The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - Bastiat Institute

Chapter 10
The Dream Machine
How would Jonathan ever get home? He was a hearty, honest
lad, willing to do any kind of work. Perhaps he might fi nd a job
with a ship’s crew. Surely an island had to have a harbour and ships.
As he pondered the problem, a thin man struggled to load a bulky
machine onto a big, horse-drawn wagon. He wore an eye-catching
red suit and a stylish hat with a large feather stuck in the band.
Catching sight of Jonathan, the man yelled, “Hey, kid, I’ll pay you
fi ve kayns to help me load.”
“Kayns?” repeated Jonathan curiously.
“Money, paper payola. You want it or not?”
“Sure,” said Jonathan, having no better idea of what to do. It
wasn’t work on a ship, but he needed to earn his keep. Besides,
the man looked shrewd and could offer some advice. After much
pushing and shoving they managed to heave the unwieldy machine
on board. Wiping his brow, Jonathan stood back panting and looked
at the object of his labour. The machine was large with beautiful
designs painted all over it. On the top was a large horn, such as the
one Jonathan had once seen on a hand-cranked phonograph back
home.
“Such beautiful colours,” said Jonathan, feeling dizzy while
staring at the intricate, pulsating patterns. “And what’s that big horn
on top?”
“Come around to the front and see for yourself.” So Jonathan
climbed up onto the wagon and read the sign painted with elegant
gold letters: “GOLLY GOMPER’S DREAM MACHINE !”
“A dream machine?” repeated Jonathan. “You mean it makes
dreams come true?”
“It sure does,” said the sharp-faced man. He twisted out the last
screw and removed a panel in the back of the machine. Inside were
the works of a simple phonograph. Instead of a hand crank, it had a
spring with a wind-up key. A switch turned on the turntable.