"Well, well, Mallow!" The caller's face broke into an engaging
smile as he crossed the threshold. "Still wearing dark glasses,
eh? I'm afraid you didn't heed my instructions."

Mallow spoke huskily, "What the hell you doing here?"

"Following the excitement, merely. I shall open an office and
spend a good deal of my time in Wichita Falls. I hoped I'd find
you here, for this morning I heard you describe your invention
and--admiration overcame me. I felt constrained to congratulate
you upon your scientific attainments. Marvelous, my dear Doctor!
Or is it Professor Mallow?" The speaker laughed heartily. "Won't
you introduce me to these--let us say magnetic forces of nature
that you have discovered?" He indicated the two partners.

"What do you want?" Mallow barked.

"Momentary agitation has robbed our Professor of his habitual
politeness--a not unusual phenomenon of the preoccupied scientific
mind." These words were directed at McWade and Stoner. "My name is
Gray. Perhaps Doctor Mallow has made mention of me."

"So you're the lad that threw pepper in his eyes?" Brick Stoner
stared at the newcomer with undisguised interest. He rose, as did
McWade. "I'll say we've heard of you. Your name's getting as
common as safety-razor blades. You've been cleaning up, haven't
you?"

"Um-m, moderately." Calvin Gray shook hands with the promoters, then
to the agitated Mallow, who still peered at him apprehensively, he