Amador ledger., 1910-08-12
THE ACME
ERADICATOR
BY CORNELIUS BARRY
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.
BY CORNELIUS BARRY

When my girl marries | don't wish
her to marry a man who is liable to
slip up on providing. l wish her to
have husband who can make mon
ey. When was your age my father
gave me a thousand and told me to
use it and my wits together. Out of
that thousand I've made $4,000. No;
can't give you Grace. You're not
sharp enough"
"But haven't father to give me
$1,000" said George. II haven't a fa-
ther at ALL"
"Well, George" said the other, I'll
tell you what I'll do. I'll lend you a
dollar. Come and see me at the end
of a year, and If l find you've done
we'll with it I'll lend you thousand.
The dollar is only to try you without
making any serious loss. The thou
sand will be to set you up. Then If
after another year you have made
your thousand grow I'll throw in
Grace don't mean that you must
make something out of nothing, but
you must come pretty near it."
George took the dollar and his de-
parture without making any further
remark.
Grace" said Mr.. Skinner one day
some months after this. "a man came
into the Office the other day and sold
me a bottle of some stuff for getting
grease out Of clothes. I've spilled
some gravy on my coat. You'll find
the extractor in my bedroom closet.
wish you'd bring it and take out the
gravy"
Grace brought box containing
white paste and a small bottle. After
reading the directions for application
on the label she scraped some of the
paste on to the grease spot on her
fathers coat, poured some OF the
LIQUID from the bottle on to the paste
and rubbed it with cloth. The mix
ture formed frothy substance, which.
on further application Of the LIQUID.
was easily rubbed away. But she
grease spot remained.
1t occurred to Mr. Skinner that he
had been done by the man who had
sold him the grease eradicator. Moth
ing in the world irrtated the old
gentleman so much as to find man
sharper than himself. Acme Grease
Eradicatorr' he exclaimed contemptu-
ously, reading from the label. III bet
il is swindle. and if it is I'll go
for the company that sells it. I'll have
Ben Humiston analyze it." Humiston
was young chemist and Mr.. Skin
ner's nephew.
A few days later the analysis came
in. 1t was this: Soap and water"
Soap and water, eh. | reckon
can get a few thousand for keeping
still anyway" remarked the old gentle
man. and. sending for his lawyer. he
commissioned him to see the Acme
Grease Eradicator people and find out
what they were willing to give for
keeping their secret. The attorney
did so and reported that the company
were now using a different eradicator,
that they would pay nothing for Sc
crecy and were too rich for Mr.. Skin
ner to punish. They were turning out
tons of their eradicators daily. and it
was sold in every city, town and ham,
let in the country.
A few weeks after this his daughter
reminded him that the year he had
accorded her lover to make the dollar
he had given him sprout was about to
expire. Mr.. Skinner remarked con-
temptuously that the dollar had doubt
less long ago gone for cigarettes.
That evening George called and ten
dered the loaned dollar.
"Well. George" remarked the lender.
~ confess never expected to see it
again"
"You said, Mr.. Skinner, that If [
made it grow you'd lend me a thou
sand and if l made that grow you'd
give me Grace"
$50 did. boy. Well, what have you
done with it?'
made a million"
"A million grains of sand"
"A million dollars"
Without regarding Mr.. SINNERS puz-
zled look George told his story. With
the dollar he had received he bought
two cakes of white soap for 8 cents
each. The soap he cut into candles
and ran a wick through each candle.
Five cents mere he invested in a bot
tie and filled it with pure water. Fifty
cents more went for table. Then he
went to circus and began to take
grease spots off the clothes of the peo-
pie outside the show, The spots he
made himself by spilling his candle
grease" on the clothes, and on the APP
plication of water resulting soapsuds
washed 1t out. Such demand was
made for the grease eradicator that
dozens of boxes could have been sold
If they had been on hand to sell. But
George took partner and the next
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