They pulled off the second shirt, and put on one of Roger's fresh ones.
Then while Charley gave Gustav some water, Roger took the papers from
the bloody pockets of the second shirt.
"I'll wipe these off before the blood sets," he said. Then his eye
caught a memorandum in German "Low pressure engine--new detail. Moore."
Roger quickly opened the paper. It was about six inches square and was a
copy of a detail of one of Roger's patent drawings.
"I'll be damned!" muttered Roger, his face flushing darkly.
He ran through other sheets. There were more drawings and some carefully
written notes on Roger's general scheme for heat utilization. He was
reading these very deliberately when Ernest came in.
"Whew, what a country!" began Ernest, then he stopped with a gasp.
Gustav, who was sitting up again, groaned weakly.
"I vas a chicken-fool, eh, Miss Charley?"
Roger crossed to the bed with a stride. "Look here, Schmidt," he said,
"the sooner you get your things together and get out of here, the better
I'll like it."
Gustav stood up. His jaw dropped. Then his eye fell on the papers in
Roger's hand.
"I told you not to take off the shirt from me!" he cried.
"What's the matter, Rog?" asked Ernest.
"Matter? Matter? Why, this fellow is a thief. He's been stealing my
ideas. Go on now! Get out of here!"
Ernest took the blood-stained papers and glanced at them hurriedly.
"Hold on! Be cool, Roger! Give Gustav a chance to explain."
"Explain! Explain what? Just how he stole these? Tear those papers up,
Ernest, and take this Dutchman out of my sight. Get him out, I tell
you."
Ernest hesitated. In all the years he had known Roger he never had seen
him in a passion like this. Felicia flew over to Charley who stood with
wide troubled eyes on Roger's distorted face. The child was white and
trembling.
"Ernest!" thundered Roger.
With a glance at Gustav, Ernest began to tear up the papers.
"Roger! Please! Bitte! I can explain," began Gustav.
"Don't speak to me. I've heard vague stories of how German manufacturers
get their ideas. This, I know: in the morning, you'll start for Archer's
Springs, you skunk!"
"Oh, Rog!" protested Ernest.
"How dare you protest, Ernest?" Roger turned on his friend furiously.
"You know what that engine means to me. You know the difficulty of
patent protection and now this dirty hound--"
"Here! That I von't take from any man," cried Gustav. "You vas acting
like a fool, Roger."
Roger lunged forward with his right fist swinging. But before Ernest
could interfere, Charley had caught the clenched fist with both her
hands, and was clinging to it with all her fine strength.
"Oh, Roger!" she cried. "Oh, Roger! Roger!"
Roger dropped his arm and stared at her for a moment. Her eyes, so like
Felicia's, so unlike them, returned his furious gaze, unflinching.
Suddenly, he grew pale and without a word, turned on his heel and left
the tent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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