The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-04
The EDening Story
Patents and Polly.

had lost the small model of his pat
ent and that the knowledge in no way
worried him. He had no doubt left
it in the subway train that had carried
him homeward from the financier's
office.
However, since the thing was not
worth financing and putting on the
market, Crawford didn't care what
happened to his patent. All he did
know was that he would not spend
another cent nor yet another atom
of brain energy trying to invent egg
boilers or any other kind of a boiler.
He had banked rather heavily on the
outcome of his visit to the financier.
but the expectations had ended.
Crawford would hope for nothing in
the future save his $40 a week. His
brought about by a startling demand
for his patent egg boiler vanished into
the past, even as his model itself had
lost itself in the subway. Crawford
hoped it had fallen beneath the
wheels and been crushed to powder.
He laughed bitterly and could not
remember, so gloomy was his attl-
tude, that the great financier had
mentioned that a slight amount of
added thought spent on the patent
would no doubt result in most sue
cessful egg boiler.
And Polly Woodward, returning
from hard day in the office of her
employer, picked up the small pack
age that had been left in the seat into
which her tired body sank.
She was far too weary to ponder on
the exact nature of the thing she had
found, but knew it to be something
for kitchen use 1t might be a baby
feeder or even a grill of some kind.
Later, when she had cooked her even
ing meal in the tiny kitchenette her
flat boosted, she would no doubt have
sufficient brain energy to fathom the
character of her find. For the pres
ent she closed her eyes-they were
strangely luminous-and robbed the
gentleman opposite of the pleasure of
watching them. He, also a tired toiler
of Wall street, had been resting his
own eyes unobServedly on the beauty
of the weary little worker. John
ellsworth was more than ever regret
full that so many women were forced
to enter the field of labor.
When Polly Woodward had finished
her evening meal and the flush of
health had returned to her cheeks and
renewed power to her brain, she sat
down with the patent and studied it
infinitely.
IAN egg boiler" she unused. ''I
wonder if it's any good or just like
the thousands of other egg boilers"
Curiosity got the better of her and
she tripped lightly into her kitchen to
experiment with Jim Crawford's pat
ent and one of her sixty-cents-a-
dozen eggs.
Il will have to use this for salad
of apology for her extravaganza.
Using great care SO that no harm
would come to the model, Polly put
in her egg. She felt certain that the
person who had lost the patent would
claim it by advertisement, and she did
not want to damage it. To her in
terested eye the thing seemed to be
one of those labor saving devices so
dear to the domestic wOman'S heart.
Polly had many little contrivances
that saved her both footsteps and
time. Where there is adequate kitch-
en- space the most modern equipment
is none too modern.
The indicator on the egg boiler
snapped and Polly removed the egg.
only to find it half boiled. She sighed
disappointedly. The patent had SEEM
ed so promising, yet it failed because
of the indicator.
Surely it could be quite easily ad-
justed," she pondered while she
cleaned the model and dried it care
fully. There would be one of these
in every kitchen if it could be easily
regulated to any number of minutes.
All the girls in the office would have
one. L wonder''-the continuation OF
small sitting room, whittier she went
with Crawford's patent. Her luminous
eyes were half closed, so close was her
scrutiny of the egg boiler She sat
| down under the light, her busy brain
hard at work.
When week had passed and no
one had advertised for the model Polly
became impatient. She had perfect
charm, and it irritated her to realize
that the inventor was so lacking in
interest as to put forward no claim for
his patent. 1t should be on the mar
ket, yet she was not free to go to the
financler in the office building in
which she worked and put it before
him. She had heard that John Gals
worth was always ready to finance
anything good.
1t was Polly herself who finally adj
vertised for the person who had left
small package on the subway con-
tanning an invention.
of gloom were gradually lifting hap
pened to see the advertisement and
went forthwith in search of his lost
property.
1t was perforce after business hours
| that he went Polly Woodward had
scarcely tidied up herself and her flat
before her bell sounded.
Crawford was decidedly pleased
that he had lost his model when he
beheld Polly in the doorway.
You can make stacks of money
out of that she told him when she
had drawn him into the coy sitting
room. 1T only required a simple bit
of regulating. You won't mind my
showing you. will you?''
Crawford wouldn't have minded
merely listened attentively to her
curiously Intelligent explanation of
his error.
by Jove, My head is solid ivory
not to have seen that" he said
with a splendid dash of color in his
cheeks and sparkle to his eyes. But
after ALL" he added quietly, looking
at her, cit takes a woman's head to
figure out these necessities for the
home'' He glanced wistfully about
the lovely room that was tastefulIy
but inexpensively furnished. and
sighed.