Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 11, 1925 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

7} = A> a. {. 170 talking he was surveying the worn clothes, grimed and dusty with traveling; he noted the bare legs, the battered shoes, the lean fingers stained with the marks of tools and grease. “How do you know they will work?” asked the commander. For the first time Cyrus blushed, and hesitated. He was for a moment confused, but then said, “ Theoretically. My model is not right metallurgically.” “* Well—why did you try to invent a pistol sight?” “Because I work in a shooting gallery, and see what bad shots most people are.” “fF suppose you’re a pretty good shot yourself?” ! NG, Sir? “Well, just how good are you as a pistol shot?” ““T have never fired a gun in my life, sir.” The commander’s jaw fell. This was unique. He concealed his great interest and persisted, saying, “‘ Well, if you don’t care enough about shooting even to have pulled a trigger though you work in a shooting gallery—how long, did you say?” “ Five years, sir.” “ Five years with pistols and never fired one. Why, I thought every boy in America either had a gun or wanted one—” ““T was brought up with them, sir. My father was a crack shot, but he said my automatic sight would be the last kick to put firearms in the discard once it was per- fected. He thought it would be a fine thing, too. My father understood the needs of the country, sir. He was a big man, a great man in his way, even if everybody didn’t understand him.” “But this invention is yours, I under- stand.” “Yes, sir. My father is dead.” “Pardon me.” Into the commandant’s ~ yoice came a closer sympathy, and he be- eame more indulgent. He felt he was deal- ing with a precocity he would not like to curb, however wild it might seem. ‘“ You say it would be a fine thing to discard fire- arms? Yet you claim to invent a device to render them more deadly. Aren’t you a bit pee “No, sir. Most people don’t know how Fe Ps Rae = = ane a 5 eg. nar eh a eo? FAD: . ‘ ~ ~~ - ~~ e -: Mine ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. to shoot any more, and few care to; only professional soldiers and amateur marks- men and bad men. Fhe bulk of the people want their shooting done for them, and wouldn’t they rather have it done by a machine that never makes a mistake than by men who are humanly fallible? When I patent my sight Ill offer it to the gov- ernment, and when the government buys it then no other marksman will be in a posi- tion to compete.” The commandant rose and placed his hand on Cyrus’s shoulder. “ Bullitt, my boy, If must see more of you, but later... First, I must talk with the others and see what I can do for them. If you will go and return about four o’clock I will try then to suggest something that will help you.” “ Thank you, sir.” Cyrus lifted his finger to his forelock. He wanted to salute as he had seen a sailor do while waiting during the fore- noon, but he doubted if this would be con- sidered proper in a civilian. He backed from the office to wait the appointed hour. CHAPTER V. A DECISION—AND AN ENEMY. NN some tedious manner known best to himself the commandant deleted the thirty. At four o’clock, when Cyrus re- turned, there were only six others, who, like himself, had been asked to. return. The commandant had them held in his outer office and appeared there before them collectively. | “Boys,” he said—though Cyrus was the youngest, which made all practically of age —‘*T selected you from all who came to see me to-day as perhaps the most likely to possess inventive ideas of practical value. “Your ideas, to be perfected, require tools, materials, and proper drawings,” went on the commandant, “and I have kept those few of you who have ideas that could be perfected here in the Navy Yard, that I might speak to you confidentially and frankly. I am more than eager to see each and every one of you bring to fruition the best that is in you. - & GO Eomicbooks