The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-06-12
CHAPTER THiRTr-THREE.
(contlnueo


All the afternoon the shops changed
and echoed as the work there went
on. II was sound he had loved once,
hui now IL only brought to him the
sickening consciousness that there
would come "A silence which he should
be powerless 20 vivify into NE ana
energy.
\. AT last he took up a pen and found
q sheet al paper and began To NIL,
or rather surewl. ana this scrawl took
the form OF letter which he after
ward put IN an envelope he had al
ready addressed 90 his nephew rms
was what he had written:
II am just back from Washington
The gun is failure. II has Deen
finally rejected by The experts, which
does not so much matter, Tor II seeina
that my patents are not SO sound as
supposed There were others ahead
OF me with the same idea, and tney
got the best OF Il. When ! got You 10
Join me in this venture did not kno"
that Was Infringing on any one; bat
this point was established beyond
doubt while was in Washington,
where | had several interviews ~t'a
The other parties Representative
am sorry for you: but you viii r.
member that you yourself ioid me "a
go ahead and that y0u would stand
back of me ! did SO, You will lind
that you are much more deeply ia
volyed that you have any notion OF
l should say that your individual
Losses will easily reach fifteen or TWEEN
~ thousand dollars. My own are much
heavier. so heavy that | can never
meet them. Knowing this, YOU will
understand why | take the course
!, do
The afternoon wore on. He watch
ed the tracery of the frost creep m
the panes again. Lights flared in the
long rows OF windows in the shops. but
the sounds there and the rumble ot
heavy machinery continued until Il
was quite DARK Then all this ceased
with sudden bang and jar: and again
overhead the big bell rang out clear
and sharp in the cold night air.
"It's zero weather" commented
a Williams. getting down from his stool,
but his employer gave no heed 10 what
\ he said. and he busted himself noisily
in stamping into his overshoes, then
he put on his hat and coat Benson
reused himself.
"Jim," he said
Eyes. SIR" answered the bookkeeper
briskly.
"What are they doing inside?"
"They are going ahead with the
guns
"How many have they got?"
Something over fifteen hundred.
Benson groaned aloud IL was worse
than he supposed. He said huskiy
You can stop them in the morning.
Amt the heart to: but the govern
ment's soufed on the whole scheme
n Its Internal experts say the guns &c
good" he brought down his fist with
mighty thud on the desk before him
And its damned patent Office has al
lowed me 10 go ahead with a Mechan'
ism that's an infring ement on haten:s
Y already granted what In helrs name
y do You think OF that" he left his
4 chair and lurched across the room to-
ward Williams, who was open-mout1-
Y ed with surprise and dismay. I've
n had To spend money ike water to find
y this out. been buying meals ana
drinks for the small fry OF hungry.
thirsty harpies. and taken rebuns from
e the big ones in Office: me, that count
!. had smart lawyers Who told me TO 90
ahead, that | was all right, that my
gun didn't conflict with no patents Is
A sued. the head MAJ in the patent OF
\ nee told lne the same but day befo.
!; yesterday little wenty-dollar-a-weeli
clerk shower me where | did conflict /.
and It was so plain that anybody out
q government bat who amt response
Y Bile to any one on Gods earth for his
mistakes, would have seen ii With
half all eye
TITS too bad" said Williams. at n
4 loss for words.
YES, it's too bad" echoed Benson,
u with dull inadequacy, dropping back
b into his chair.
Hadn't you better go home?' ven
tured Jim.
What for?" snarled Benson. relap3-
Ing into Immature. and regretting his
momentary frankness.
n We'll, you can't stay here"
Il want To dip into the books.
want to see where we stand and fig
3 IRE out what I've dropped on this, III
50 home presently-and YOU keep your
4 mouth shut until tomorrow
When Jim left him, he opened the
books which the former had placed on
his desk: he knew before he opened
" them just what he would find: vet he
had a vague unreasoning hope that
their figures might tell different
story. For half an hour he pored over
\ them and then closed them with n
X bang.
I'm n ruined man" he muttered.
And Jake amt much better OF.
He took up the lamp from his desk.
and christening the door that led into
I the shops. disappeared among the ma
q chinery. For little time his lamp
moved TO and fro: presently, however.
q It became stationary. and there Was
4 the clanking OF chain this ceased
and he seemed TO be moving some
heavy object across the floor. dragging
It, then suddenly the light was OK
tinguished. the chain clanked again
violently this time--and there was alb
solute silence
Williams. rather troubled by the
news that Benson had impaired tc
. him, had gotten no further than tho
square when he met Stanley, the fore
~ man. TO him he confided all that their
II employer had Just told him.
M 80 his guns no good | bet hs
didn't like that: he's always so blame
Nure Of himself" and Shanley did no.
attempt TO disguise certain lingerin,
satisfaction that ut last Tom Benson
~. q 49,