The Washington times., 1922-07-23

tion on the market"
She sat opposite the younger
partner, behind his desk, and put
her elbow on the back of It, and
her chin in her palm, looking at
him with the straight, frank, eager
look characteristic Of her. The
younger partner saw that her eyes
were beautiful.
: There's the thing" she said,
handing 1t over to him.
II seemed a very long silence
while they looked at the drawings,
and she stared over the back Of the
desk at him. Her hand crept up,
and found the little Teddy bear
swinging round her neck. The
older man had risen from his chair
and came over, and their heaIis
were bent closely together. She
was looking with fierce eagerness,
and she saw how they glanced,
very cursorily at hrst, then scruti-
nizing more minutely. One said
something quickly to the other that
she could not catch. The younger
man pointed out to his partner de-
tails which seemed to strike him as
salient. They turned the model
about and their faces took On keen
interest. They banished that care
fully, though, when they looked up,
to meet the great gray eyes gaz-
ing at them over the top OF the
desk.
"H'm! Not bad" said the
y younger.
"There might be something In
it," said the other. Might Be .
little" ..s -.
"How-how muchf"
He shifted his position. and AZ
fected surprise.
"You mean money! Oh! hardly
anything. OF course, there'd be
the risk of production, and adver-
tising expenses, and 80 on. No
money at present, but, II 1t worked
out, you'd get royalties.
"Bat," she burst out, II
I'm down to my, last shilling, and
want you-or somebody else, II
you won't-to buy Il now, out
right, for what it's worth to you"
She looked away from the mems
eyes, biting her lips.
"Bowse," said the younger man
who had flushed little, II think
the ideas worth fifty pounds. 1t
may be 4 Loss" he explained to
Meg. "and, 1t may be q good thing.
II It's . good thing. Of course,
you'll be sorry to have sold out.
right. II It's loss, you don't lose." |"
Fifty poundsl
'Tll sell," she said dissily. I'm
take IL. II you'll give me Atty
pounds I'll sell outright"
They conferred together.
"We'n just draw up little deed
Of SALE" said the elder partner,
sand II you'll sign II here, you
can have a cheque now"
"And," said the young man,
smiling, "if you've got any more
ideas Of the kind up your sleeve,
bring them to US first"
Then she saw that she might
have wrested double the amount
from them had she not caught 80
eagerly at the hrst offer. That
made her feel . little regretful
and bitter over the bargain. But
fifty pounds! She signed her
name, received the cheque, and
stood up TO 20.
When the door closed behind
her
lone of the prettiest little girls"
said the younger partner, that
I've seen for . week"
The other man was examining
And" said he satisfiedly,
"we're going to make something
of this cock-eyed idea of hers.
Glaythorpe, IT'S al right"
Fifty may not have been enough,
but II was q fortune to the girl
who hurried to the bank on which
the cheque had been drawn. She
changed II into notes, and, going
back to Maxwell street, packed her
belongings and removed to another
address a. hastily a possible.
She found Q room IN Noting
Hill Gate and was unpackine,
about three o'clock In the after.
noon, when her conscience arose
and smote her nightly because
of Mr.. Lukas.
She sat very thoughtful for
some time, trying to harden her
self, and saying: "Well, finished
the safe, and without my work II
wouldn't have been the least use"
And: "Well, he said he'd be glad
to see Ave pounds for II. So he
ought to be glad. Perhaps-11l-
send-him-fve pounds"
She had fifty, and they began to
weigh on here heavily. Temptation
was strong upon her; she struggled
with it half bitterly and, suddenly
slipping to her knees, prayed
against It: "God, keep me honest!
Oh, God, keep me honestw
At last she divided the notes,
and, tucking s25 into an envelope,
wrote to him hastily:
Dear Mr.. Lukas:.
I finished and sold your in
vention this morning. ! won't
tell you to whom, II Is sold
outright, and II would be Of no
- n