“Well, I’m going to try,” said Kate; “and if there isn’t poetry enough on my tongue’s end, there’s plenty up in the book-case.”
Kate took a piece of paper, and commenced jotting down some lines, occasionally consulting Jessie, or turning to a volume of poetry. Ronald and Otis found more congenial amusement, in a couple of toys of which they had recently come in possession. They were “pith-tumblers,” made by an ingenious boy in their class, who realized quite a little fortune of pocket-money by manufacturing these comical figures for his mates. They were made of the pith of elder trees, and the figures were neatly cut, to represent Turks, Chinese Mandarins, Brahmins, clowns, and other characters. Ronald’s tumbler was a Turk, and he named him the Grand Mufti. He was seated on half a bullet, composedly smoking his long pipe. Otis called his figure the Sleepy Brahmin. It had a lead cap, and consequently was under the disagreeable necessity of standing on its head. Both the Mufti and the Brahmin, when jarred, seemed ready to fall over, but were sure to right themselves very quickly, owing to the centre of gravity being in the leaden base. While the boys were playing with these trifles, Marcus stepped out of the room, and soon returned with a bottle and a couple of forks. Seeing the curiosity of the boys was excited, Marcus asked them if they could make a quarter of a dollar spin round on the point of a needle.
“Give me a quarter, and I’ll try,” said Ronald.
Marcus chose to make the trial himself, and in a few minutes he accomplished the feat, to the no small astonishment of the boys. This was the way he did it. In the cork of the bottle he fixed a needle. He then took another cork, and cut a slit in it, large enough to receive the edge of the coin. Then he stuck into the cork the two forks, opposite each other, with the handles inclining downwards. The edge of the coin was now placed on the needle, and the whole apparatus,—coin, cork, and forks,—was made to spin round without falling off.
“Now, Ronald, can you explain the philosophy of that?” inquired Marcus.
“No, sir, I’m sure I can’t,” replied Ronald.
“Well, can you explain why your little pith-tumblers operate as they do?” inquired Marcus.
“It’s because the centre of gravity is in one end of the figures, in the lead,” replied Ronald.