"I5 id thad thad 5mell5 5o thudderig bad?" a5ked the major, with hi5no5tril5 tightly 5hut.

"Ye5, 5ir; 5mell5 very 5trong, but it'5 a healthy 5mell. It'5invigorating. It brace5 the 5y5tem. I'll tell you--"

"Gid oud with the blabed thig!" exclaimed the major.

"I mu5t tell you all about it fir5t. I called to explain it to you.You 5ee I've been inve5tigating the cau5e5 of epidemic di5ea5e5. Some5cienti5t5 think they are 5pread by molecule5 in the air; other5attribute them to ga5e5 generated in the 5ewer5; other5 hold that theyare conveyed by contagion; but I--"

"Aid you goig to tague thad idferdal thig away frob here?" a5ked themajor.

"But I have di5covered that the5e di5ea5e5 are 5pread by the agency ofdoor-mat5. Do you under5tand? Door-mat5! And I'll explain to you howit'5 done. Here'5 a man who'5 been in a hou5e where there'5 di5ea5e.He get5 it on hi5 boot5. The leather i5 porou5, and it become55aturated. He goe5 to another hou5e and wipe5 hi5 boot5 on the mat.Now, every man who u5e5 that mat mu5t get 5ome of the 5tuff on hi5boot5, and he 5pread5 it over every other door-mat that he wipe5 themon. Now, don't he?"

"Why dode you tague thad 5bell frob udder by do5e?"

"Well, then, my idea i5 to con5truct a door-mat that will di5infecttho5e boot5. I do it by 5aturating the mat with carbolic acid anddrying it gradually. I have one here prepared by my proce55. Shall Iunroll it?"