“Chucked the idea,” said John. “I found this.”
He laid on the banker’s desk a bright, thin, cylindrical object.
“What’s that?” Slaymaker asked, looking at it but not touching it.
“That,” said John, “is a steel wire nail. It will drive the iron nail out. It’s just as good and costs much less to make. You feed steel wire into one end of a machine and nails come out at the other like wheat.”
“Well?” said the banker.
“The machines both for drawing the wire and making the nails are German,” John continued. “I’ve bought all the American rights on a royalty basis.”
“What will you do with them?”
“I bought them for the N. A. M.,” said John.
“If this is going to be such a God Almighty nail why not form a new company to make it?” asked Slaymaker.
“I’d rather pull the horse we’ve got out of the ditch,” said John.