Read Ebook: Frank Reade and His Steam Horse by Senarens Luis

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Ebook has 2570 lines and 58906 words, and 52 pages

"All right," said Frank, jotting it down in a book, "I've got it."

"Whist now," said Pat, "whin ye direct the letther, moind that yez don't lave off the esquire."

"I'll moind," said Frank.

"Now, will ye be afther havin' the extrame nateness of showin' me how in the name of the seven wondhers of the worruld ye mane to make that conthrivance thravel loike a harse?"

"Certainly," said Frank, approaching the invention with a great deal of pardonable pride. "You can see very plainly that the machine is in every respect similar to a horse."

"I moind that same."

"Then I will begin with the information necessary to make you understand how the old thing works," said Frank. "In the first place this copper belly is nothing more nor less than a well-tested, strongly-made boiler, occupying the greater part of the distance between the fore legs and hind ones; this gives room to the steam-chest proper and boiler, and they extend into the haunches. Understand?"

"Oh, yis, I can philosophize an' so forth," said McSpalten, sitting on a wooden bench and looking as wise as an owl.

"Then here, almost on the top of the horse's haunches," said Frank, "are the valves, by means of which I can at any time examine either the water or the steam, and regulate accordingly. Forward of this is the place where my fire burns, the door of the furnace being in the chest, as you can see. Flues running up through the animal's head will allow the smoke to pass out of his ears, while similar pipes will carry the steam out of the horse's nose."

"Musha! musha! did yez iver hear the bate o' that?" murmured Patrick.

"In the head," continued Frank, "I have arranged a clock-work contrivance that will feed coils of magnesium wire as fast as it burns to the flame of a small lamp that is set between a polished reflector and the glass that forms each eye. I shall thus have a powerful light at night time, and on the level plains shall be able to see very clearly one mile ahead, if the night was just as black as a piece of coal."

"Worra! worra!" gasped McSpalten. "Me head is turnin' round. Go on, me gossoon."

"An' will ye be afther ridin' on the back of that crayture?"

"Oh no," smiled Frank, "I am making a wagon to ride in and carry my supplies for myself and the horse, and the animal will be harnessed to the truck, which will be constructed so as to stand the joltings of rapid travel. There, now, I guess you can understand the idea of the thing pretty well, can't you?"

"Oh, yis, I can philosophize an' so forth, an' I have the ijee very foinely," said Patrick McSpalten. "An' now I'll be afther goin' to me cousin's, the O'Flaherty family, hard by. It's out wist I'm goin' mesilf to-morrow, an' I may mate you there some foine day. I'll grow wid the counthry, an whin I make a fartune loike me Cousin Shea, then it's back to swate Clonakilty I'll go, an' thin I'll be Esquire McSpalten. Do yez moind that?"

"Success to you," said Frank. "You'll make it out, I guess."

"Faith, I'll thry," said Patrick. "Will yez be afther havin' the nateness to sind me respects to me Cousin Shea, and tell the mon that I hope to mate him in this land?"

"I will," said Frank. "Take care of yourself, look out for sharpers, keep your weather eye skinned, and your hand on your wallet. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, me brave gossoon," said the Irishman, grasping the boy's slender hand in a farewell shake. "Ye can't fail o' making your mark, for ye can philosophize an' so forth as well as mesilf; and I'll wager the last bit o' baccy for me pipe that you'll raise the very divil wid yer Sthame Horse."

BARNEY IN IRELAND.

"Mrs. O'Doolahan."

"Yes, Squire Shea."

"How many more toimes am I to order you to kape that divilish dirty ould sow out o' me schmoking room?"

"Be me sowl, sir, the litter went flying through forninst her, and the poor sow was only follerin' when ye banged the dure agen her."

"Thin moind ye, Mrs. Faylix O'Doolahan, for I'm not to be thrifled wid in this style, I want ye to kape the pigs and childer out o' me schmoking-room, or, be the bright buckles on me shoes, I'll have to ingage some wan ilse to kape the house; to kape the house for me, and not the pigs, mind ye, Mrs. Faylix O'Doolahan."

"I moind, squire."

"Thin see that I don't have to sphake again about the matter," said Esquire Barney Shea, putting his thumbs under the arm-holes of his red silk vest and puffing out his chest in the most important manner; "and now I'm going to sthroll down to the town for an airin', Mrs. O'Doolahan."

"A pleasant walk to ye this foine summer's marning, sir," said Mrs. O'Doolahan, dropping him a courtesy; and then Barney walked off with a stately step toward the village, looking back at every few steps to glance with pride at the neat cottage, surrounded with many well-cultivated acres, which were all his own.

And this was the same Barney Shea who had roamed over the prairies of Western America, killing Indians and robbers, and reveling in rows and ructions.

He had come to this township of Clonakilty with a few thousands of dollars in shining gold, had purchased a house and land to the surprise of his envious neighbors, had been dubbed "Esquire," in honor of his wealth, and was now living the quiet life of an Irish gentleman.

But he was growing tired of it.

It was very nice to be called "Squire" and receive the respectful homage of all the peasantry and the friendly hand of other squires--men whom he used to look up to in days gone by; but it wasn't equal to a smashing, rip-tearing rumpus with a cut-throat band of murderous redskins and black-hearted white men.

He was growing rusty and out of practice for the want of use; and, as he thought as much of fighting as a woman does of eating, this humdrum life was not well calculated to suit him.

He walked leisurely into the town, and was saluted on all sides with respect.

When he entered the post-office several voices saluted him:

"The top o' the marnin' to ye, Squire Shea."

"Long life to ye, Squire Shea."

"And there's a letther for ye, Esquire Barney Shea," said the postmaster, handing out a yellow envelope. "It's from Ameriky."

"Oh, aye," mumbled Barney, with a wise look on his mug; "wan a' me furrin' correspondents, you moind."

And then he sat down on the chair and broke the seal of the letter, while around him sat the staring and gaping countrymen, anxious to hear something from the far off land, and looking up with great admiration and respect to the man who had a foreign correspondent.

And this is the letter that made Barney Shea's eyes sparkle:

"FRIEND BARNEY:--How are you Squire Shea? How does your lordship feel? I have met with your cousin, Patrick McSpalten, and he has told me all about your being one of the biggest men in your parts, but he also said that you talked about paying a visit to this land some time, and that's why I write to you.

"Barney, my rip-snorter, you remember what I said I'd do, don't you? I said that if it could be done I'd make a horse that should go by steam, and now, old boy, I tell you that I've done it.

"I've built my horse, and every part is perfect, and there's no reason why I can't go whistling over the plains like some rocket on a tear. Oh! what fun I'm going to have with the reds. You bet I'll wake 'em up at the liveliest rate.

"Now Barney, I want you to come out here to my house in New York, and start with me for the West. My horse is all finished, and, by the time that you get here, I shall have the wagon ready to harness on the animal. Charley Gorse and his Steam Man will travel over the plains with us when we reach the West, and you can have full scope for your fighting tendencies among the reds and the rascally whites. Come out, if only to take a ride behind my Steam Horse, and I'll promise to raise more rough and tumble rumpusses in one week on the plains than you'll have in Ireland in a year.

"Ever your friend,

"FRANK READE."

"Tare an' ouns," cried Barney, when he read the letter through, by dint of much study and patient spelling, "did yez iver hear the loikes o' that now?"

And then, observing that they were all looking at him with surprise, he turned to them, and said:

"Whist, me lads; ye moind that powerful young jaynus I was talking about so often to yez?"

"The gossoon wid the mon that wint be sthame?" asked one.

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