HOW THEY MADE BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW


But then something happened; for Overholt was tormented by the vague
consciousness of a coming idea, so that he had headaches and could not
sleep at night. It flashed upon him at last one evening when Newton was
in bed and he was sitting before his motor, wishing he had the thousand
dollars which would surely complete it, even if he used the most
expensive materials in the market.

The idea which developed suddenly in all its clearness was that he had
made one of the most important parts of the machine exactly the converse
of what it should be; what was on the right should have been on the
left, and what was down should certainly have been up. Then the engine
would work, even if the tangent-balance were a very poor affair indeed.

The particular piece of brass casting which was the foundation of that
part had been made in New York, and, owing to the necessity for its
being finished very accurately and machine planed and turned, it had
cost a great deal of money. Already it had been made and spoilt three
times over, and now it was perfectly clear that it must be cast over
again in a reversed form. It was quite useless to make the balance yet,
for it would be of no use till the right casting was finished; it would
have to be reversed too, and the tangent would apply to a reversed
curve.

He had no money for the casting, but even before trying to raise the
cash it was necessary to make the wooden model. He could do that, and he
set to work to sketch the drawing within five minutes after the idea had
once flashed upon him. As his eye followed the lines made by his pencil,