Chapter 2 — The First Making of Cavorite

           ButCavor’sfearsweregroundless,sofarastheactualmakingwasconcerned.Onthe14thofOctober,1899,thisincrediblesubstancewasmade!

           Oddlyenough,itwasmadeatlastbyaccident,whenMr.Cavorleastexpectedit.Hehadfusedtogetheranumberofmetalsandcertainotherthings—IwishIknewtheparticularsnow!—andheintendedtoleavethemixtureaweekandthenallowittocoolslowly.Unlesshehadmiscalculated,thelaststageinthecombinationwouldoccurwhenthestuffsanktoatemperatureof60degreesFahrenheit.Butitchancedthat,unknowntoCavor,dissensionhadarisenaboutthefurnacetending.Gibbs,whohadpreviouslyseentothis,hadsuddenlyattemptedtoshiftittothemanwhohadbeenagardener,onthescorethatcoalwassoil,beingdug,andthereforecouldnotpossiblyfallwithintheprovinceofajoiner;themanwhohadbeenajobbinggardeneralleged,however,thatcoalwasametallicorore-likesubstance,letalonethathewascook.ButSpargusinsistedonGibbsdoingthecoaling,seeingthathewasajoinerandthatcoalisnotoriouslyfossilwood.ConsequentlyGibbsceasedtoreplenishthefurnace,andnooneelsedidso,andCavorwastoomuchimmersedincertaininterestingproblemsconcerningaCavoriteflyingmachine(neglectingtheresistanceoftheairandoneortwootherpoints)toperceivethatanythingwaswrong.Andtheprematurebirthofhisinventiontookplacejustashewascomingacrossthefieldtomybungalowforourafternoontalkandtea.

           Iremembertheoccasionwithextremevividness.