He tossed the newspaper to Mike and left. Mike leaned back and flipped the pages in a bored manner. A headline attracted his eye and he read the short article that followed. Having finished, he threw aside the paper, lit a cigarette, and did some heavy thinking. Then he opened the door. “Hey, Slappy, c’mere. There’s a job that’s got to be done.” A NIGHT OF TROUBLE Walter Sills was happy, deliriously so. He walked about his laboratory king of all he surveyed, strutting like a peacock, basking in his new-found glory. Eugene Taylor sat and watched him, scarcely less happy himself. “How does it feel to be famous?” Taylor wanted to know. “Like a million dollars; and that’s what I’m going to sell the secret of ammonium metal for. It’s the fat of the land for me from now on.” “You leave the practical details to me, Walt. I’m getting in touch with Staples of Eagle Steel today. You’ll get a decent price from him.” The bell rang, and Sills jumped. He ran to open the door. “Is this the home of Walter Sills?” The large, scowling visitor gazed about him superciliously. “Yes, I’m Sills. Do you wish to see me?” “Yes. My name is J. Throgmorton Bankhead and I represent the Acme Chromium and Silver Plating Corporation. I would like to have a moment’s discussion with you.” “Come right in. Come right in! This is Eugene Taylor, my associate. You may speak freely before him.” “Very well,” Bankhead seated himself heavily. “I suppose you surmise the reason for my visit.” “I take it that you have read of the new ammonium metal in the papers.” “That’s right. I have come to see whether there is any truth in the story and to buy your process if there is.” “You can see for yourself, sir,” Sills led the magnate to where the argon-filled container of the few grams of pure ammonium were. “That is the metal. Over here to the right, I’ve got the oxide, an oxide which is more metallic than the metal itself, strangely enough. It is the oxide that is what the papers call ‘substitute gold’.” Bankhead’s face showed not an atom of the sinking feeling within him as he viewed the oxide with dismay. “Take it out in the open,” he said, “and let’s see it.” Sills shook his head. “I can’t, Mr. Bankhead. Those are the first samples of ammonium and ammonium oxide that ever existed. They’re museum pieces. I can easily make more for you, if you wish.” “You’ll have to, if you expect me to sink my money in it. You satisfy me and I’ll be willing to buy your patent for as much as--oh, say a thousand dollars.” “A thousand dollars!” exclaimed Sills and Taylor together. “A very fair price, gentlemen.” “A million would be more like it,” shouted Taylor in an outraged tone. “This discovery is a goldmine.” * * * * *