6

would think you had n't got a patent for your machine. If I can't meddle with you on the water, as nigh as I can calculate, I'll be up to you on land, one of these days.'

These ominous words fell on my ear, as I saw Jabez issue from the engine-room, followed by the engineer, who seemed evidently to have got his steam up.

• Well,' said I, 'Jabez, what do you think of this mighty machine?' • Why,' he replied, “ if that critter had n't got riled up so soon, a body could tell more about it; but I reckon I've got a leetle notion on 't;' and then taking me aside, and looking carefully around, lest some one should overhear him, he then and there' assured me in confidence, in profound secresy, that if he did n't make a wagon go by steam, before he was two years older, then he 'd give up invention. I at first ridiculed the idea; but when I thought of that rat-trap, and saw before me a man with sharp twinkling gray eyes, a pointed nose,

and every line of his visage a channel of investigation and invention, I could not resist the conclusion, that if he really ever did attempt to meddle with hot water, we should hear more of it.

Time went on. Steam-boats multiplied; but none dreamed, or if they did, they never told their dreams, of a steam-wagon; for even the name of locomotive' was then as unknown as “loco-foco.' When, about a year after the declaration of the last war with England, (and may it be the last !) I got a letter from Jabez, marked private, telling me that he wanted to see me 'most desperately,' and that I must make him a visit at his place, ‘nigh Wallingford.' The din of arms, and the destruction of insurance companies, the smashing of banks, and suspension of specie payments, and various other inseparable attendants on the show and pomp and circumstannce of glorious war,' had in the mean time entirely wiped from memory my friend Jabez, and his wonderful rat-trap. But I obeyed bis summons, not knowing but that something of importance to the army or navy might come of it. On reaching his residence, imagine my surprise, when he told me, he believed he had got the notion.'

• Notion ! — what notion ? I inquired.

• Why,' says he, “that steam-wagon I tell'd you about, a spell ago;' 'but,' added he, “it has pretty nigh starved me out;' and sure enough, he did look as if he had been on the anxious seat,' as he used to say, when things puzzled him.

*I have used up,' said he, 'plaguey nigh all the sheet-iron, and old stove-pipes, and mill-wheels, and trunnel-heads, in these parts; but I've succeeded; and for fear that some of these 'cute folks about here may have got a peep through the key-hole, and will trouble me when I come to get a patent, I 've sent for you to be a witness ; for you was the first and only man I ever hinted the notion to; in fact,' continued he, • I think the most curious part of this invention is, that as yet I do n't know any one about here who has been able to guess what I'm about. They all know it is an invention, of some kind, for that's my business, you know; but some say it is a thrashing-machine, some a distillery; and of late, they begin to think it's a shingle-splitter; but they 'li sing another tune, when they see it spinning along past the stage-coaches,' added he. with a knowing chuckle,'won't they?

This brought us to the door of an old clap-boarded, dingy, long, one-story building, with a window or two in the roof, the knot-holes

6

6

Stie cumulation of notions' that

the door he western world;' thus proving conclusively, that the incTANCE."

"TTANCE. This only of this country, but that no other country ye, fact , the invention had not yet even reached the Mesin description of

The patent-office not until a year after, that a long-armed, high man, who had just succeeded in doubling :

f, may exhibit ' finished

you could look into the of hard pushing, and run his boat in a o saw a steam-boat gallantly paddling"

quarter of the Union, and see that · Father of Rivers;' and gazing ?

still-born poems, links and

which but breathed and died,' and triumph, he threw down his

pr

' in ecstacy, exclaimed: “Well de nally smashed, if you ha' n't

in the work-shop of Jabez Doo

First Locomotive. There it stood, But, as before hinted, it history of the origin of str

previous conceptions, rat-traps, churns, this article ; and I purp

zeáing-stoves, and shingle-splitters, which future time, a faithfu'

my Lord Byron says, with reference determined, at least

important invention : know its true orię

was a heavenly guest, In the year 19

immortality, and stood of a paddle u that ever mor

of the voyager the name worker i wire-wc invent cimer Nev rig'

more

son conception

spa tremus 'The FIRST LOCOMOTIVE.'

ere around, until they gathered to a God.' Inickr i srl, the concentrated focus' of all previous rays pinterísterr-iron, with cranks, and pipes, and trunnel-heads,and screws,

An unprimest, unpolished, unadorned, oven-shaped mass, of doubleezni vaires, ail firmly braced on four strongly-made travelling wheels.

"I sa curius crittur to look at,' says Jabez, “but you 'll like it stuffert under the boiler. I filled the b'iler,' says he, 'arter I stopped

He was lr this time igniting a quantity of charcoal, which he had working her yesterday, and it ha'n't leaked a drop since. It will soon

Sure enough, the boiler soon gave evidence of troubled waters,' cranks and piston, was in motion. 'It works slick, do n't it ?' said Jabez. . But,' I replied, “it do 'nt move.'

better, when rou see it in motion.'

со

bile up; the coal is first rate.'

one slide, and pulling another, the whole machine,

6

do n't mean

You mean,' said he, 'the travelling wheels don't move; well, I

they shall, till I get my patent. “You see,' he added, crouching down, that trunnel-head, there — that small cog-wheel ? crank, it fits, you see, on the main travelling wheel, and then the Well, that 's out of gear just yet; when I turn that into gear, by this hull scrape will move, as nigh as I can calculate, a leetle slower than chain lightnin', and a darn'd leetle too ! But it wont do to give it a try, afore I get the patent. There is only one thing yet,' he con

' tinued, that I ha' n't contrived — but that is a simple matter — and that is, the shortest mode of stoppin' on her. My first notion is, to see how fast I can make her work, without smashing all to bits, and that's done by screwing down this upper valve ; and I'll show

you

And with that, he clambered up on the top, with a turning screw in one hand, and a horn of soap-fat in the other, and commenced screwing down the valves, and oiling the piston-rod and crank-joints; and the motion of the mysterious mass increased, until all seemed A BUZ.

is nigh about perfection, aint it ?' says he.
d amazed in contemplating the object before me, which I con-
'd not fully understand ; and hence, with the greater readi-
“ted my mind to bear off to other matters more compre-
he future, which is always more clear than the present,

Srcumstances. I heeded not, for the very best reason

recause I understood not, the complicated description as giving of his still more complicated invention. All I 13, that here was a machine on four good sturdy well-braced -3, and it only required a recorded patent, to authorize that all connecting cog-wheel or trunnel-head to be thrown into gear,' when it would move off, without oats, hay, or horse-shoes, and distance the mail-coaches. As I was surrounded with notions, it was not extraordinary that one should take full possession of me. It dawned upon me, when I saw the machine first put into motion, and was now full orbed above the horizon of my desire ; it was to see the first locomotive move off. The temptation was irresistible. • And who knows,' thought I, but some prying scamp may have been peeping through the key-hole,' while Jabez was at work, and, catching the idea, may be now at work at some clumsy imitation ? — and if he does not succeed in turning the first trick, may at least divide the honors with my friend ?'

* Jabez,' said I, elevating my voice above the buzzing noise of the machine, there is only one thing wanting.' · What is that ?' says he, eagerly.

Immortality,' said I ; and you shall have it, patent or no patent!' And with that, I pulled the crank that twisted the connecting trunnelhead into the travelling wheels, and in an instant away went the machine, with Jabez on top of it, with the whiz and rapidity of a flushed patridge. The side of the old building presented the resistance of wet paper. One crash, and the first locomotive' was ushered into this breathing world. I hurried to the opening, and had just time to clamber to the top of a fence, to catch the last glimpse of my

fastdeparting friend. True to his purpose, I saw him alternately screwing down the valves, and oiling the piston-rod and crank-joints ; evidently determined that, although he had started off a little unexpectedly, he would redeem the pledge he had given, which was, that when it did go, it would go a leetle slower than a streak of chainlightnin', and a darn'd leetle too!'

"Like a cloud in the dim distance fleeting,

Like an arrow,' he flew away! But a moment, and he was here ; in a moment he was there; and now where is he? — or rather, where is he not ? But that, for the present, is 'neither here nor there.'

The vile Moslem ridiculed the belief, so religiously cherished by the Christian Don, that in all the bloody conflicts that laid the crescent low in the dust, Saint Iago, on a white horse, led on to battle, and secured triumph to the cross; but as this has now become matter of history, confirmed by the fact that on numerous occasions this identical warrior saint was distinctly seen 'pounding the Moors,' successfully and simultaneously, in battle scenes remote from each other, thus proving his identity by saintly ubiquity; so may we safely indulge

a

and cracks all carefully stuffed with old rags, and over the door he was unlocking, was written, in bold letters, . No ADMITTANCE. This was his 'sanctum sanctorum.' I could occupy pages in description of it, for every part exhibited evidences of it uses. The patent-office at Washington, like your Magazine, Mr. Editor, may exhibit ' finished productions,' of 'inventive genius ;' but if you could look into the port-folios of your contributors, in every quarter of the Uuion, and see there the sketches of half-finished essays, still-born poems, links and fragments of ideas and conceptions, which ‘but breathed and died,' you might form some' notion of the accumulation of notions' that were presented to me, on entering the work-shop of Jabez Doolittle. But to my text again, "The First Locomotive. There it stood, occupying the centre of all previous conceptions, rat-traps, churns, apple-parers, pill-rollers, cooking-stoves, and shingle-splitters, which hung or stood around it; or as my Lord Byron says, with reference to a more ancient but not more important invention :

"Where each conception was a heavenly guest,

A ray of immortality, and stood

Star-like around, until they gathered to a God.' And there it stood, the concentrated focus' of all previous rays of inventive genius, · The First Locomotive.'

An unpainted, unpolished, unadorned, oven-shaped mass, of doubleriveted sheet-iron, with cranks, and pipes, and trunnel-heads,and screws, and valves, all firmly braced on four strongly-made travelling wheels.

• It's a curious crittur to look at,' says Jabez, “but you 'll like it better, when you see it in motion.'

He was by this time igniting a quantity of charcoal, which he had stuffed under the boiler. 'I filled the b’iler,' says he, 'arter I stopped working her yesterday, and it ha' n't leaked a drop since. It will soon bile up; the coal is first rate.'

Sure enough, the boiler soon gave evidence of troubled waters,' when, by pushing one slide, and pulling another, the whole machine, cranks and piston, was in motion.

• It works slick, do n't it ? said Jabez. • But,' I replied, “it do ’nt move.'

•You mean,' said he, 'the travelling wheels do n't move ; well, I do n't mean they shall, till I get my patent. You see,' he added, crouching down, that trunnel-head, there — that small cog-wheel ? Well, that's out of gear just yet; when I turn that into gear, by this crank, it fits, you see, on the main travelling wheel, and then the hull scrape

will move, as nigh as I can calculate, a leetle slower than chain lightnin', and a darn’d leetle too! But it wont do to give it a try, afore I get the patent.' There is only one thing yet,' he continued, that I ha' n't contrived – but that is a simple matter and that is, the shortest mode of stoppin' on her. My first notion is, to see how fast I can make her work, without smashing all to bits, and that's done by screwing down this upper valve ; and I'll show you — And with that, he clambered

up top,

with a turning screw in one hand, and a horn of soap-fat in the other, and commenced screwing down the valves, and oiling the piston-rod and crank-joints; and the motion of the mysterious mass increased, until all seemed A BUZ.

6

6

6

on the

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6

• It is nigh about perfection, aint it?' says he.

I stood amazed in contemplating the object before me, which I confess I could not fully understand; and hence, with the greater readiness, permitted my mind to bear off to other matters more comprehensible ; to the future, which is always more clear than the present, under similar circumstances. I heeded not, for the very

best reason in the world, because I understood not, the complicated description that Jabez was giving of his still more complicated invention. All I knew was, that here was a machine on four good sturdy well-braced wheels, and it only required a recorded patent, to authorize that small connecting cog-wheel or trunnel-bead to be thrown into gear,' when it would move off, without oats, hay, or horse-shoes, and dis. tance the mail-coaches. As I was surrounded with notions, it was not extraordinary that one should take full possession of me. It dawned upon me, when I saw the machine first put into motion, and was now full orbed above the horizon of my desire ; it was to see the first locomotive move off. The temptation was irresistible. · And who knows,' thought I, but some prying scamp may have been peeping through the key-hole,' while Jabez was at work, and, catching the idea, may be now at work at some clumsy imitation - and if he does not succeed in turning the first trick, may at least divide the honors with my friend ?'

* Jabez,' said I, elevating my voice above the buzzing noise of the machine, there is only one thing wanting.'

' • What is that ?' says he, eagerly.

• Immortality,' said I ; 'and you shall have it, patent or no patent!' And with that, I pulled the crank that twisted the connecting trunnelhead into the travelling wheels, and in an instant away went the machine, with Jabez on top of it, with the whiz and rapidity of a flushed patridge. The side of the old building presented the resistance of wet paper. One crash, and the first locomotive' was ushered into this breathing world. I hurried to the opening, and had just time to clamber to the top of a fence, to catch the last glimpse of my fastdeparting friend. True to his purpose, I saw him alternately screwing down the valves, and oiling the piston-rod and crank-joints ; evidently determined that, although he had started off a little unexpectedly, he would redeem the pledge he had given, which was, that when it did go, it would go a leetle slower than a streak of chain. lightnin', and a darn'd leetle too!'

'Like a cloud in the dim distance fleeting,

Like an arrow,' he flew away! But a moment, and he was here ; in a moment he was there; and now where is he? - or rather, where is he not ? But that, for the present, is neither here nor there.'

The vile Moslem ridiculed the belief, so religiously cherished by the Christian Don, that in all the bloody conflicts that laid the crescent low in the dust, Saint Iago, on a white horse, led on to battle, and secured triumph to the cross; but as this has now become matter of history, confirmed by the fact that on numerous occasions this identical · warrior saint' was distinctly seen 'pounding the Moors,' successfully and simultaneously, in battle scenes remote from each other, thus proving his identity by saintly ubiquity; so may we safely indulge

a