I began perspiring. The deal was getting bigger and bigger. It wasnt
just a simple matter of cutting in on a good thing. All the angles,
which were multiplying at a tremendous rate, had to be covered before I
saw Miss Francis again; I darent miss any bets. I needed a staff of
agricultural experts--anyway someone who could cover the scientific
side. Whatever happened to my freshman chemistry? And a mob of lawyers;
you'd have to plug every loophole--tight. But here I was without a
financial resource--couldnt hire a ditchdigger, much less the highpriced
talent I needed--and someone else might get a brainstorm when he saw the
lawn and beat me to it. I visioned myself cheated of my million....
Yes ... a really fast worker--some unethical promoter willing to stoop
to devious methods--might pass at any moment and grasp the
possibilities, have Miss Francis signed up before I'd even got the deal
straight in my mind. How could he miss, seeing this lawn? Splendid,
magnificent, beautiful. No one would ever call this stuff
devilgrass--angelgrass would be more appropriate to the implications of
such a heavenly green. Millions in it--simply millions....
"Say--arent you the fellow put this stuff on?"
Halfadozen vacant faces gaped at me, the burdening pump, the caudal
hose. Curiosity, interest, imbecile amusement argued in their expression
with the respect due the worker of the transformation; it was the sort
of look connected with salesresistance of the most obstinate kind. They
distracted me from thinking things through.
"Miz Dinkman's sure looking for you. Says she's going to sue you."
Here was an unfortunate development, an angle to end all angles.
Unfavorable publicity, the abortifacient of new enterprises, would mean
you could hardly give the stuff away. My imagination raced through
columns of newsprint in which the Metamorphizer was made the butt of
reporters' humor. Mrs Dinkman's ire would have to be placated, bought
off. Perhaps I'd better discuss developments with Miss Francis right
away, afterall.
Whatever I decided, it was advisable for me to leave this vicinity. I
was in no financial position to soothe Mrs Dinkman and it was dubious,
in view of her attitude, whether it would be possible to sell any more
in the immediate neighborhood. Probably a new territory was the answer
to my problem; a few sales would give me both cash in hand and time to
think.
While I hesitated, Mrs Dinkman, belligerency dancing like a sparkling
aura about her, came out of her garage with a rusty, rattling lawnmower.
I'm no authority on gardentools, but this creaking, rickety machine was
clearly no match for the lusty growth. The audience felt so too, and
there was a stir of sporting interest as they settled down to watch the
contest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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