Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-08-06
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When Solomon Spitz had his weekly
salary raised to SIS, when he had pro
posed on the strength of this raise and
had married the girl of his hearts de-
sire. when Aunt Maria had unexpect-
eddy shuff1ed off and had left him
$4,000, Solomon felt there was little
else left in life to wish for. And yet
the $1,000 was in itself source OF
worry, for it was constantly burning
a hole in his pocket for want OF in
vestment
May Belle Spitz, his bride, thought
the legacy should be at once invested
in a home, but Solomon, putting out
his cheeks and assuming the careworn
air of man of wealth, declared that
money must be turned over in order to
increase properly
Il mean to put it where l can see
it double every year or two,' said
Solomon. None of this slow three or
four per cent. for me. Nothing ven
ture, nothing have says ]"
Every night he came home from the
store with a new plan for investment.
But May Belle gently talked him out
of these schemes, until he had kept
the money in the bank up to the day
he met l. Newton Wimbley, the in
vcntor of the great automatic war
machine
The inventor was large man, with
a deep, magnetic voice and hypnotic
| eye He had come out of the west
with wonderful exterminator on rub
| Der tires which he was going to sell
! to the government at Washington,
after which he was going across" to
sell a thousand or two machines to
European governments who really
needed them in their business. He
explained casually to Solomon that
there were millions in it for those who
knew a good thing at glance, and
who were shrewd enough to get in on
it while there was still an opening to
the ground-foor. Solomon had gone
with party to the stable where the
war-machine occasionally circled pom
derously over the plank floor. He had
listened eagerly to the inventors con-
f1dent eloquence, his cheeks flushed
his eyes blazing with eagerness; for
Solomon could see perfectly how the
| machine worked.
1t was run by gasoline, like many
other automobiles, but there were
fearful knives, revolving with a silent
menace when charging on a terrified
enemy, and there were guns to shoot
at long-range foes. 1t glided easily
| over the smooth planks, and the in
ventor assured them that it could
beat the fastest express when once he
! let it out on the pike.
"The government will gobble up a
/ thing like that quicker'n scat" said
| Solomon to himself. There ought to
| nearly had heart failure every time
| any of the others approached the in
ventor for fear they would buy all the
stock before he could get his own
money out of the bank Finally he
| got the inventor into a dark stall by
himself
I've got little $4,000 that I'm not
using now,'' remarked Solomon. I'D
like to put it in your company if the
| stock amt all sold"
| Solomon was vaguely surprised at
the sudden light which flashed In the
eyes of the inventor, but he was too
anxious to get the stock to think
about that gleam
We'll, of course, it's difficult" said
Mr.. Wimbley, thoughtfully; but I'll
talk with my secretary and see if we
can let you have little block"
That night Solomon went home the
proud owner Of 100 shares in VIM
bley's Automatic Exterminator Com
pany, Limited Next morning the in
ventor sped to the bank to cash that
check, as if he really needed the
money.
When May Belle heard the glad It'd
ings she buried her face in the sofa
pillows and wept. Solomon got a lit
tie out Of patience with her for the
first time in his life, declaring that
! there never was woman who had the
| slightest understanding or finances.
His wife's skepticism had put un-
easy thoughts into Solomon's head, so
he went to see the inventor when
lunch-hour came. Mr.. Wimbley read
in Solomon's anxious face the ques-
lions Solomon hesitated to ask, and
he promptly took the load off Solo
mons mind by saying that he would
| give an exhibition of the speed and
effectiveness of the machine that
night. He even added that, if Solo,
mon had cool head and steady
nerves, so that he could handle him
self all right while the machine was
tearing along at terrific speed, he
might occupy one of the four seats,
the inventor and his two experts hay
ing the other seats.
AS all GOODNESS between May Belle
and himself had thawed when Solo,
mon went home that night, she accom-
panied him downtown to see the
splendid spectacle of Solomon and the
exterminator tearing down the street
to NOV its way through an invisible
regiment. The machine rolled smooth
ly out OF the stable to the asphalt,
looking like some monster of mythol-
ogy. 1t was low and had six wheels,
swathed In big rubber tires. The in
ventor, Solomon, and the two experts
sat on bicycle seats on each side,
while the machine gathered itself to-
gether and shook like a medium going
into a trance.
by the way, what's the theory of
ft?" asked Solomon, wondering why
he had never thought to ask that ques-
| ton before.
''The electric sparks you see here
explained the inventor indulgently,
explode the gaseous vapors generated
oy the gasoline. That's the gasoline
tank Immediately behind you"
Solomon was a little startled to find
that his back was directly against the
tank, and he wondered just what