"How horrible!" exclaimed Adelaide. "What need have we for such powerful explosives? Are we commanded to wreck the world--or grind it into powder? I heard a few days ago of a man who had invented a machine that would crunch up great rocks in its horrible jaws in less time than it takes a dog to eat a bone. At that rate there wouldn't be a rock left in a few years' time and the blessed earth would be little else than a succession of pitfalls!" "Pretty good," laughed Bombs. "It's time for the inventor of safety appliances to come to the rescue, eh! Miss Adelaide." "We cry safety! and yet there is no safety with such monsters all around us. If we were all good and wise--full grown savants, we might talk of safety--but there are the children who don't know how to use safety appliances and the criminal who is using dynamite to terrorize the railroads." "There's where my explosive has the advantage. There isn't but one way to explode it; and there's too much science about it for the child, the idiot or the railroad dynamiter. He couldn't be on hand with an electric battery; and it can't be exploded by accident. "Let me show you something," said Bombs, fumbling in his pocket and bringing forth a small piece of reddish brown substance. "You see how harmless it looks; and so it is ordinarily but by employing certain agencies it could be made to blow up as large an establishment as your library building." She shuddered involuntarily. "I see you have no confidence in it, Miss Adelaide," he said tossing it up and down in his hand. "I have some larger pieces in my traveling case. I will prove them to you some day if you like." "No! no! Mr. Bombs. I don't want any proof! This is no longer a fit place for proving grounds, as you will see." She looked out over the network of walks and added: "The children have gone home to dinner, but they will be back again soon. They come and go like the birds of heaven." "O Adelaide, how cruel," exclaimed Bombs, half in jest. "If your father were here, he would receive me with open arms. He would be proud to have me show up my discoveries and inventions. He built the Queery at my instigation; but you--" "Father told me I might do as I liked and he knew I did not like dangerous things. We were alone here for several weeks and we talked it all over and made plans," sobbed Adelaide.