“W-when’s he c-c-comin’?” asked Mark.
“Natural question, again. William Abbott, millionaire, will arrive—be here—on the six-o’clock train. We will await him. Mrs. Tidd will greet him with a piece of that pie, eh? A large piece. It will delight him.”
We all went into the parlor and waited. Mrs. Tidd made us go into that room because she thought it was the most fitting place to receive a millionaire. Well, sure enough, before half past six up drove Uncle Ike’s bus, and out got a big man, ’most as big as Sammy, but dressed kind of careless, with an old slouch hat on. I was disappointed. I’d expected to see a fellow all over diamonds, with one of those coats cut out in the front so all the shirt showed, and a plug hat. But he wasn’t that way at all; he might have owned a grocery store for all you could tell by the looks of him.
Zadok rushed out to meet him, and they shook hands cordial. Mr. Abbott was tickled to see Zadok, that was plain; and Zadok was tickled to see Mr. Abbott. They came into the parlor, and every one of us was introduced. He was a fine man, no frills and no fuss. I’d like to take him fishing.
He was sort of bashful at first, I guess, but pretty soon he had us boys talking baseball and things, and we were all laughing and having the best sort of a time.
“I was invited to supper,” he says to Mrs. Tidd, “and I’ve been looking forward to it, I can tell you. Zadok wrote about your pies. We’re going to have pie, aren’t we?” He seemed to be mighty anxious about it till he found out we were.
It was a dandy meal. When it was all done we went back into the parlor to talk business. Mr. Abbott and Zadok did all the talking, and the rest of us just looked on. Before bedtime the whole thing was settled, and Mr. Tidd was going to be a rich man. Mr. Abbott was going to manufacture and sell the Tidd turbine, and Mr. Tidd was going to get what they called a royalty. That means he was going to get a certain amount of money for every one that was sold.
“Of course,” said Mr. Abbott, “this is provided the turbine does what you say it will do. I haven’t seen it, you know, and am depending wholly on what Zadok Biggs here has told me.”
“It’ll w-w-w-work,” says Mark. “I s-seen it.”
Mr. Abbott laughed and said he was sure it would work; and then we fellows went home, and the Tidds and Zadok and Mr. Abbott went to bed.