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danger from highwaymen, cranks and policemen. To defend himself he

uses heavy and dangerous guns, with which to destroy his enemies.

This is wrong. He has no right to take away what he can not bestow; to

destroy what he can not create. To kill a fellow-creature is a horrid

crime, even if done in self-defense. Therefore, my second gift to you is

this little tube. You may carry it within your pocket. Whenever an enemy

threatens you, be it man or beast, simply point the tube and press this

button in the handle. An electric current will instantly be directed upon

your foe, rendering him wholly unconscious for the period of one hour.

During that time you will have opportunity to escape. As for your enemy,

after regaining consciousness he will suffer no inconvenience from the

encounter beyond a slight headache."

That's fine!" said Rob, as he took the tube. It was scarcely six inches

long, and hollow at one end.

The busy lives of men," proceeded the Demon, "require them to move

about and travel in all directions. Yet to assist them there are only such

crude and awkward machines as electric trolleys, cable cars, steam

railways and automobiles. These crawl slowly over the uneven surface of

the earth and frequently get out of order. It has grieved me that men

have not yet discovered what even birds know: that the atmosphere

offers them swift and easy means of traveling from one part of the earth's

surface to another."

Some people have tried to build airships," remarked Rob.

So they have; great, unwieldy machines which offer so much resistance

to the air that they are quite useless. A big machine is not needed to

carry one through the air. There are forces in nature which may be

readily used for such purpose. Tell me, what holds you to the Earth, and

makes a stone fall to the ground?"

Attraction of gravitation," said Rob, promptly.

Exactly. That is one force I refer to," said the Demon. "The force of

repulsion, which is little known, but just as powerful, is another that

mankind may direct. Then there are the Polar electric forces, attracting

objects toward the north or south poles. You have guessed something of

this by the use of the compass, or electric needle. Opposed to these is

centrifugal electric force, drawing objects from east to west, or in the

opposite direction. This force is created by the whirl of the earth upon its

The Master Key