of the peroxide
of iron."
Lapham pronounced the scientific phrases with a sort
of reverent satisfaction, as if awed through his pride
by a little lingering uncertainty as to what peroxide was.
He accented it as if it were purr-ox-EYED; and Bartley
had to get him to spell it.
"Well, and what then?" he asked, when he had made a note
of the percentage.
"What then?" echoed Lapham. "Well, then, the fellow set
down and told me, 'You've got a paint here,' says he,
'that's going to drive every other mineral paint out of
the market. Why' says he, 'it'll drive 'em right into
the Back Bay!' Of course, I didn't know what the Back Bay
was then, but I begun to open my eyes; thought I'd had 'em
open before, but I guess I hadn't. Says he, 'That paint
has got hydraulic cement in it, and it can stand fire
and water and acids;' he named over a lot of things.
Says he, 'It'll mix easily with linseed oil, whether you
want to use it boiled or raw; and it ain't a-going
to crack nor fade any; and it ain't a-going to scale.
When you've got your arrangements for burning it properly,
you're going to have a paint that will stand like the
everlasting hills, in every climate under the sun.'
Then he went into a lot of particulars, and I begun
to think he was drawing a long-bow, and meant to make his
bill accordingly.
Pages:
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32