Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-19
By
Gardner
Hunting.

we've Deen standing Dy a WildW
Brainard." said Ballard easily. We
may as well admit tit will save
lot of preliminaries.
"All right" Brainard smiled. he
had wondered sometimes how he was
going to feel when this moment should
come. He felt like a man who walks
out into Spring after a long Win:I.
He took out cigarette. The others
accepted cigars from Van Wrinkle.
This is Van Wrinkle. one of my as
sociates." Brainard said.
Mortimer was beginning to light his
cigar Brainard saw that his hand was
trembling He looked down at his own:
it was amusingly untremored.
Nobody can look out at that street.
Mr.. Brainard." Mortimer said after
puff or two, without knowing that you
have something that we want"
II suspected it might prove So"
smiled Brainard.
And, of course, we must have It."
That's not so obvious
| I'VE hope to be able to make you
see it."
| "Of course, you do But don't care
to waste your time or mine discussing
such possibility. I would prefer TO
show you how unlikely am to see any
thing of the kind"
How do you mean--show us?" asked
Ballard. Nobody but fool would fail
to know, In your position that he could
command any price he liked for such
"a discovery as you have. And nobody
but fools, in our position. would have
any notion Of not paying it,"
But my discovery, as you call it, is
not for sale"
! of course, we expect you to say some
such thing as that. But everything is
/ f<NHs u .w.IxN 49, -
you thought of a price,"
Nothing that would tempt me to let
go of what have"
us it matter of-nnillions?"
| mo"
Partnership"
NO"
"Control?"
"Sole!"
do you mean that?"
Absolutely"
The thrust and parry stopped for an
instant. Then Mortimer began to light
| his cigar again.
'Of course" he said, "you can't go 1t
alone on such a-such "a"
"All alone!'
But, man alive
! This Is natural monopoly. gentle
men. Nobody else will have a finger in
its control until I am gathered to my
fathers, and think I may live to die
a natural death"
II should hope sol should hope sol"
"Of course, you should-but the
sooner the better. eh? But you don't
realize yet just how natural this mo-
nopoly is. That's why prefer to show
you rather than talk about it, If you
will come with me into my studio l will
show you at one and the same time
why you cannot buy me cut, why in
tend to go 1t alone and why expect to
die in my bed. Shall we go in?"
He drew slowly on his cigarette and
watched Ferdinand Mortimers cigar
going out again.
Have a fresh cigar, Mortimer" he
suggested THAT one doesn't seem to
be drawing WE'LL
Now. look here. Brainard," he began.
mo, no, Mortimer!" Brainard inter-
rupted him happily. Come into the
studio and look there"
But Complete Illusions is prepared
TO AXE you any proposition in reason
to secure your-your productions
Brainard laughed outright. mine
are not productions, my dear fellow
nor nlusions-complete or otherwise. 1
know what you are prepared to do-and
have known it since"-he took out his
watch-"since yesterday afternoon at
3:15."
Ferdinand Mortimer sat back slowly
!, IN his chair. Then he looked quickly
at his partner. Brainard had leaned
forward with flicker of i frown on his
frosted brows. Once more Brainard
laughed.
II have no mind to make fun of you,
gentlemen" he said. But YOU are
funny! You haven't either of you an
idea yet Of what 1t is you are trying to
buy. Let's not throw away any more
time-you are going to enjoy your
selves thoroughly at my party; so thor
oughly that you will forget all your
other troubles for the time being"
Both rose as he crossed the room to-
ward the door. They were both much
older than he. They were themselves
leaders In monopoly-Steeped perhaps
In the habit of monopoly. 1t was going
to come hard for them to surrender.
but they were beaten already. He
itched to show them what he had to
show.
They crossed through the hall and to
the door of the small studio on the
other side. Brainard had retained the
arrangement Of rooms on this floor,
merely using two as a private Office
suite. 1t suited his wilim to live here
in the heart Of his interests. When his
plant should overflow this building, as
1t would in a week. now that he had
given the public a glimpse of his wares.
he meant to stay here himself.
He had been country bred. He had
inherited a good deal of money. His
parents had died during his early boy
hood. Relief Brainard had taken him
first to her home. and afterward. when
he had finished college and launched in
his eager, lonely studies, she had come
to live near him. He had not wanted
the luxury of large establishment. He
was well content with his few rooms
and Ushigi Wealth, now apparently
about to flow in upon him in limitless
flood, was scarcely an object of desire
to him. He had not the background
Of life work for science to make the
| triumph of discovery paramount. In
deed, he considered himself but a raw
student. The joy he felt he himself
compared humorously now. in this mo-
ment Of peculiar satisfaction, to the
unreasoning elation of a child who Is
tossed into sudden elevation What the
instinct is that finds happiness In this
he could not have told. Being I'D and
looking down-an object of eyesl Was
1t the eternal human desire to show off
that was tickled? There was a spice
added to the thrill of power
CONTINUED in Tomorrow's Star.)