CHAPTER VIII

JEAN THREATENS TO STEAL GIUSIPPE"S TRADE

It was the next morning while Mr. Cabot and Giusippe were still discussing the Blaschka gla.s.s flowers that the Italian lad remarked:

"I have wondered and wondered ever since we went out to Harvard how those fragile flower models were annealed without breaking. It must have been very difficult."

"What is annealing?" inquired Jean, holding at arm"s length a doll"s hat and straightening a feather at one side of it.

"Annealing? Why, the gradual cooling of the gla.s.s after it has been heated."

"What do they heat it for?"

"Don"t you know how gla.s.s is made?" Giusippe asked in surprise.

Jean shook her head.

"No. How should I?"

"Why--but I thought every one knew that!"

"I don"t see why. How could a girl know about the work you men do unless you take the trouble to tell her?" Jean dimpled. "All through Europe you and Uncle Bob have talked gla.s.s, gla.s.s, gla.s.s--nothing but gla.s.s, and as you both seemed to understand what you were talking about I did not like to interrupt and ask questions; but I had no more idea than the man in the moon what you meant sometimes."

"Do you mean to say you know nothing at all about the process of gla.s.s-making, Jean?" asked Mr. Cabot.

"Not a thing."

"Well, well, well! You have been a very patient little lady, that is all I can say. Giusippe and I have been both rude and remiss, haven"t we, Giusippe? I thought of course you understood; and yet it is not at all strange that you did not. As you say, how could you? Why didn"t you ask us, dear?"

"Oh, I didn"t like to. I hate to seem stupid and be a bother."

"You are neither of those things, dear child. Is she, Giusippe?"

"I should say not."

"Well then, if it is all the same to you, I do wish somebody would tell me whether gla.s.s is dug up out of the earth or is made of things mixed together like a pudding," said Jean.

Both Giusippe and Uncle Bob laughed.

"The pudding idea is the nearer correct. Gla.s.s is made from ingredients which are mixed together, boiled, baked, and set away to cool. Isn"t that about it, Giusippe?"

Giusippe nodded.

"I think the best remedy we can administer to this young lady, as well as the most fitting penance for our own discourtesy to her, is to escort her through a gla.s.s factory and let her, with her own eyes, behold the process. What do you say, Giusippe?"

"A capital idea, senor. Then I, too, should have the chance to visit an American factory and compare the process you use here with our Italian method. I should like it above everything else."

"That is precisely what we will do then," declared Mr. Cabot. "On my first leisure day we will go, and in the meantime I will hunt up the location of the most satisfactory and nearest gla.s.s works."

Not more than a week pa.s.sed before Uncle Bob fulfilled his promise.

"Make yourselves ready, oh ye gla.s.s-makers," said he one morning at breakfast. "I find after telephoning to the office that I am not needed to-day; therefore, the moment we have swallowed these estimable griddle cakes of Hannah"s we will hie us forth to instruct Jean in the art of manufacturing vases, bottles, tumblers and the various sorts of gla.s.sware."

The two young people greeted the suggestion with pleasure.

"Can you really get away to-day, Uncle Bob?" cried Jean. "What fun we"ll have!"

"I think it will be fun. We must, however, make Giusippe captain of the expedition for he is the one who really knows gla.s.s-making from beginning to end, and can answer all our questions."

"I think I might in Murano," returned the Venetian modestly, "but that is no sign that I can do it here; your process may differ from the one we use at home."

"Oh, I do not believe so--at least, not in essentials," Mr. Cabot answered.

So they started out, and before they had proceeded any distance at all they got into a spirited debate over the tiny lights of gla.s.s set in the top of the electric car. The panes were of ground gla.s.s dotted with an all-over pattern of small stars which had been left transparent.

"How did they make the stars on that gla.s.s?" was Jean"s innocent question. "Did they scratch off the thick surface and leave the design of clear gla.s.s?"

"No indeed," Mr. Cabot replied. "On the contrary they started with the stars and then made the background cloudy."

"But I don"t see how they could."

"Do you, Giusippe?"

"I am afraid not, senor."

"Good! At last there is one fact about gla.s.s-making that I can impart to you. This sort of gla.s.s is known as sand-blast gla.s.s, and the art of making it, they say, chanced to be discovered near the seash.o.r.e. It was found that when the strong winds rose and blew the sand against gla.s.s window-panes of the houses the small particles, being sharp, cut into the gla.s.s surface, and before long wore it to a cloudy white through which it was impossible to see out. Often the gla.s.s fronts of lighthouses were injured in this way and the lights dimmed. Finally some man came along who said: "See here! Why not turn this grinding effect of the sand to some purpose? Why not apply it to transparent gla.s.s and make it frosted so one can get light but not see through it?

Often such gla.s.s would be a convenience." Therefore this inventor set his brain to the task. Strong currents or streams of sand were directed against a clear gla.s.s surface with such force that they cut and ground it until it was no longer transparent. They called the product thus made sand-blast gla.s.s. Later they improved upon it by laying a stencil over it so that a desired design was covered and remained protected from the sand blast. The result was a pattern such as you see--clear figures set in a background of clouded gla.s.s."

"How interesting!"

"Yes, isn"t it? As is true of so many other of our most clever inventions nature first showed man the path. Ground gla.s.s in its modified forms is used for many purposes now; and yet I venture to say few persons know how it came to be discovered."

Just at this point the car stopped with a sudden jerk, and beckoning Jean and Giusippe to follow, Mr. Cabot got out and entered a large brick building that stood close at hand. Evidently he was expected, for a man came forward to greet him.

"Mr. Cabot?" he asked.

"Yes. I received your note this morning, so I brought my young charges out at once. It is very good of you to allow us to go through the factory."

"We are always glad to see visitors. I will put you in the hands of one of our foremen who will take you about and tell you everything you may want to know."

He touched a bell.

"Show Mr. Cabot and his friends down-stairs," said he to the boy who answered his call, "and introduce them to Mr. Wyman. Tell him he is to conduct them over the works."