Jumping Steel
“I suppose you know,” said Sam “that there are a great many kinds of steel in the market nowadays, such as high carbon steel, low carbon steel, manganese steel, tungsten steel, nickel steel....”
“Yes,” said Lewellyn, “and Wildcat oil steal and Wall Street steals....”
“Now, Lewellyn,” said aunt Margaret, “this is Sam’s story, not yours.”
“All right,” said Lewellyn, “I guess I can stand it if you can.”
“There are a great many ways of treating steel, too,” continued Sam, “for giving it desired properties, some of which have been very successful.”
“I knew a fellow in the Bethlehem Steel Company several years ago who was a nut on steel treating. He said that by selecting the proper kind of steel, such as nickel steel or chrome steel or some other sort, it was possible to get any desired properties if you gave the steel proper heat treatment. He was my roommate for a year and he talked about this so much that I got all worn out—and mad.
“First I told him that I wanted a steal that could not be found out but he paid no attention. Then I asked whether it would be possible to make a steel for springs that could be pushed down two inches and come back four. I found I had given him something to think about. He shut up right away and began to think. I could always tell when he was thinking by the fishy stare that came into his eye; like the eye of a fresh fish that is ten days old.