to the busy letter writer."

Walter stared at Bauer as if his friend was crazy. Then, after a moment
of doubt, he burst into a great laugh.

"Well, of all the--It's the first time I ever knew a German could be
out and out funny. Do you know what your letter writing machine would
have to do? It would have to know how to spell right."

"No, it wouldn't. All it would have to do would be to spell
phonetically. Every machine would spell and print just as the person
talked."

"Yes, and what will become of the great army of stenographers and
typewriter girls who make their living now at taking dictation? I don't
want to invent something that is going to deprive thousands of people of
a living."

"You could marry one of them and I would marry another. That would take
care of two of 'em," said Bauer solemnly.

Walter looked up at him a moment, and then he roared. It was what Bauer
wanted him to do. And when they finally went to their rooms Walter was
feeling somewhat better, although he did not get a good night's sleep.
His dreams had in them fitful glimpses of Van Shaw and Anderson and a
red hot arc lamp that glared and flamed at him with a diabolical grin
that rejoiced in his defeat.

It was two days before he could bring himself to write home a full
account of the matter. Both his father and his mother replied to this
and each wrote in full sympathy with him and a knowledge of what his
disappointment would be to him.

"Of course," Paul said, at the close of his letter, "if it is true that
the New York man really invented the idea of the lamp before you did and
then patented it before you did, that settles it, even if you were first
to make an actual model. The patent laws recognise priority of invention
where no unreasonable delay has followed the invention and the
application for patent. Looking up the subject in the _Electrical News_
and consulting with Alvord, our best patent lawyer here in Milton, I am
afraid you are too late to do anything, and a contest, Alvord thinks,
would result in nothing but expense for you and your friend. If I
thought there was any legal right you possessed and ought to have I
would be willing to help you contest for it. But that seems to be out of
the question.

"Don't let this defeat mean too much to you. It is not a defeat. You did
your best and actually made a very important discovery, you and Bauer.
If you can do that, you can do other things as well. The unknown,
undiscovered wo