UNITED STATES AND CANADA 137 



I should be interested to hear exactly what we all 

 said. 



Professor Tainter told us an interesting anecdote 

 of an incident that had occurred a few months 

 before our visit. A stranger called at the Laboratory 

 and said, " I want to buy one of those machines right 

 away." Tainter told him that they were not yet on 

 the market, and that no price had been fixed. But 

 the stranger was very persistent and would take 

 no denial, nor did he care two straws how much he 

 paid to gratify his desire. He named a very large 

 sum, and ultimately Mr. Tainter agreed to let him 

 have one of their phonographs. He took it away 

 with him and a week later hje returned, and said : 

 ** I don't know how to thank you enough, sir, for 

 letting me have that machine. My poor wife was 

 dying when I got home with it. She was just able 

 to speak into it her last words, * To be or not to be.' 

 Then she died, and I turn it on every day, and hear 

 her sweet voice still." Tainter assured us this was 

 an absolute fact. It was a weird idea. I have told 

 the story to heartless men who aver that they hear 

 quite enough of their wives' voices as it is, without 

 wishing to hear them again when they've crossed 

 the bar. I myself possess phonograph records 



