The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-02-05

| mo, i haven't, Salu Eugene, euu III
friend failed to notice the crispness Of
the utterance.
"Well. sir" Kinney chuckled again.
at beats the devil My boy Fred told
me about II yesterday. He's a friend
Of this young Henry Akers, son Of y.
r. Akers Of the Akers Chemical COM
pany. II seems this young Akers asked
Fred II he knew fellow named Nina
fer because he knew Fred had always
lived here. and young Akers had heard
some way that Minafer used to be an
old family name here, and was sort Of
curious about It. Well. sir, you re-
member this young George sort Of dis
appeared. after his grandfather's
death, and nobody seemed to know
much what had become Of him
though I did hear, once or twice, that
he was still around somewhere. Well,
sir, he's working for the Akers Chem
ical company, out at their plant on the
Thomasville road"
He paused, seeming to reserve some
thing to be delivered only upon inquiry,
question, but only after cold glance
through the nose-glasses he had lately
found it necessary to adopt. what
does he do?"
Kinney laughed and slapped the arm
Of his chair. Hes q nitro -glycerin ex-
peril"
He was gratified to see that Eugene
was surprised, If not, indeed, little
startled.
"He's what"
"He's an expert on nitroglycerin.
Doesn't that beat the devil Yes, sir I
Young Akers told Fred that this
George Minafer had worked like a
houn'-dOg ever since he got started
out at the works. They have special
plant for nitro-glycerin. way off from
the main plant, O. course-in the
woods somewhere-and George Nina
fer's been working there, and lately
they put him in charge of it. He over
sees shooting oil wells too, and shoots
'em himself, sometimes. They aren't
allowed to carry it on the railroads,
you knOw-have to team 1t. Young
Akers says George rides around over
the bpmpy roads, sitting on as much as
three hundred quarts Of nitro-glycerin
My Lord! Talk about romantic tum-
bles If he gets blown sky-high some
day he won't have bigger drop, when
he comes down. than he's already had
Don't 1t beat the devil! Young Akers
said he's got all the nerve there is in
the world. Says he gets fair salary,
and / should think he ought to Seems
to me I've heard the average life In
that sort Of work is somewhere around
four years, and agents don't write any
insurance at all for nitro-glycerin ex-
perts. Hardlyv
NO." said Eugene. 81 suppose not"
Kinney rose to go. "Well, It's a
pretty funny thing-pretty odd, I mean
and l suppose 1t would be pass
around-the-hat for old Fanny Minafer
If he blew up. Fred told me that
they're living in some apartment house,
and said George supports her. He was
going to study law, but couldn't earn
enough that way to take care Of
Fanny, so he gave 1t up. Fred's wife
told him all this. Says Fanny doesn't
do anything but play bridge these
days. Got to playing too high for
awhile and lost mere than she wanted
to tell George about, and borrowed
little from old Frank Bronson. Paid
him back, though. Don't know how
Fred's wife heard 1t. Women do hear
the darndest thingsw
"They do" Eugene agreed.
swell, I'm off to the store" said Mr..
Kinney briskiy; yet he fingered. 81
suppose we'll all have to club In and
keep old Fanny out of the poorhouse
If he does blow up. From all I hear
it's usually only a question Of time.
They say she hasn't got anything else
to depend on"
81 suppose not"
"Well-I wondered" Kinney hesi-
tated. 81 was wondering why you
hadn't thought of finding something
around your works for him. You used
to be such a tremendous friend Of the
family-I thought perhaps you-of
course know he's a queer lott know
he's"
"Yes, I think he is" said Eugene.
"No. haven't anything to offer him."
81 suppose not" Kinney returned
thOughtfully, as he went on. II don't
know that would myself. Well, well
probably see his name in the papers
some day If he stays with that job!"
However, the nitro-glycerin
expert Of whom they spoke did not get
into the papers as a consequence Of
being blown up, although his daily life
was certainly continuous exposure to
that risk. Destiny has constant pas
sion for the incongruous. and 1t was
Georges lot to manipulate wholesale
quantities Of terrific and volatile ex-
plosives In safety. and to be laid low
by an accident SO commonplace and In.
consequent that 1t was comedy.
Fate had reserved for him the final in
suit of riding him down under the
wheels of one Of those juggernauts at
which ne had once shouted "Git q
hoss 7" Nevertheless, Fate's ironic
choice for Georges undoing was not a
big and swift and momentous car, such
as Eugene manufactured; 1t was spe-