The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-04-25

Iuy. LOIu ocIOOpt luSpecteu TIE cdru.
1t bore the name Hiram B. Rivington,'
which conveyed nothing to Lord
Scroope Under 1t, in pencil, were the
words, about Mr.. William Spencer"
as the bearer of this below?' asked
Lord Scroope.
Eyes, m lord. He wishes to see
your lordship urgently"
Lady Scroope. glanced at the card,
and suppressed her curiosity nobly.
Il shall leave you to receive this WIS.,
itor, Tony" she said. 81 do not think
Aimee ought to be left alone Just now.'
She retired. A very large. clean
shaven man with a rectangular jaw
and thin, humorous lips, was ushered
into the library. He was attired In
roomy gray tweeds, his eye twlnkled
family, and there was something COM
polling about his presence.
Lord Scroope?" he inquired, bowling
courteously. Its very good of you to
receive a stranger. l thought that my
nephew, William Spencer, would be
here. He promised me to arrive about
now. l guess it's something big that's
delayed him.
rs Mr.. Spencer your %nephew?' said
Lord Scroope guardedly.
THAT is so. You know him, |
think"
at is hardly the word. I know less
than nothing of him, Mr.. R%ivington."
Correct. He feels, and so do |, that
q proper explanation is due to you,
Lord Scroope. | don't know the whole
story, but circumstances have impelled
William, by no choice of his own, to
break into the society of Eastshire
county in a way that would probably
be called unusual down here. He came
to London and consulted me last night
He was very much. distressed-whicl
isn't usual with him. It's only fair to
William that his credentials should be
presented, and I think I'm the man tc
do it. | should like, Lord Scroope. tC
tell about Billy"
Lord Scroope stiffened. But there
was an uncommon dignity in Mr.. Riv,
ington; there was also something re.
markably likable about him. He ap.
peared to have very strongly the Spen.
Ger gift of attraction.
twill you be seated, Mr.. Rfvington
| will give my attention to what you
have to say"
Mr.. Rivington twinkled again. ther
became grave.
II should have thought" he said
subsiding gently into an old. bergert
chair, that it was enough for anyone
to meet William to size him up. How
ever, he is the son of my only sister
and of the late Lindon Spencer of Den
yer. Who was, on the whole, the fines
man 1 even knew in the course of a life
that has been described as varied an(
comprehensive. And Billy is as gooC
as his father. l wish you had met Lin
dom"
L appreciate what you say" replied
Lord Scrope. Il do not gather, how
ever, what Mr.. Spencer's occupation
isl
tor engineer"
Il know so little of mechanics" be
gan Lord Scroope.
Mechanics" said Mr.. Riyington
smiling, ''are, of course, a matter OF
taste. They have an interest for me-
A light dawned suddenly on LORD
Scroope.
rs it possible" he said, that you are
the-the author as it were-of the Riy.
ington motorcar?"
THAT among other things" said the
visitor pleasantly.
Lord Scroope looked bewildered. II
was not possible, however ignorant one
might be of mechanics, not to have
heard of the Rivington automobile
Nor, however casual a reader of the
secular press. could n avoid the
echoes of the fame of that solid manip-
ulator of millions, that human comet
of progress, Hiram B. R%iyington. The
name on the ~pasteboard had not till
now connected with Lord Scroope's
mind.
He contemplated Mr.. R~ivington with
wondering interest.
"Mr. Spencer" he said. sis indeed
fortunate in his uncle"
Il would rather say that I'm fortu.
nate in my nephew" replied Riyington,
BILLY doesn't need an uncle. In my
country we haven't much use for a
young man whose only assets are his
relatives. Billy has made good by his
own efforts, sir. He is the inventor
and proprietor of the Flying Sphinx
motorcycle"
"An experimental machine. l under
stand. l hope, for Mr.. Spencer's sake
said Lord Scroope, politely, that ii
may prove-ah-successful."
Mr.. Rivington smiled.
The present model of the Sphinx,
though Il big advance on the others, is
past the experimental stage. OF the
first and second models, a quarter of q
million have been sold in the States.
The plant for the latest, on mass pro-
duction, is now being laid down. In
the company that's being loated | hold
a third control-and I'm very thank
full that | have. Billy stands to clean
up three hundred and fifty thousand
dollars on the deal-hard earnings"
Il have not n very good head for fig
ures, Mr.. Rivington. Could you trans
late that into terms of English cur
rency?"
about seventy thousand pounds"
Lord Scroope sat perfectly silent,
gazing nj Mr.. RiVington
but the youngster himself is what
I'm concerned with-not what he's got,