Rollo's Philosophy. [Air]

heap of stumps, roots, and decayed logs, in a field, not far from the broo

employed himself in gathering up sticks, bushes, roots, and other such things that lay scattered

he was, much decayed. There was a hole in the top. Rollo climbed up so that he could put a stick in, and r

ut to Jonas, with a

here. It is hollow away down to th

d Jonas, "

ollected there to aid him in kindling his fires. He lighted one piece, and put it upon the e

stump, and burn there. He succeeded very well in getting pieces completely on fire; but, after the

s to come and help him

id not think that it

stump here,' said Rollo, callin

t?" sai

aid Jonas, "

llo, "your brush heaps burn,

more in the winter and early in the spring; and it takes it much longer to dr

birch bark burn? that is dry; but as soon as

ump, and down around the

there i

" repeat

s all close and solid arou

n at the top,

had put down his axe; he took up the axe, and brought it to the stump. He immediately

d Rollo, "don'

wn," said Jonas; "I am only

r?" aske

air in," r

eived that the edge of his axe went through into the hollow part. Then he cleared

ke sticks and birch bark burn in the stump, thoug

ece upon it, which took fire. He then gathered some dry sticks, and put in; and, finding that the flame was increasing, he proceeded to gather all the dry and combustible matter, wh

d Rollo, "it

Jonas; "I am g

the stump wo

it is all burnt up, bef

o triumph over you; but why would not the

d Jonas, "there w

r in the stum

ife of it was consumed by the first

of it?"

at do you suppose it is,

rns itself,

something in the air which I call the life of it; this makes the fire burn. But when this is all gone, then t

ld burn in any kind

ou can see if you stop

ore the hole, and crowded it in hard with the heel of his boot

light a small piece of bi

end of a stick, and then Rollo set it on fire, and held i

as, "how quick

llo, "it goes out

stump consumes all the goodness of the air; and I s

go in at the t

e stump is already full of bad air, and there is nothing to make a curr

lo, "it is just

stump is the chimney, and

all around is heavier, and so it crowds down under it, and buoys the ho

hole again, to see if the effe

e at the bottom of the stump, and Rollo obse

that the smoke was carried in, in a very strong curre

"it operates just

e, you must see to it, that there is an opening for air to co

r, which makes the fi

ome part of the air, which goes into the fire, and is all c

or anything at a

is; only I know that it isn't good for

me of that part of the air is, whi

, "but it was a hard word

sk my father

rolls of birch bark around the end of a stick, and then, after setting them on fire, holding them over the fires, which Jonas was making, to see how soon

makes the blaze go out. It is the smoke.

t is not the smoke. I c

smoke, because the fire under it burned clear, being nearly reduced to coals. He told Rollo to hold his blazing bark there. Rollo

't the smoke. But perhaps

. They sometimes collect different kinds of air in glass jars,

t go out?"

as if there was nothing in the jars; but when you let a candle down in, in some it

does it go ou

"and that is a kind that comes of itsel

name of it?

ll it choke damp; but I believe

ll it choke damp

t and breathe it, it kills them. It is not any b

see some choke d

fore you, any more than you can see common air. If a well or

find it out

a candle down,"

candle go out?

they make a little of it in a tumbler or a jar upon the table, and

me," said Rollo. "Do you

lieve it is pretty easy to

er," said Rollo; "p

were about the fires; but now the fires had pret

on, and the grass was beginning to look a little green; and Jonas said he wanted to get off all the sticks, chips, and straws, s

her tell you?

replie

l you, then?

answere

ther," s

nswered

n't tell,"

Rollo. "I met her in the r

is it?" a

Then we pour some vinegar over it. The vinegar takes the choke damp out of the chalk, and Miss Mary says it will come up

asked

hoke damp from comin

she said you must put it on loosel

on air?" s

as fast as the choke damp comes up, it drives the common air out of the top

ey put about two teaspoonfuls of chalk into the tumbler. Th

o, "that's the

is experiment upon the kitchen table, and Dorothy

uld be an effervescence, which would be occasioned by the

; "it's nothing but

iously; "it isn't frothing, it is efferve

ow many of these little bubbles will it take, do

nas; "we will wait a littl

said Rollo, "we hav

the end on fire, and then dip it down into

ing to do that f

it go out,"

ou put it away down into t

going to dip it down a little way, just

" said Dorothy. "There's

see. Won't it

know," sa

Why, you told me that choke

at; but there are a great many ways

t fail, I know, for I can see the little bubbles o

plunged the end of it into the tumbler. To Rollo's great disappointment and mortification, it continued to burn about as much as ever. The flame crept rapidly up the paper, and Jonas had soon to run with it

hile Jonas went to the pump and washe

sconsolate. You look as if you h

must keep good-natured, even

to ask Miss Mary again, an

ailure. Miss Mary said that she could not think of any thing which was likely t

harm would that do? Won't the c

t a large flame into a tumbler, it makes the first instant, a great current of air, and so

e a current of a

er; and the common air all around crowds in under it, in buoying it up; and by that means, if the flame is too large, c

ke a small fla

"is to roll up some paper into a ve

g and very slender roll; one end of it was not much larger than a large knitting-needle. She gave this to Rollo, and tol

nd they did so. Dorothy stood by watching the process, as she had done the evening before, but Rollo did not assert so

e slender roll in the lamp, and plunged it care

o, clapping his ha

y because the w

ollo, "there isn't an

push it down, it makes a little

ler," said Jonas,

aper down into it, with about as rapid a motion as that with which he had

xperiment a number of times; the effect was always the same. Whenever he put it into the tumbler of common air, it burned on without any change; but whenever h

-describing particularly their failure at first, and their subsequent succ

but that you have learned

sons?" s

urn in choke damp; and the second is, that it requires nice at

ed the first time, just bec

STI

sary to make fires burn? What did Rollo at first think was the reason why the bark went out when held over the fire? What did he next think was the reason? How did Jonas say that different kinds of airs were prepared? In wha

to co