"'I hear you have literary tastes.'
"'Yessir.'
"'Then come here and stand by me and look at these damned pictures there. Did you ever see such stuff?'
"I stood by his side but remained judiciously silent. The drawings I now perceived were designs for a magazine cover. Upon all of them appeared the words 'The New World' in very conspicuous lettering. One design was all flying machines and steamships and automobiles; two others insisted upon a flying machine; one showed a kneeling loin-clothed man saluting the rising sun—which however rose behind him. Another showed a planet earth half illuminated, and another was simply a workman going to his work in the dawn.
"'Smith,' said Mr. Cheeseman, 'it's you've got to buy this magazine, not me. Which of these covers do you prefer? It's your decision. Fiat experimentum in corpore vili.'
"'Meaning me, Sir?' I said brightly.
"His bristle eyebrows displayed a momentary surprise. 'I suppose we're all fitted with the same tags nowadays,' he remarked. 'Which do you find most attractive?'
"'Those aeroplane things, Sir, seem to me to be shoving it a bit too hard,' I said.
"'H'm,' said Mr. Cheeseman. 'That's what the Sun says. You wouldn't buy on that?'
"'I don't think so, Sir. It's been done too much.'