electricity.
You are all very much frightened and roused when we have a heavy
thunderstorm, because it is such a terrible thing, that you see the
danger, but some day you will know that the electric telegraph we send
messages by is the same power in a smaller, far smaller degree, turned
to man's use. It is only God who can send the severe thunderstorm, which
while it clears and purifies the air, and thus does a great deal of
good, may also do a great deal of harm; and to save some of this was,
shortly, the object of Franklin's enquiries. He saw that if his idea was
correct, rods of iron might be planted near houses, or suspended from
vessels, by which means the lightning would pass harmlessly down into
the water or the earth.'

"'And now,' said Uncle Gee, 'we must thank Papa for his lesson,
children, and a very good one it is, and go to our work. I think if you
were all to ask Papa very nicely, he might perhaps give you a simple
explanation about thunder and lightning; and I daresay his school
children would not be sorry to hear it too.'

"Papa promised to "think about it," and then off went the happy party
into the school-room, where they found the great Kite stretched out like
a large white bird or a windmill sail. Very dry, and nice and flat it
was, and delighted enough they all were with it.

"'Now,' said Uncle Gee, 'once for all what is it to be? A ship, a
dragon, a Chinaman, or what? It is to be put to the vote--what do you
say, Bob, you are the eldest?'

"'What you like, Uncle Gee! A dragon would be a jolly thing, but let it
be as you like!'

"'I should like a ship,' said Tom; 'a big ship, with sails and an
anchor!'

"'We would rather leave it to Uncle Gee,' said the girls and Dora; 'he
is sure to make a capital thing of it, and he has an idea of something
or other, we think!'

"'I shall make it into a flying fish, if you leave it to me,' said Uncle
Gee, laughing, 'so you had better arrange it among yourselves.'

"And so there was a great deal of talking and chattering among them all,
and at last they agreed to ask Uncle Gee to make it a bird.

"'We can't settle what kind of bird it is to be,' said Bob; 'I wanted an
eagle, but Tom liked an owl better, and Mary said she liked a ringdove,
while Jeanie said it must be a peacock. Dora wanted a swan, and Baby
bawled out for a robin! So we're not agreed in anything but that it is
to be a bird. So you must decide out of all the number, Uncle Gee.'

"'All ri