"So you, too, have been robbed?" he cried.
"Basely robbed!" declared the visitor nodding his trembling head. "My name is Roscoe Spooner. I invented what is known as the Guilford Air Brake. The product of my brain was stolen from me by Henry Guilford, who has made so much money from it that he is now a very rich man. But everything he possesses, his splendid home, his carriages, horses, and his yacht, are rightfully mine. He has enjoyed his stolen wealth a long time, but it will not be his much longer. My suit against him must be decided in my favor, and then I shall come into my own."
Felipe was interested.
"How long ago did you perfect this invention?"
"How long? It seems almost a hundred years; but it really was not fifteen."
"How was it stolen by this Guilford, señor?"
"I trusted him. He told me he would furnish the capital and would place my invention on the market. I believed him an honest man. I permitted him to have my model. He patented it, calling it the Guilford Air Brake. When I demanded my just share of the profits, he laughed in my face and called me a crazy old fool. He even had me arrested for annoying him. And my invention has filled his pockets with hundreds of thousands of dollars."
"That was in truth a most dishonest thing, old gentleman. What then did you do?"
"I found a lawyer to take the case and brought suit against him."
"I would have killed him!"