A key was made and magnetized so thoroughly that never before was a
piece of iron so yearningly full of the electric fluid. The whole thing
was adjusted against the wall of the room, and then the men brought in
the magnetized key to ascertain if their invention would work in
practice. Simpson was carrying the key. No sooner had he entered the
door than something began to pull him toward the magnet. He walked
sideways, like a crab, resistingly, and could not help himself; and
then, just as he had nearly reached the bell-shaped keyhole, he was
whirled around, as is the end child in a school playground when they are
playing "crack-the-whip," fairly in front of the keyhole, and literally
hurled toward it, while the key shot fiercely into the lock. But there
was not a sound; the rubber cushion had obviated that.
Well, to say that those two young men were delighted would be to use but
one of the commonplace, everyday, decent conversational expressions of
the English language. They were simply wild.
Since their latest conversation Jason B. Grampus had engaged in no
further communication with Simpson. He thought it best to avoid all
relations with the young man who could jest on serious occasions; and
yet underlying his upper strata of thought was a dim and undefined
impression that he would hear from that young man again. He did.
The morning after the perfection of the invention Simpson called upon
Mr. Grampus and calmly, coldly, and dignifiedly announced that his lock
was complete, and that he was now about to install it in the Grampus
front door. He suggested to Mr. Grampus that to avoid any encounters
which might be embarrassing, the latter should suddenly discover some
fault in his own front door--in the stained glass, or something of that
sort--and have it taken off bodily and sent away to be remodeled; while
a temporary door should be put in its place. The old gentleman listened
amazed, and thought it all a farce; but then the word of Jason B.
Grampus had gone out, and he must keep his word. "All right," he said.
So the front door was sent down town and another one put in its place,
and in that front door down town Simpson and Hastings established and
firmly secured the marvelous electric lock and keyhole. Then the door
was sent back and put in its place. The same day Simpson called at the
office of Mr. Grampus and handed him a key, the ring of which was big
enough to hold at least two fingers. Mr. Grampus grinned sardonically
over this continuation of the jest.
"That's a big ring," he said.
"I am confident you'll not find it any too large," was Simpson's
respectful answer.
The old man grunted. "Will it unlock the door, and how? That is all I
want to know."
"It will," said Simpson; and so they parted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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