'em t' th' top. Then
they drop inter th' hollow spokes agin an' th' same process goes on over
agin. It goes on forever, like th' brook that poetry feller writ
about--I forgit his name. It's perpetual motion as sure as ye're a foot
high. Ah, here comes Mandy with th' clothes pole. Now I'll jest give th'
big wheel a start, 'count of it gittin' stuck, an' you'll see suthin'
worth watchin'."

With the long clothes pole Silas gave the big wheel a cautious poke. It
began to move slowly, and he released a big spring.

"Stand back, everybody!" he called. "She vibrates suthin' terrible when
she gits goin', an' I don't want nobody t' git hurt!"

At first the wheel barely turned. Silas gave it another prod with the
clothes pole and it moved more quickly. Then it released another spring
and began to gather speed. Faster and faster it went, the iron balls
rolling along the hollow spokes and dropping out with a noise like
distant thunder.

"There she goes!" cried the old man, his chin whiskers vibrating in the
intensity of his excitement. "There she goes!"

Faster and faster the wheel whizzed around. The balls began dropping
with such a continuous noise that one had to shout to be heard.

"How do you stop it?" called Dick.

"No, it won't stop," replied Mr. Kendall, misunderstanding the question.

"Well, how you going to get it home?" shouted Bricktop.

"Oh, when I want to stop it I jest throw th' chain at it, an' it tangles
up in th' wheel, an' slows up enough so I can fasten it. If I didn't it
would go on--forever--jest like that there brook."

The machine did seem to be working well, although only on account of
the strong springs. The balls, as they rolled down the inclined spokes,
imparted a swift motion to the wheel. The released balls ran down an
incline to the foot of the chute, and the lifting belt began to slowly
turn over on the wheels on which it worked. Then something happened.

Whether Silas had not built his machine strong enough to stand the
strain, or whether the perpetual motion was too much for it, was never
disclosed. At any rate, when the big wheel was revolving at a rapid
rate, and the balls were dropping out like immense hail stones, there
was a sudden rending, splitting, breaking and cracking of wood. Then the
machine seemed to creak and groan in agony. Next there was a snapping
sound and the air was filled with a shower of black iron balls, as
though a bombshell had burst.

"Duck, everybody!" yell