."

"'Delicate,' 'dainty,' 'refined'--"

Livingstone looked down at the fat-bellied, moon-faced time-piece and
laughed. Van Dorn took it more seriously.

"Too tappy," he said. "We want to land on the solar plexus every time.
Why not call it 'world-beating,' or--"

"Now you're talking sense!" interrupted Barrifield. "That's better than
a dictionary. 'The great, world-beating "Whole Family" watch!
Stem-winding and -setting! Full-jeweled! Diamond balance! Eighteen--'"

"Hold on, Barry; I can't get it down."

Perner was scribbling rapidly. "And what does 'diamond balance' mean?"

"Never mind what it means. It sounds rich, and that's what we want."

"Don't you think we ought to have in something about the escapement?"
asked Livingstone. "All watches have escapements, don't they?"

"Why, yes," nodded Van Dorn,--"cylinder escapement--duplex action--"

Perner interrupted:

"Oh, nonsense, Van! It's the camera that has duplex action."

"'Tisn't, either--it's the watch!"

"Oh, well, let's give it to the camera, anyway," compromised Barrifield.
"We've got enough for the watch. How does it read now, Perny?"

Perner added a few more lines to what he had already written, then,
leaning back in his chair, read slowly and with emphasis:

"OUR MAGNIFICENT PREMIUM OFFERS

"In addition to giving you our superb paper at the
unheard-of price of ONE DOLLAR A YEAR FOR FIFTY-TWO ISSUES,
we make to the _entire world_ the following supreme premium
offers:

"I think," Perner paused to comment, "that that goes a few degrees
better than Frisby. Here's what he says."

He picked up a copy of a paper that gave evidence of having had much
careful reading and even commentary study.

"Never mind Frisby," objected Van Dorn. "We know that by heart. Let's
hear what you say."

"All right," cheerfully assented Perner.

"OFFER NO. 1

"Our splendid paper, 'The Whole Family,' for one year,
fifty-two issues, and our great world-beating, stem-winding
and -setting, cylinder-escapement, diamond-balance,
crown-jeweled watch! Worth, both together, five dollars in
gold! Given by us, until present limited quantity is
exhausted, for the mere ridiculous bagatelle of

"ONE DOLLAR!

"and twenty-five cents to pay for postage and packing."

Perner paused and caught his breath. Then he added:

"The last line, of course, will be in small type, so it won't seem to
count. It's the dollar