, and got my clothes pretty oily, but thought
I would not ask my wife to meddle with them. So I sent for a pail of
benzine, and, shutting myself up in my shop, set to work to wash my
clothes. I succeeded very well for a first attempt; and when I had done,
and hung them up to dry, I felt quite proud. Then, as it was pretty
cold, I thought I would put a little fire in the stove, and get them
dried to carry away before my men came in to work the next morning. So I
put some kindling in the stove, and scraped a match on my boot; but I
hadn't time to touch it to the shavings before the whole air was aflame,
not catching from one point to another, but flashing through the whole
place in an instant, and snapping all around my head like a bunch of
fire-crackers. I rushed for the door; but before I could get out I was
pretty well singed, and there was no such thing as saving a single
article. All went together,--shop, stock, tools, clothes, and everything
else. That's benzine."

"That's binzole," echoed Tommy. "An' now, Ma'am, come in, if yer plase,
to the tistin'-room."

Miselle complied, and, stepping into the little room, saw first two
parallel troughs running its entire length, and terminating at one end
in a pipe leading through the side of the building. Into each of these
troughs half the pipes were at this moment discharging a colorless,
odorless fluid, the apotheosis, as it were, of petroleum.

Tommy, perching himself upon a high stool beside the troughs, regarded
his visitors with calm superiority, and was evidently disposed, in this
his stronghold, to treat with them _ex cathedra_.

"There, thin, Ma'am," began he, "that's what I call iligant ile
intirely. Look at it jist!"

And taking from its shelf a long tubular glass, he ladled up some of the
oil, and held it to the light for inspection.

When this had been duly admired, the professor informed his audience
that the first product of the still is the gas, which is led off as
previously described. Next comes naphtha, benzine, or, as Tommy and his
comrades call it, "binzole." This dangerous substance is led from the
troughs of the testing-house to a subterraneous tank, the trap-cover of
which was subsequently lifted, that the visitors might peep, as into the
den of some malignant wild creature. From this it is again drawn, and,
mixed with the heavy oil or residuum of the still, is principally used
for fuel, as before described.

"And how soon do you cut off for o