CHAPTER XXIV.

A BOY SCOUT’S TRIUMPH.

“What’s this you are telling me?” asked Mr. Curley, quickly. “Have you the proof of what you claim with you, young man?”

Rob noticed that it was no longer “boy” with the gentleman; Hiram was evidently climbing in the scales, and rapidly at that.

“Oh, yes, sir, I’ve got everything to show you; and my patent right papers are in the hotel safe ready to be turned over in case we can reach a bargain.”

The gentleman looked hastily around him. There were representatives of other makers of aëroplanes present who might endeavor to bid against him if only they knew he did not as yet have any positive agreement with the inventor of that successful stabilizer.

“Please say no more until we are in my office, Mr. Nelson,” he remarked, softly; “and if you have the time now we might as well adjourn there. I’ll ask a few of my people to accompany us, as well as this pilot who has just given your little trick its first try out.”

“I’ll be glad to enter into a talk with you, Mr. Curley,” declared Hiram; “but I must insist that my friends, who have come out to the Coast with me, be along.”

He beckoned to Rob and Andy and Tubby, who immediately started to push their way through the crowd to where Hiram and the gentleman with the white mustache stood.

“Certainly, it is only fair that you should have equal backing with us,” observed the gentleman, whose eyes twinkled with amusement now, as he began to grasp the situation, and realize that his company was up against a boy who knew his rights, and was possessed of considerable business sagacity, as well as inventive talent.

Accordingly they all headed for some buildings not a great ways off, and thus it came that presently the scouts found themselves behind closed doors with Mr. Curley and a number of others.

The head of the manufacturing firm was frowning a trifle, Rob noticed, even if there were times when he allowed a trace of a smile to steal across his face on glancing down at the figure of Hiram Nelson. Rob knew why this should be so, and he considered that it was only natural.

As a shrewd business man Mr. Curley realized that Hiram had been too smart for them. Instead of announcing his presence immediately, and taking what they chose to offer him for his clever device, the young Yankee inventor had hung around and waited for the climax to come. He had heard the favorable report made by the bird-man, and of course that had strengthened his case.

The gentleman understood that this unfortunate happening was likely to cost them dearly, since the inventor, knowing the value of his patent, would be likely to hold out for a much larger sum.

“Now, if you will let me see some papers to prove your identity, Mr. Nelson, we will talk shop with you; and I might as well confess in the beginning that if you are inclined to treat us fairly we can come to terms with you; but please consider that only one trial has been given to your stabilizer; and it may, after all, be of less value than appears at this moment.”

Hiram needed no second invitation to get busy. He immediately unloaded a mass of proof upon them to show he was all he claimed, and that he also had the papers connected with his patent.

“I am satisfied, so far as that goes,” announced the gentleman, as though desirous of arriving at the most important part of the whole proceedings as soon as possible. “Now will you please state the very lowest cash price you will accept to turn the patent over to this company?”

“Five thousand dollars, sir!” replied Hiram promptly.

Rob was watching the other’s face. He saw something there that told him Hiram had at least not exceeded the amount which would have been reckoned a price limit for the invention. Mr. Curley, however, was too good a business man to show any eagerness in the transaction, though there was certainly a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes as he seemed to consider the offer.

“I am going to be frank with you, Mr. Nelson,” he remarked, presently. “The sum you mention, although somewhat larger than we had contemplated paying for an invention the value of which has still to be fully proved, is within the amount we could afford to risk in the hopes of getting a really dependable stabilizer. Now, if we agree to do business with you, would you consent to sign a paper here and now to turn over your patent right entirely to us on the receipt of the sum you mention, five thousand dollars?”

Hiram was holding his own remarkably well. He refused to show any signs of being overwhelmed by his great good fortune, and seemed to be capable of displaying his customary shrewd Yankee bargaining qualities.

“I’ll agree to do it, Mr. Curley,” he said deliberately, “if your company also makes the bargain so it can’t be broken. It mustn’t bind only me. Pay a certain sum in hand, and agree to give me the balance to-morrow, and I’ll sign the paper you speak of, handing over the patent rights transferred to you when the balance is put in my hands.”

“That’s strictly business acumen, Mr. Nelson,” said the gentleman, now smiling broadly, for there was no longer any danger of a backdown, and the wonderful little invention could not be taken away from them by some rival and wealthy company; “and with your permission, then, here is an agreement, in duplicate, with the amount left blank, which I will fill in according to your proposition; and if everything is agreeable, we will both sign it in proper form.”

A few minutes later the agreement, filled out as settled upon, was handed to Hiram to look over before signing. He immediately backed over to where his three comrades stood.

“I want you to go over it word for word with me, Rob, and if there’s any sort of hitch or trap, tell me; though I don’t expect to find that sort of thing, because I guess Mr. Curley is too straight a gentleman to try and take advantage of a boy.”

They weighed every sentence, and fortunately the agreement was very simple, so it was easily understood.

“How about it, Rob?” asked Hiram, trying to control himself as best he could, for he knew curious eyes were upon him, and he did not want any of the men to believe this was his first venture in the realm of finance, which in fact was the actual truth.

“It seems to be all right, Hiram, and I wouldn’t hesitate to sign it,” the scout leader advised him. “If you want a witness allow me to put my signature on it. I’ll be proud to know that I’ve had something to do with your first real success.”

“Something to do!” echoed Hiram, with considerable emotion, “why, Rob, you’ve been my backbone up to now. Only for you I’d have made a botch of the hull thing. I owe you more’n I c’n ever tell.”

He went back to where Mr. Curley was waiting, a little anxiously Rob saw, as if he feared Hiram might be overcome with greed, and attempt to boost the price he had already named.

“I see you agree to give me a check for five hundred dollars right now, Mr. Curley,” Hiram commenced, “to bind the bargain with. Well, I would be tempted to say I didn’t want you to do that, but I know it’s a poor thing to refuse money in hand, and also that it fixes it so neither of us can back out. So I’ll accept the sum, sir, and sign the agreement.”

This he hastened to do, and Rob was called on to add his name as a witness; then other names were placed upon the agreement, as well as the duplicate which was to be given into the possession of Hiram as the other party.

When that check for five hundred dollars was placed in Hiram’s hand he smiled, and then coolly doubling it up, placed it carefully away in his pocketbook.

“That, for a beginning, isn’t so bad, Mr. Curley,” he said, as the gentleman was shaking hands cordially with him. “I’m meaning to use every cent of this money to advance several little schemes I’ve got started. Only for my need of cash to push them along mebbe you mightn’t have got that stabilizer without a few bids from other companies; but you sure treated me white, Mr. Curley, and I wanted you to know I appreciate it.”

Possibly Mr. Curley may have thought that Hiram had worked a pretty sharp trick on them in hanging around, and learning what they thought about his invention before disclosing his identity; but then certain things are allowable in business, and at least he had shown himself capable of looking after his own interests.

“If any of your later ideas happen to be in line with our work, Mr. Nelson,” the head of the firm said, “I hope you will give us a look at them before you approach any rival company. In one way it is a good thing for an inventor to keep advancing with the firm who first patronized him, of course, granting that they will meet any price he may be offered elsewhere.”

“I guess I c’n promise you that, sir,” said Hiram, who was very happy, and at that moment felt drawn toward the fine-looking gentleman who had treated him so splendidly.

So the four boys wended their way toward the gates of the Exposition. Hiram hardly knew whether he was walking on air or on ground. It seemed to him that his heels must be made of some magical rubber that kept pace with his ecstasy of mind, for he came near dancing at times, much to the amusement of Rob.

“First thing for me to do, fellows,” Hiram said, as they reached the hotel, “is to send a night letter to my folks telling ’em that I’ve got the coin. My maw she believed in me right along, but dad he’s allers been kinder skeptical, you know, and used to say I was spendin’ heaps of money on foolishness. Guess he’s due to change his tune after this, hey?”

Rob found that there had been a telegram for him that morning which somehow he had failed to receive before leaving for the Exposition grounds. It was a night letter from Professor McEwen in answer to the one he had sent, signed by the name of Professor Marsh, who was in charge of the exhibit.

In this communication, limited to fifty words, the Edinburgh scientist tried to express the deep satisfaction he felt because Rob and Andy had successfully filled his place, and handed over that precious packet to the gentleman in charge, without any accident. He declared that he would remain until their return home, and that he hoped to be able to thank them again most heartily.

The boys were a happy lot that evening. They attended a theater where there was an instructive show well worth seeing by all scouts. Indeed, Hiram seemed to have actually grown two inches since morning.

Of course his chums gloried in his success; so that the rest of their stay at the City of the Great Exposition was likely to be one long picnic, with not a single hovering cloud to mar their pleasure.