"
"You're a cool one," ejaculated Borland, with a peculiar
avaricious twinkle in the corners of his eyes. "His body is
scarcely cold and yet you come around proposing to buy out his
invention and--and, of all persons, you come to me."
"To you?" inquired Kennedy blandly.
"Yes, to me. Don't you know that synthetic rubber would ruin the
business system that I have built up here?"
Still Craig persisted and argued.
"Young man," said Borland rising at length as if an idea had
struck him, "I like your nerve. Yes, I will go. I'll show you that
I don't fear any competition from rubber made out of fusel oil or
any other old kind of oil." He rang a bell and a boy answered.
"Call Lathrop," he ordered.
The young chemist, Lathrop, proved to be a bright and active man
of the new school, though a good deal of a rubber stamp. Whenever
it was compatible with science and art, he readily assented to
every proposition that his employer laid down.
Kennedy had already telephoned to the Winslows and Miss Winslow
had answered that Strong had returned from Boston.
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