The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-12-11
err. No doubt it's just as well /

| It was from supply dealer In
Savannah, Ga. He'd placed a trial
order for two dozen of the Mariner
automatic choke couple Of months
ago. They'd made twenty-four en-
thusiastic friends, including himself.
Now he was ordering two gross.
"You're bringing luck with you, Mr..
Patterson" Mariner said. tits good
omen. Oh, / don't pretend I'm not
superstitious. The tides turning, /
tell you. I can see the little ripples
coming In" Edward stiffened at that,
and then smiled at his narrow-minded-
ness. An insurance man couldn't talk
of luck-bringers and omens, to be
sure. But why shouldn't an inventor
be superstitious?
II want more than your money In
here" Mariner said, after they'd talked
while. II want you. know my
limitations. I'm no good at desk.
I can't keep things straight. I can
pull, but I can't stay behind and push.
The business is going to need that
more, every day it grows. Wed make
a team / think. I have bunch that
I went to the best man in the whole
city Of Chicago for exactly the thing
we need out here. Come out in the
plant and see what we've got.'
Edward moved gravely about the
two floors with him. He didn't say
much. The workers probably regard
ed him as a cool, somewhat skeptical
observer. But behind the mask Of
sophisticated middle age, the bankers
manner and eyeglasses, was, if the
truth were known (and 1t was only
dimly suspected by Edward himself)
an ecstatic small boy to whom the
mere champing sound of the machin-
cry was delectable. He moved on
reluctantly from one station in the
process Of manufacture to the next
Over any one Of them he could have
fingered indefinitely. This was real;
something you could hold in your
hands and feel the weight Of.
With his hand on the Office door,
Mariner paused. His grip on the
knob suddenly tightened-you might
have thought he was holding himself
up by it.
SWELL" he asked, show about it?
Have you come to any decision?"
81 suppose" Edward said out Of a
tight throat, II suppose really had
decided from the beginning. Yes, I'll
come with you"
- . -
Julia, as the days went on, contin-
ued to wonder about him. Sometimes
she asked him casual-seeming ques-
lions as to how things were going at
the Office; or commented on the late
hours he SO often kept. Sometimes he
was aware merely Of thoughtful and
even puzzled look in her face while
he talked Of such things as he could
talk about: young Eds letters from
college: Edith's activities in school:
the affairs Of their neighbors; munich
pal politics. Probably 1t did strike
her as little queer that he could talk
again. The long evenings Of frozen
silence were thing of the past. The
home atmosphere was getting better.
Julias questions, however patiently
they CROPPED beneath the surface, didn't
rouse the old defensive resentment in
him. They didn't, even at random,
come anywhere near his secret. She
was on another line altogether.
Except in his day-dreams. he didn't
seriously contemplate keeping Julia In
the dark about his great adventure
until it's final and complete success
Already, though he Rugged his secret
and exulted in it, he felt boyish i'm
pulses to let the cat out Of the bag,
partly out of the bag anyhow; to give
Julia a mystifying glimpse that should
be gone again before she realized
what 1t was.
Ten days or so after the signing Of
the agreement he did give her such a
glimpse. Mariner had been urging
him to put one Of the chokes on his
own car. to the end that he might
really know for himself the wonders
it performed. Edward wanted it, too,
but he didn't know how to get it done.
he never uIUNc iiic SuA AAto tOWA Hill
self, and IL he were to say sometime
that he wanted it for the day, Julia
would think strange things.
He thought of an audacious plan
for effecting his purpose, and one
night sprung 1t, with his best appear
ance Of Indifference, on Julia.
1--WE been hearing about new
thing for automobiles lately" he told
her, "and think I'd like to try it on
our car. The factory is out on the
north side-in Ravenswood. If you
are free for an hour tomorrow morn
ing, you might drive in with me as far
as that and get 1t put on. Then can
go on into town and you can drive
the car back" He wondered uneasily
| if he hadn't been little too explana-
tory; but If Julia saw anything unnat-
ural about his manner, she forbore
to comment on it.
They put the plan into effect the
next morning.
Charlie Franklin, the foreman, came
out when they drove up to the ship
ping door. "We've got 1t all ready
| Da+Aarcox ho sold