Polly and
Annie were more considerate. Down to Coleman and Company
they sent an order for pins, needles, hooks and eyes,
buttons, tapes, and I know not what essentials. India-
rubber shoes for the children Mrs. Haliburton insisted on
sending. Haliburton himself bought open-eye-shut-eye
dolls, though I felt that wax had been, since Icarus's
days, the worst article in such an adventure. For the
babies he had india-rubber rings: he had tin cows and
carved wooden lions for the bigger children, drawing-
tools for those older yet, and a box of crochet tools for
the ladies. For my part I piled in literature,--a set of
my own works, the Legislative Reports of the State of
Maine, Jean Ingelow, as I said or intimated, and both
volumes of the "Earthly Paradise." All these were packed
in sand, bagged and corded,--bagged, sanded and corded
again,--yet again and again,--five times. Then the whole
awaited Orcutt's orders and our calculations.
At last the moment came. We had, at Orcutt's order,
reduced the revolutions of the Flies to 7230, which was,
as nearly as he knew, the speed on the fatal night. We
had soaked the bag for near twelve hours, and, at the
moment agreed upon, rolled it on the Flies and saw it
shot into the air. It was so small that it went out of
sight too soon for us to see it take fire.
Of course we watched eagerly for signal time.
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