The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-05
AN ADVENTURE OF
PERKINS THE GREAT
BY ELLIS PARKER BUTLER.

a corporation, etc, etc. In the full
page advertisements that appeared ST
multaneOusly in all the journals and
magazines that had written up Hot
Air. due attention was called TO the
wonderful possibilities of Hot Air. But
the strongest point in its favor was the
fact that as yet the Sawyer Patent
Refrigerator Hot Air Converter was
still unperfected-that some time would
elapse before it could be perfected. For
this reason 1T was possible to still Of
fer the stock of a par value of 800 a
share at SO. Thus every one could get
in on the ground floor and make a tire
mendous profit, for there was no doubt
that when the Sawyer Patent Refrig-
erative Hot Air Converter was per-
fected the stock I'm the company would
be worth $780, $500 or $1,000 a share.
Talk about lunatics," said Perkins
to me when we were getting the incor-
poratiOn papers in shape, ''Old Sawyer is
sane compared with young Sawyer.
What do you think he said? Said he
wasn't just sure there was anything in
Hot Air, and he thought I ought to
have all the money we made out of it.
What did Perkins say? Perkins said.
No, sir Your pater might be as sane
as a post, but if he let me work such
a deal, people would think he was
crazy. No, sir! Your old man insists
on half for himself"
We never sold all the stock. We had
printed too much.
But we did very well. We got rid of
about eighty millions at $40 a share,
which netted US eight millions; four
millions for old Sawyer and four mil
lions for Perkins and me
I must say that Professor Sawyer
did the right thing by the stockholders.
OF course, you couldn't expect a multi
millionaire to dig among cTucibles and
retOrts and things, but he hired a cou-
pie of bright young fellows to continue
with the experiments and every week
or so he went around to the laboratory
and objected to the slOWness of their
work But somehow the report got
abroad that the Sawyer Patent Refrig-
erative Hot Air Converter was an i'm
possibility. People began to believe
that Professor Sawyer had put UP a
very clever job on them. and in short
while he was considered a remarkably
bright financier. No one doubted his
sanity A man who can cheat the pub
lie out of eight million dollars is sane
enough 10 suit anybody. Even his son
admitted that, and young Sawyer's
sWeetheart's parents almost crowded
him to death in their eagerness TO have
him in the family.
As soon as she returned from her
wedding journey young Mrs. Sawyer
came down TO our Office and thanked
Perkins for what he had done for her
and Gerald, and just as a little token
she gave Perkins her portrait in all her
wedding finery. But Perkins never
really enjoyed that picture, although it
always stands on his desk. He con-
stantly regrets that he cannot use it in
advertising Van Stems Radical Hair
| Regeneration and it is only of late that
he has had a little compensation. As
a very special favor, and because he
| is such an old friends OF the family, he
has been permitted to use another pOr-
trait. For there is now a baby Saw
yer, and 1t is fat and pretty; thanks In
part. TO Vandeventer's Food for IN
fants and Invalids which Perkins IL
advertising extensively.