose lecture
we attended and who favored bom
barding the clouds to bring on rain
and break the drought."
"I remember, John," replied Adria,
and there was rather a -pitying ex
pression on her gentle face.
All the town remembered, too, and
smiled when they thought of it
Burnham had a mortar made and
bought a prodigious lot of dynamite.
He went at his experiment carefully
and scientifically. All the country
side invaded his little farm the day
he shot the clouds. Lo, and behold!
a drenching shower followed the
bombarding of the clouds and John
was triumphant
When, however, the signal service
announced that the rain would have
come anyway, there was a general
change of opinion. And when, four
times in succession later on, John
tested his aerial artillery, it seemed
to weazen up nature and the drought
of a decade ensued.
"You see," John went on, "the
town committeemen say that the dy
namite which I havenever been able
to get rid of Is a menace to the com
munity at large. I've been ordered
to remove it and destroy it"
"Why, what can you do with it?"
questioned Adria anxiously.
"Well, you know I have it in the
old shed where uncle used to store
tools, builtright into the side of the 1
hill. I've had danger signs up all
around it and the door stoutlj barri
caded for over a year. Tomorrow I
think I'll take the stuff, package by
package, down to .the ravine and sink
it in a deep slough."
"Do be careful, John!" pleaded
Adria "It is such dangerous stuff,
you know."
"Oh, I know how to handle it," de
clared John confidently. "I hate to
see i wasted, though, when it cost
money."
Next morning John proceeded to
prepare to get rid of his troublesome
explosives. He went to the littlehed
built into the hill and proceeded to
remove its doors. Inside, wrapped
in old clothes; "was a heap of the stuff
which he had once fondly hoped
would make him a successful rain
maker. He uncovered some of it,
planned out how many journeys it
would take to land it in the ravine
slough and started for the home of
his nearest neighbor to borrow a
wheelbarrow.
'"Hello!" he observed quickly, as,
passing his own house", he saw two
frowsy tramps seated on the steps
"what's the occasion of guests, eh?"
"Just grub, mister," replied one of
the men. "Sort of straighten us up
for our long tramp ahead, will you?"
John was always kind to the needy.
He went into the house and brought
out a plateful of bread and meat
"Fill yourselves, friends," he spoke.
"I say, though, one thing don't go
near that open shed yonder. It's dan
gerous." "Yes, we noticed the warning signs
around, boss," replied one of the men.
But after John had gone and the
men had finished their meal, as they
were leaving the yard one of .them
picked up a rock.
"Bet the next dime I get that I hit
that sign nigh the shed first shot out
of the box!" bragged one of the
tramps.
"Bet you don't."
"Here goes" crash!
mmmmmmmm
