“They won’t,” said Ernie. “But I will.”
“You’ve got a scheme? Automatic lubrication?”
“Better than that,” he told me.
“I’ll show you one o’ these days,” he promised. But would say no more.
IV
It was not till early May that I was shown, and, as the thing chanced, it was Forgan who then showed me.
I happened to come in when Ernie was not there. We spoke of him, and Forgan said,
“You know what that old guy’s done?” I shook my head. “Company’s backing him,” said Forgan. “He’s got a great thing. You come down-stairs.”
We went down to the machine shop under the receiving floor. Forgan unlocked the door, led me into a small room. On a bench was set up a tiny electric motor, harnessed to a wheel and connected with a simple bit of apparatus which had no meaning, at first sight, at all. But Forgan stopped the motor and made all clear to me. The power revolved a wooden spindle, which entered a hole in a steel block, whirling there. I could perceive no purpose in this, but Forgan said: