FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153  
154   155   156   157   158   159   160   >>  
tle Alfred come down with a messenger boy, in such a mess as never was!" "I hope he arrived safely?" Burton inquired. "I found it necessary to send him home." "He arrived all right," Ellen announced. "You found a change in him?" Burton asked. "If you mean about his finicking ways, I do find a change," Ellen replied, "and a good job, too. He's playing with the other boys again and using those silly books to shoot at with a catapult, which to my mind is a sight more reasonable than poring over them all the time. I never did see a man," she continued, with a slow smile, "so taken aback as Mr. Denschem, when he came to take him to the museum yesterday. Little Alf wouldn't have nothing to do with him at any price." Burton sighed. "I am afraid," he said politely, "that you may have been inconvenienced by not hearing from me on Saturday." "'Inconvenienced' is a good word," Ellen remarked. "I've managed to pay my way till now, thank you. What I came up to know about is this!" she went on, producing a copy of the Daily Press from her reticule and smoothing it out on her knee. Burton groaned. He looked anxiously at Mr. Waddington. "Have you read it, sir?" he asked. Mr. Waddington shook his head. "I make it a rule," he said, "to avoid the advertisement columns of all newspapers. These skilfully worded announcements only serve to remind us how a man may prostitute an aptitude, if not an art, for sheer purposes of gain. It is my theory, Mrs. Burton," he went on, addressing her, "that no one has a right to use his peculiar capacities for the production of any sort of work which is in the least unworthy; which does not aim--you follow me, I am sure?--at the ideal." Ellen stared at him for a moment. "I don't follow you," she declared, brusquely, "and I don't know as I want to. About that advertisement, is it you, Alfred, who's to be one of the directors of this Menatogen or whatever they call it? Are they your experiences that are given here?" "They are!" Burton groaned. Mr. Waddington, with a heavy frown, took the paper. "What is this, Burton?" he demanded. "You had better read it," Burton replied, sinking into a chair. "I mentioned it to you a little time ago. You see, the scheme has finally come to fruition." Mr. Waddington read the advertisement through, word by word. One gathered that the greatest discovery for many thousands of years would shortly be announced to the world. A certified an
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153  
154   155   156   157   158   159   160   >>  



Top keywords:
Burton
 

Waddington

 

advertisement

 

Alfred

 

announced

 
change
 
groaned
 

arrived

 
replied
 

follow


capacities

 

production

 
peculiar
 

announcements

 
unworthy
 

aptitude

 
prostitute
 
worded
 

addressing

 

theory


skilfully

 

purposes

 

remind

 

scheme

 

finally

 

fruition

 

mentioned

 

sinking

 

shortly

 

certified


thousands

 
gathered
 

greatest

 

discovery

 

demanded

 
brusquely
 

directors

 
declared
 

moment

 
stared

Menatogen
 

experiences

 
newspapers
 
catapult
 

reasonable

 

continued

 
poring
 

safely

 
inquired
 

messenger