MD3PAD 316-318

[Toby G Levy]

        Pliny and Pitt want to know if they are going to miss any good
action scenes by going to bed before Wicks finishes his story.  They
ask about Pontiac's rebellion, and Wicks says that Mason and Dixon were
still in Delaware, working on the Tangent at that time. They ask about
the Paxton Boys and Wicks says that Mason and Dixon have moved south to
a new observatory before the Paxton boys moved through Philadelphia.

        Pliny and Pitt ask if they could have indians at the next story
session and Wicks says of course.  They go off and now Tenebrae is the
youngest in the room and she is appreciatively observed by the two
college boys Ethelmer and DePugh.

        Wicks resumes his tale with Dixon telling Mason that just before
they left for America, Emerson gave Dixon a mysterious package. In it is
a watch that Emerson says will never stop.

vw#76: Remontoire -  A device in a timepiece whereby the main source of
power periodically winds up a spring or lifts the weights to drive the
actual mechanism, so that it can provide a constant force. For example a
spring-driven clock winds up a weight which transmits the power to the
heart of the timekeeper or clock.

        Dixon says that Emerson taught that there is no such thing as
perpetual motion. Emerson says yes, saying in latin "there is no free
lunch," but then says that the works of the clock permit it to transfer
power "indefinitely."

        Dixon is worried about carrying such a valuable prize to an
unruly country, but Emerson says the watch cannot be taken apart with
being destroyed and if it is destroyed another can easily be built.

        Emerson won't tell Dixon why the watch is not commonplace if it
so easily built. Nor will Emerson say where the watch came from.

        At first, on the ship coming to America, Emerson tries to figure
out how it is wound, but cannot.  He meditates on the meaning of the
"message" of Emerson giving him the watch but cannot figure it out. He
eventually gives the watch over to the captain to put in the ship's
strongbox for safe keeping.

Toby