Company followed in launching their goods
back in 1880. For a long time two Massachusetts men had been wondering
whether an exceedingly cheap watch that would be within the reach of
even quite poor people could not be made. Such a commodity, they argued,
could not fail to have an extensive sale. The problem was who could they
find to construct this sort of timepiece? Then on a fine day Mr. Locke,
one of the men, saw in the window of a Worcester jeweler a miniature
steam engine that had previously been exhibited at the Philadelphia
Centennial. Immediately the thought came into his mind that a workman
who could construct such a perfect toy must be both ingenious and
inventive, and he went into the shop and offered Mr. Buck, the maker of
the wee engine, a hundred dollars to produce for him a cheap watch of
the type he had in mind."

"Was Mr. Buck ready to try the stunt?"

"Yes, he agreed to see what he could do," was the reply. "So he got to
work and after a little while had a model ready. But, alas, it did not
prove to be much of a watch, and the poor man, having toiled and worried
about it day and night, finally went to bed sick. But of course that
wouldn't do. He had had the money and therefore was bound either to pay
it back--a thing he was in too straitened circumstances to do--or he
must stick at the problem until he solved it. Both he and his wife were
honest people who understood this. Accordingly Mrs. Buck begged that her
husband be given a little more time. He had, declared she, a better plan
in his head which he would try out as soon as he was able."

"What did Mr. Locke say to that?"

"Both he and Mr. Merritt, his associate, consented to wait a little
while and at the end of a few months Mr. Buck was as good as his word
and brought them the model of a watch that was exactly what they wanted.
Thus far the enterprise went all right." The clockmaker paused.

"You sound as if things began to happen afterward," suggested
Christopher.

"Well, to tell the truth, they did. In the first place money had to be
raised to put the venture on its feet. As a good deal of this capital,
together with factory facilities, was offered by a brass manufacturing
firm at Waterbury, Connecticut, there the plant was installed. But like
every other watchmaking project this one swallowed up a great many
dollars before any watches were to be seen. Then at last the first
thousand were triumphantly turned out and, to the chagrin of the