The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-02

| stranger if he would leave the ingot
until the next day The man agreed
/ to do so and went out. The next day
| he went back to the goldsmith and re-
| ceived $500 for the bar.
Hardy is a reticent man. He has
! the taciturnity of thinker who pom
| ders on forever. His only ambition
| now seems to be to keep the public
| from learning what he is doing. While
| he Is making a stuff that may pass for
gold he is also making stuff that re-
| sembies aluminium in every respect,
except that it is 10 per cent lighter and
| can be sold so per cent cheaper. A re-
| porter examined specimens of the
| strange metals turned out of his fur
naceS.
A piece of the yellow stuff was COM
pared with gold coin. 1t was about
the same bulk as a $40 gold piece. 1t
was seemingly the same weight 1t
was of the same color and apparently
of the same density and fineneSs.
The door of the factory or workshop,
was locked when the reporter tried it.
In answer to a knock a young man
opened the door.
Are you making gold here?" he was
asked.
Here. father." cried the youth in
alarm. Come here"
A man with a pair of keen, piercing
eyes emerged from an inner room. So
deep and luminous were his eyes that
they dominated his expression of feat
ure- He wore heavy mustache of
iron gray color. He had strong
nose and clear cut features and the
ears of an inventor. Loppy ears, they
might be called, but they are inventors
ears for all that, according to the theo-
ries of students of such things.
He was angular and athletic in figure
and abrupt in manner.
Who told you I was making gold?"
he demanded.
We'll, are you making gold? %
81 want to know where you got that
information.
place? Nobody knows what am doing
here I have only been here a few days
and have told no one what 1 was doing
I want to know how you found out
about it."
Have you made any go1d?" Proba bly,
because it was an abrupt question to
an abrupt man it brought reply.
What would you call that?" said the
experimental, handing the reporter a
cylinder of yellow metal.
What do you call it?" he was asked.
Il don't call ii anything. Does it look
like that stuff" and he then handed
the reporter a 500 gold piece with the
stamp of the single standard ON it. The
color and the specific gravity seemed
about the same.
viii this ingot tarnish?"
mo more than that COIN
did you make this ingot?"
''WelI, did not buy it, he said with
a smile.
Have you made much of it?"
He did not answer this question, but
asked instead:
DO you see that box2 Well, that
contains my furnace and my secret. No
one can get it. I could give the fur
mace to anybody on earth, and it would
be of no more value to him in doing
what I have done and can do than
furnace he might buy for heating horse
Shoes
How about your gold? Will you put
it on the market?'
81 did not say it was gold. It is not
gold. 1t is bronze. OF course it differs,
from other sorts of bronze, but that is
what it is
But it is said to have all the virtues
of gold?"
''Supposing it has. II is not gold, and
I do not want anybody to say it is gold.
1t is utterly and entirely a different
thing from gold.''
When will you put this stuff ON the
market ?'
Ct have nothing to say ON that point.
Our plans are not complete and we do
not want anything at all said upon the
subject
rs any of your metal being used by
go1dsmiths in lieu of gold?"
Mr.. Hardy gave no answer to the
question.
f'Sometimes I see a man draw out a
gold watch to see the time and gaze on
it admiringly before returning it to his
pocket. 1 can read his thoughts as he
thinks it is such valua BILE bauble on
account of the gold in the case. That
makes me laugh. Proud of the few
ounces of gold!' This was his final re-
mark.