matter of paying the damages was only a blind. Tom steeled himself for what was to come.
"You know, I suppose," went on Mr. Boylan, smiling at Tom, "that Mr. Peters is a man of many and large interests."
"I've heard something like that," said Tom, cautiously.
"Yes. Well, he is an organizer—a promoter, if you like. He supplies the money for large enterprises, and is, therefore, a benefactor of the human race. Where persons have no cash which to exploit their—well, say their inventions, Mr. Peters takes them, and makes money out of them."
"No doubt," thought Tom grimly.
"In other cases, where an inventor is working at a handicap, say with too many interests, Mr. Peters takes hold of one of his ideas, and makes it pay much better than the inventor has been able to do.
"Now, Mr. Peters has heard of you, and he would like to do you good."
"I guess he would," thought Tom. "He would like to do me—and do me good and brown. Here's where I've got to play a game myself."
"And so," went on Mr. Boylan, "Mr. Peters has sent me to you to ask you to allow him to exploit one, or several, of your inventions. He
