Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 140: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

930 earlier,” she said. ‘I'd at least have saved what I’ve tied up in that lease with Allison. The foundry here is big enough for our present output. In fact, the way things look now in the trade we won’t need more room ior some time to come.” “You’ve signed the lease, have you?” Olney asked miserably. “ Signed it because of what you expected from me! Well, I guess I bragged too much. Pride goeth just before destruction.” Ruth had felt Seagrave’s eyes on her while she had spoken and Olney had made his comment. She wondered whether Sea- grave would have some feeling of triumph over her failure. She had had her moment when she had disclosed that Allison and Miller could not cheat her. She had let him go on thinking that she was to be Allison’s financial victim. He could even the score by gloating a little now. But when she looked at him she found only sympathy in his eyes. She saw that he had been waiting for her to turn to him before he offered anything. He seemed not to wish to intrude. “Well,” she said with a little catch in her voice, ‘‘ we seem to be in difficulties. So long as you’ve gone to work for us, I’d ap- preciate any suggestions you have.” “ Just what seems to be the trouble with the stove, Olney?” Seagrave asked. “Tt won't draw,” Olney answered. ‘““There’s something wrong with the ar- rangement of the drafts. If I could fix that I'd have just exactly what Pve been working © for.” “ Mind if I take a look at it?”’ Seagrave asked. Olney hesitated. His new stove was to him as much a work of art as a picture or a story would be to another man. He hated to accept help. But a glance at Ruth’s downcast face decided him. “¢ All right,” he said. ‘‘ Come out to the foundry.” They left Ruth sitting at her desk. “Tl have to have some overalls,” Sea- grave said. “ve got an extra pair,” Olney said. Seagrave put on the overalls and went to an unused room in the foundry where Ol- ney’s stove was set up. A couple of me- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. chanics were standing beside it, looking at it dolefully. Smoke was issuing from beneath the covers. Olney and Seagrave bent over the stove. Ruth spent an anxious day in her office. She had a good deal to lose if Olney could not remedy the defect in his mvention. Ol- ney’s experiments had cost her considerable and the story of what he was trying to do had got abroad in the trade. She would be laughed at if Olney failed. It would be one more proof that a woman was not fit to manage a big business. She was tempted several times to go back into the foundry or to telephone to ask how the experiments were coming along. But she refrained. She had a feeling that that would be a feminine thing to do. Quit- ting time came and still there was no word from Olney or Seagrave. ‘The people in the office left for the night and through the window she could see the men from the foundry leaving. She decided to go to dinner. Olney or Seagrave would call her on the telephone if they had anything to report. If neither of them called her, she would know they had made no progress. She put on her hat. As she moved toward the door it was flung open. Olney stood on the threshold. He was rather breathless, as if he had been running. 3 “It’s all right,” he said. **'You’ve got it?” Ruth asked, a kind of breathlessness coming to her, too. “Well, Seagrave really got it,’ Olney said. ‘“ At least he started us on the path to the remedy. It was a simple thing, just as I said. Seagrave took off his coat and went to work and he got the first idea of what was wrong. After that it was easy enough. Seagrave is the first office man I ever saw that wasn’t afraid to take off his coat and dirty his hands.” ‘Where is he now?” Ruth asked. She was looking at Olney with delight in her eyes. Olney stared at her and for a mo- ment his jaw went slack. Then it tightened. “Why,” he said in a strange, low tone, “he’s gone home. - I wanted him to come and tell you. But he said he would leave that to me. He changed his clothes and went to his hotel. GOMIGIOOKSZGO