The Dolores star., 1924-01-18

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ment with his companion. I've
worked for them. as you say. good
part Of my life, but they've never
struck me as-enigmatic, especially.
OF course. they're-my own people.
But you're quite right that I'm not one
of them-Fd have been musician,
II could" lie added.
There you are" said Greer "that's
something. | suppose music's jus
form of engineering really. only 1t
happens to be one that man can't
make living by-unless he's a sort
OF freak. Well, then. you're musi-
clan; I'm an engineer. But what the
devil are they? What do they sect
What do they think they see? oh,
money, OF course. but mrney's nothing
but way OF getting things done.
What Is ii they're trying to get done?
| lf i had Williamson's money I'd do
something with 1t. So would you.
doubt II he even has fun with 1t. Not
as much us l have-on perhaps a
twentieth as much. Round and round
he goes looking for safe investments
for an income that's already five or
six times what he can spend-making
more work for himself all the time"
Il suppose" Henry put in. that it's
really power he wants rather than
money"
The other man snatched the word
away from him. Power! l under
stand power. or l think l do. Power
Is what can be used to move some
| n
man who's got hobby for buying
electric storagecells and charging
them. and he goes on collecting more
and more Of them and you go to him
and say. What are you going to do
with all thisT and he says, oh. I'm
going to run a motor-generator outfit
to charge more cells Couldn't you
take him before Judge and get
conservator appointed on the strength
of that? OF course you could. Well,
what's the difference? What does
Williamson want to rum The city?
He could, II he liked-Roger Sullivan
do. A railroad? A steamship line?
An opera company? A harem2
don't care what. But 1t ought to be
something"
He illuminated this statement with
dazzling grin, but went straight
on: Williamson gets bound report
on me and reads it. or. for all / know.
hires somebody else to read 1t for
him. and sends me word he'll go In.
But In all this time-three months.
mind you-he's never come out to our
laboratory on the West side, where he
could have seen the thing done. ac-
tually done under semi-commercial
conditions. He doesn't care about
how It's done. Nor. for that matter.
what we do. Any damn thing in the
world that would show the same profit
between raw material and finished
product. and the same demand. would
interest him just as much-it would
be the same thing to him.
"Celiulose fiber is one of the most
interesting things In the world. I've
been thinking about 1t, of and on. ever
since the first time found myself in
a tropical jungle. And the things you
can do by dissolving 1t, or by mating
and compressing 1t. or by using it as
binder in plastic substances-there's
no end. And were Just at the begin
ming, back In the Old Testament But
1t might be putty for all Williamson
cares-or prunes.'
He interrupted himself here to take
another drink, and Henry said:
You're partly right. Of course. but
he knows more about that process of
yours than you think. And he knows
he's not technical man. 1t may be
caution as much as lack of interest
that's kept him away"
Greer caught that instantly over the
edge of his appraised glass. Henry
found that glance of his curiously
stimulating.
Anyhow" Henry went on. "he told
me himself quite little about it
about the-bug. he called 1t. that you'd
discovered"
I'LL" said Greer. putting down his
glass; II didn't discover any bug. Pm
not a bacteriologist. / hired a fellow
IA young professor of botany at one
of the universities, and told him to
discover 1t. It took him more than a
year. and IL l hadn't been there to
speed him up II might have taken him
| AhNy iV Nttei DI'hS. ipp.
these pure scientists, when 1t comes
to that. They don't care what any
. things for any more than the bank
ers care how II works. 1t Isn't till a
man like me comes along and takes
one In one hand and another in the
other and cracks their heads together
that anything really happens In the
I world"
The inward grimace Henry allowed
himself at this must have shown some
, reflection in his face, perceptible to
, Greer. for almost instantly, with a
shrug and smile. he went on:
: THAT sounds like brag to you. Per.
haps 1t is. But we're trying to get nc.
/. quainted, aren't we7 The sooner we
8 do. the better all around; isn't hat
!. the idea? Well. then. you may as