Blowhard (The Clockwork Republic Series) by Katina French

Author:Katina French [French, Katina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: A Steampunk reimagining of the Three Pigs
Publisher: 3 Fates Press
Published: 2013-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 5

One of the Hamm brothers was at the front door. Mattie was certain of it. Now, this was an interesting turn of events. She'd been formulating her plan of escape, lining up the different pieces like the cogs of a great machine. Depending on this young man's intentions and actions, she might need to set her machinations in motion, adjust the blueprint, or throw out the plans and invent something new on the fly.

She sucked in a breath. This was her chance to find out if his brother was still alive. Her relief at finding out the first young man had survived his encounter mostly unharmed had felt like a boxcar was lifted off her chest. The relief soon dissipated, though. It only took a few days for her uncle to decide to destroy a second house. The Hamms had refused his second offer for their land. She'd begged him to wait, let them catch their breath from the first storm. She tried reasoning with him, telling him that two freak storms hitting a single farm barely a week apart would raise suspicions. He'd only laughed.

"Who do you suppose would suspect we've built a machine that can launch a cyclone? No, my dear. Trust me. These homesteaders would sooner believe they're the victims of terrible luck. The first storm only has them digging in their heels. This one will convince them that Kansas is cursed ground for them. You will see."

This time, she'd refused to operate the W.O.L.F.E., claiming that she saw a broken gear that needed to be replaced. Much to her chagrin, her uncle had paid close attention earlier and started the machine himself, ignoring her warning. She'd driven the carriage, not daring to defy him more directly. But at least it'd been Otto himself who'd started and run the W.O.L.F.E., without her help.

She'd prayed all three men were in the soddy when he had launched the cyclone at the odd round house. But she'd only two ran out of the sod house when the storm roared through the field. She could have sworn she'd seen one of them climb the roof of their barn and stare after them as they rattled away. Could it be possible? Could someone else have figured out her uncle's insane scheme already? For all she knew, the man had already contacted the local sheriff. Although Otto was probably right. He'd have quite a time convincing any sane man her uncle had a cyclone machine tucked into one of the railroad's garages. The truth was sometimes the hardest thing for people to believe.

Mattie slipped into the front parlor. Uncle always met with visitors in there. She had just enough time to hide behind the heavy drapes. She thanked heaven for the time it would take her portly uncle to amble down from his room and answer the door. The thick velvet drapes were so dusty she almost sneezed as she slipped behind them. It reminded her of plans she'd drawn for a device to clean carpets and drapes, based on a suction pump.

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