Washington was not able to ignore the cold entirely. He was nearly as
close to the stove as he could get, and yet he could not persuade
himself that he felt the slightest heat, notwithstanding the isinglass
door was still gently and serenely glowing. He tried to get a trifle
closer to the stove, and the consequence was he tripped the supporting
poker and the stove-door tumbled to the floor. And then there was a
revelation—there was nothing in the stove but a lighted tallow candle!
The poor youth blushed and felt as if he must die with shame. But the
Colonel was only disconcerted for a moment—he straightaway found his
voice again:
“A little idea of my own, Washington—one of the greatest things in the
world! You must write and tell your father about it—don’t forget that,
now. I have been reading up some European scientific reports—friend of
mine, Count Fugier sent them to me—sends me all sorts of things from
Paris—he thinks the world of me, Fugier does. Well, I saw that the
Academy of France had been testing the properties of heat, and they came
to the conclusion that it was a non-conductor or something like that,
and of course its influence must necessarily be deadly in nervous
organizations with excitable temperaments, especially where there is any
tendency toward rheumatic affections. Bless you, I saw in a moment what
was the matter with us, and says I, out goes your fires!—no more slow
torture and certain death for me, sir. What you want is the _appearance_
of heat, not the heat itself—that’s the idea. Well, how to do it was the
next thing. I just put my head to work, pegged away a couple of days,
and here you are! Rheumatism? Why a man can’t any more start a case of
rheumatism in this house than he can shake an opinion out of a mummy!
Stove with a candle in it and transparent door—that’s it—it has been the
salvation of this family. Don’t you fail to write your father about it,
Washington. And tell him the idea is mine—I’m no more conceited than
most people, I reckon, but you know it is human nature for a man to want
credit for a thing like that.”