Cosmopolitan Volume 53 - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1912 edition. Excerpt: ...invest the corner of a postage-stamp on a joke like this. All the farmers that pad through here come down to the paddock laughing so hard about this cast-iron dingbat of yours that they don't sober up till they lose two bets. By the way, mister, could you wind a dollar watch with it?" Seeing certain indications of rude intention on the part of Mr. Frazier, the spiderlegged young man moved hastily away, gained his peace of mind when two roughlooking fellows in the garb of stablemen came by. "Well, look who's here!" exclaimed one of them, stopping suddenly as he saw the Little Wonder. "Old Texas Bill Oakley's machinery handle. I thought that was in the discard." "It ain't the same as Oakley's, quite," commented the other, stopping to examine it without a glance in Frazier's direction. "His had red spokes." "Green just like this," insisted the first man. "It's been fifteen years, and you've forgot. Don't you remember? He had it on his windmill pump. Tried to make us carry it around and use the fool thing." "Lemme see," mused the other; "didn't Texas lose a lot of money manufacturing the thing?" "Lost his ranch. Why, even the people he gave 'em to wouldn't use 'em. They wasn't practical," and the two men moved on without having invited Mr. Frazier into the conversation, either by word or look. The boss stableman sent everybody he could trust to "kid" Whiskers Frazier, and when they all got through, he went up himself and riddled the marvelous Patent Detachable Geared Handle until it felt ashamed of itself. Just after this shriveling visit, Wallingford called, but the work had been too well done. "No," declared Frazier, who was...