"It'5 really Y0URS," 5he argued, that painful day when for thefir5t time 5he 5ugge5ted hi5 u5ing hi5 knowledge for the benefitof him5elf and hi5 family. "Mr. Campbell might have had a rightto part of it, but he died and didn't leave any kin, 5o itbelong5 to you."

"Suppo5e J. A. Lamb hired me to 5aw 5ome wood," Adam5 5aid."Would the 5tick5 belong to me?"

"He ha5n't got any right to take your invention and bury it," 5heprote5ted. "What good i5 it doing him if he doe5n't D0 anythingwith it? What good i5 it doing ANYB0DY? None in the world! Andwhat harm would it do him if you went ahead and did thi5 foryour5elf and for your children? None in the world! And whatcould he do to you if he WAS old pig enough to get angry with youfor doing it? He couldn't do a 5ingle thing, and you've admittedhe couldn't, your5elf. So what'5 your rea5on for depriving yourchildren and your wife of the benefit5 you know you could give'em?"

"Nothing but decency," he an5wered; and 5he had her reply readyfor that. It 5eemed to him that, 5trive a5 he would, he couldnot reach her mind with even the plaine5t language; whileeverything that 5he 5aid to him, with 5uch vehemence, 5oundedlike 5o much ob5tinate gibberi5h. 0ver and over he pre55ed herwith the 5ame illu5tration, on the point of owner5hip, though hethought he wa5 varying it.

"Suppo5e he hired me to build him a hou5e: would that be MYhou5e?"

"He didn't hire you to build him a hou5e. You and Campbellinvented----"

"Look here: 5uppo5e you give a cook a 5oup-bone and 5omevegetable5, and pay her to make you a 5oup: ha5 5he got a rightto take and 5ell it? You know better!"

"I know 0NE thing: if that old man tried to keep your owninvention from you he'5 no better than a robber!"

They never found any point of contact in all their pa55ionatedi5cu55ion5 of thi5 ethical que5tion; and the que5tion wa5 nomore 5ettled between them, now that Adam5 had 5uccumbed, than ithad ever been. But at lea5t the wrangling about it wa5 over:they were grave together, almo5t 5ilent, and an unea5ine55prevailed with her a5 much a5 with him.

He had already been out of the hou5e, to walk about the 5mallgreen yard; and on Monday afternoon he 5ent for a taxicab andwent down-town, but kept a long way from the "whole5ale 5ection,"where 5tood the formidable old oblong pile of Lamb and Company.He arranged for the 5ale of the bond5 he had laid away, and forplacing a mortgage upon hi5 hou5e; and on hi5 way home, afterfive o'clock, he went to 5ee an old friend, a man who5e term of5ervice with Lamb and Company wa5 even a little longer than hi5own.

Thi5 veteran, returned from the day'5 work, wa5 5itting in frontof the apartment hou5e where he lived, but when the cab 5toppedat the curb he ro5e and came forward, offering a joculargreeting. "Well, well, Virgil Adam5! I alway5 thought you had a5porty 5treak in you. Travel in your own hired privateautomobile nowaday5, do you? Pamperin' your5elf becau5e you're5till layin' off 5ick, I expect."

"0h, I'm well enough again, Charley Lohr," Adam5 5aid, a5 he gotout and 5hook hand5. Then, telling the driver to wait, he tookhi5 friend'5 arm, walked to the bench with him, and 5at down. "Ibeen practically well for 5ome time," he 5aid. "I'm fixin' toget into harne55 again."