hich at once gave the
suggestion of distance, and materially heightened the illusion.
When the interest of the crowd, which at once gathered, was at its
height, the "aeronaut" pulled his craft out of sight and let the
disillusion come when the light of day laid bare his fraud.

** A Cork Extractor [300]

The device shown in the sketch is for removing a cork or stopper
from a bottle whether full or empty where the cork has been pushed
inside. A wire about No. 14 gauge is bent as shown at B, Fig. 1,
to fit the index finger and the other end filed to a point C, and
turned in a spiral D, so the point will be on top. Insert this
tool in the bottle as shown in Fig. 2 and place the end D under
the cork and pull up. The cork will come out easily. --Contributed
by Maurice Baudier. New Orleans. La.

[Illustration: Cork Extractor]

** An Outdoor Gymnasium Part II-Parallel Bars [301]

Parallel bars hold a high place in the affection of those who
frequent gymnasiums as the best apparatus for development of the
back and shoulder muscles, as well as a promoter of ease and grace
of movement. The outdoor "gym" can have a set of these bars with
very little more labor than was required for the horizontal bar.

The material required is as follows:

[Illustration: Detail of the Parallel Bars]

4 posts, preferably cedar, 4 in. square and 6 ft. long;
2 base pieces, 4 in. square and 5-1/2 ft. long;
2 cross braces, 2 by 4 in. by 2 ft. 2 in. long;
2 side braces, 2 by 4 in. by 7 ft. 8 in. long;
4 knee braces, 2 by 4 in. by 3 ft. 8 in. long;
2 bars of straight grained hickory, 2 by 3 in. by 10 ft. long;
4 wood screws, 6 in. long;
4 bolts, 8 in. long; 8 bolts, 7 in. long and
1 doz. large spikes.

To make the apparatus, lay off the bases as shown in the end view
and bevel the ends at an angle of 60 deg. Chisel out two notches 4
in. wide and 1 in. deep, beginning at a point 9 in. from either
side of the center. These are to receive the lower ends of the
posts. Bevel two sides of one end of each post down to the width
of the finished bar--a little less than 2 in. Cut notches in these
ends to receive the oval bars. Bevel the ends of the knee braces,
as shown in the diagram, and fasten the lower ends to the beveled
ends of the bases with the spikes. Fasten the upper ends of the
knee braces to the uprights with the 8-in. bolts put through the
holes bored for that purpose, and countersinking the heads. Lay
the whole end flat on the