CHAPTER VI
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE STORM
“A book of formulas?” repeated the young major of the Colby Hall battalion. “Just what do you mean by that, Ruth?”
“It’s rather a long story, Jack, and I don’t know all of the particulars. But it seems that during the great World War two Germans, brothers, came to this country, bringing with them some formulas for making artists’ paints. They had been in the business both in Germany and in France and could produce most wonderful shadings in these artists’ materials.”
“I see, Ruth. I know the Germans were always great on formulas of dyes and things like that.”
“Well, these two Germans were very old men, and in a roundabout way they offered to sell these formulas, for they felt that they were too old to go into the manufacture of such things.
“Now, my father, as perhaps you know, has been interested for several years in a small paint works located in the Middle West. Through the manager of these paint works he was introduced to the two old Germans who came East to see him and finally offered him these wonderful formulas, provided he would keep the entire matter secret.
“They proved to his satisfaction that they owned all rights to the preparations, and offered to sell said rights for the sum of thirty thousand dollars.”
“Thirty thousand dollars!” exclaimed Jack. “Some little sum of money, I’ll say!”
“My father didn’t have so much cash, but he borrowed some from a bank and got some more from old Uncle Barney, who was making money out of those zinc ore beds on Snowshoe Island. Together they went in and bought the formulas, which were written out in detail in a leather-bound notebook. They had originally been written in German and in French, but were translated by one of the old Germans into English.”