The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-12-21

and literally put him out of business, he
made him an offer. Of course, he haggled
over it-Mr. Chalmers always does that.
You see that from the way he was trying
to haggle with you. But in the end he did
come across most splendidly and Mr.. Chan
ming owns half-interest in the business
and was paid handsome sum besides"
Amelie's lunch remained untouched and
she encouraged Miss Warren to talk.
Nov l have heard so many versions of
how and why that mysterious lost record
was made that don't know which to be-
lieve, but l think it was this way" she went
on. "Mr. Chalmers, being perfectly ignorant
of that end of the business, thought best to
post himself, and SO one afternoon, right
after Mr.. Charming had been taken in as a
full partner and had got his money, Mr..
Chalmers went into this room where Mr..
Charming was working over the records
and told him he wanted him to explain just
what this new process was and how it
differed from the old way of making and
reproducing the records. Of course he had
paid for the secret and was entitled to know
and SO Mr. Claiming explained every detail
to him as we'll as he could to as much of a
mutton-head as old Chalmers is.
"In showing him how the. thing went ne
set the needle going and showed how ms
voice could be caught perfectly, although ne
spoke scarcely above whisper, and IN an
other part of the room. Mr.. Chalmers was
delighted over the idea of having record
of this secret and so he got Mr.. Charming to
finish it up so that he could learn 1t from the
machine and save him the trouble Of going
over it again. This you see was the second
record made by the new process and COM
pleted Mr. Charming afterwards gave him
the record and Mr.. Chalmers locked it away
in his safe.
"There it stayed for some time. Of
course, he got busy and didn't think of it
again and when one day he did decide to
take it out and put it on machine and try
it out he made the startling discovery that
it was not the scientific record after all but
that it was Lesson No. 33 in our French
Manual, beginning, My sister drinks coffee
and drink tea
"Now you have seen Mr.. Chalmers and
you can imagine how he went Immediately
up in the air. There was the greatest fuss
raised you ever heard of and of course
the natural conclusion followed that Mr.:
Charming had made a mistake and had
given Mr.. Chalmers the record that should
have gone out with one of the machines and
had sent the scientific record off in an envel-
ope marked Record No. 49, for the French
language.
"Then the fun started in earnest. Mr..
Chalmers first thought somebody either in
our place or his got the record and that
the great secret, for which he had paid
so dearly, was out. After he just gave up all
hopes of locating the record, in either our
establishment or his, he offered the reward
of five thousand dollars for the return Of the
record. You got the letter, didn't you-I
remember sending you one"
NO." said Amelie, and her own voice
sounded afar off now, II didn't. But left
Merryville several days ago and have not
had any mail from home yet. l ought to
get some mail from home tomorrow, and
probably that letter will be forwarded
WELL" continued Miss Warren, wreathed
in smiles again and still unconscious of the
effect of her story on the listener, "all can
say is that you have given me the best time
that have had for a long time. And best
of all you certainly put one over good and
stout-whether you intended to do it or not
and my hats off to you. l just love south
erners anyway. l justslove your soft south
ern voice. | used to love to hear Professor
Marville talk, too"
Was he southern, too?" Amelie asked, al
most timidly.
"Oh,N dear, yes. That is, he was born in
Louisiana and lived there until he was 10
or 1 years old. But he talked about the
south and the southern people all the time.
l used to hear him talking to the other
teachers sometimes and imagine they got
tired of it. He was always talking about the
flowers of Louisiana and of how much pref
tier and sweeter and gentler the southern
women are than we women of the north,
He even said you southern women have
souls and that we have none"
''It's wonder he did not 20 back south"
rynrn AvnaA IL