The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-01-11

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! ! under
4 stand power. or / think do. Power
Is what can be used to move some
thing. Well, now. see herei Here's a
man who's got hobby for buying
electric storage-cells 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 thisY and he says. oh, I'm
going to run motor-generator outfit
to charge more cells Couldn't you
take him before a judge and get a
eonservator appointed on the strength
OF that? OF course you could. Well,
what's the difference? What does
Williamson want to run? The city?
He could, if he liked-Roger Sullivan
di0. A railroad? A steamship line !?
An opera company? A harem?
don't care what. But 1t ought to be
something"
He Illuminated this statement with
a 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-commerclal
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
product and the same demand, would
interest him just as much-it would
be the same thing TO him.
! "Cellulose fiber Is one of the most
interesting things in the world. I've
been thinking about IT. off and on, ever
since the first time found myself in
a tropical jungle. And the things you
can do by dissolving it, or by mating
and COMPRISING it, or by using it as
binder in plastic substances-there's
no end And we're 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"
i Greer caught that instantly over the
edge of his appraised glass. Henry
found that glance of his curiously
stimulating.
Anyhow" Henry went on, she told
me himself quite a little about it
about the-bug, he called 1t, that you'd
discovered"
"HClp said Greer. putting down his
glass, 81 didn't discover any bug. I'm
not bacteriologist. / hired fellow
Ia young professor of botany at one
of the universities, and told him to
discover 1t. 1t took him more than
year. and If / hadn't been there to
speed him up It might have taken him
twenty. They're queer birds, too,
these pure scientists, when 1t comes
to that. They don't care what any
things for any more than the bank
ers care how it 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
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 a smile, he went on:
''That sounds like brag 20 you. Per-
haps 1t is. But we're trying to get ac-
quainted, aren't we7 The sooner we
do, the better all around; isn't hat
the idea? Well, then, you may as
well know that I think I'm better
man than John Williamson or any of
his crowd. I think you are, too, and
that you know it. He inherited his
money, didn't he?
sWasn't old Nick Williamson his ia
Their? Well, the old man, guess, had
the goods. But his son-why, he's had
everything done for him. Trrn him
out in the woods without guide and
a pack-train, and / don't believe he
could keep alive month. / don't be-
lieve he could have earned his living
with his hands and educated himself
for profession at the same time
Well, 1 did that, and I've done the
other. And could do 1t again If /
had to. though / am fifty years old"
4 Fifty" Henry's surprise was gen.
uine. He'd been thinking of the man
as contemporary.
Greer nodded. Unless I've lost
count" he said.
He paused refiectively over his
drink, and gave Henry chance he
had intentionally been waiting for.
"Of course" he said, II couldn't
keep alive in the woods either, not
even as long as John. l could hardly
have kept alive, I'm afraid. even In
the ordinary ways of civilization if /
hadn't been helped. And the person
who gave me that help, with a per-
fectly ungrudging kindness. was John
Williamson"
4 well, your games different game
from his and from mine," Greer said.
You're like some other people l
know, writer's and painters and such.
All you really ask for is chance to