第29部分最新章节，第3页_The Shining 原版小说免费全文阅读

龙腾小说网>The Shining 原版小说 > 第29部分（第3页）

high　school；　joined　the　Navy　instead。　Rose　rapidly；　then　left　in　a　bitter

wrangle　over　the　patent　on　a　new　type　of　propeller　that　he　had　designed。　In　the

tug　of　war　between　the　Navy　and　an　unknown　young　man　named　Horace　Derwent；　Uncle

Sam　came　off　the　predictable　winner。　But　Uncle　Sam　had　never　gotten　another

patent；　and　there　had　been　a　lot　of　them。

In　the　late　twenties　and　early　thirties；　Derwent　turned　to　aviation。　He　bought

out　a　bankrupt　cropdusting　pany；　turned　it　into　an　airmail　service；　and

prospered。　More　patents　followed：　a　new　monoplane　wing　design；　a　bomb　carriage

used　on　the　Flying　Fortresses　that　had　rained　fire　on　Hamburg　and　Dresden　and

Berlin；　a　machine　gun　that　was　cooled　by　alcohol；　a　prototype　of　the　ejection

seat　later　used　in　United　States　jets。

And　along　the　line；　the　accountant　who　lived　in　the　same　skin　as　the　inventor

kept　piling　up　the　investments。　A　piddling　string　of　munition　factories　in　New

York　and　New　Jersey。　Five　textile　mills　in　New　England。　Chemical　factories　in

the　bankrupt　and　groaning　South。　At　the　end　of　the　Depression　his　wealth　had

been　nothing　but　a　handful　of　controlling　interests；　bought　at　abysmally　low

prices；　salable　only　at　lower　prices　still。　At　one　point　Derwent　boasted　that　he

could　liquidate　pletely　and　realize　the　price　of　a　three…year…old　Chevrolet。

There　had　been　rumors；　Jack　recalled；　that　some　of　the　means　employed　by

Derwent　to　keep　his　head　above　water　were　less　than　savory。　Involvement　with

bootlegging。　Prostitution　in　the　Midwest。　Smuggling　in　the　coastal　areas　of　the

South　where　his　fertilizer　factories　were。　Finally　an　association　with　the

nascent　western　gambling　interests。

Probably　Derwents　most　famous　investment　was　the　purchase　of　the　foundering

Top　Mark　Studios；　which　had　not　had　a　hit　since　their　child　star；　Little　Margery

Morris；　had　died　of　a　heroin　overdose　in　1934。　She　was　fourteen。　Little　Margery；

who　had　specialized　in　sweet　seven…year…olds　who　saved　marriages　and　the　lives

of　dogs　unjustly　accused　of　killing　chickens；　had　been　given　the　biggest

Hollywood　funeral　in　history　by　Top　Mark　—　the　official　story　was　that　Little

Margery　had　contracted　a　〃wasting　disease〃　while　entertaining　at　a　New　York

orphanage　—　and　some　cynics　suggested　the　studio　had　laid　out　all　that　long　green

because　it　knew　it　was　burying　itself。

Derwent　hired　a　keen　businessman　and　raging　sex　maniac　named　Henry　Finkel　to

run　Top　Mark；　and　in　the　two　years　before　Pearl　Harbor　the　studio　ground　out

sixty　movies；　fifty…five　of　which　glided　right　into　the　face　of　the　Hayes　Office

and　spit　on　its　large　blue　nose。　The　other　five　were　government　training　films。

The　feature　films　were　huge　successes。　During　one　of　them　an　unnamed　costume

designer　had　juryrigged　a　strapless　bra　for　the　heroine　to　appear　in　during　the

Grand　Ball　scene；　where　she　revealed　everything　except　possibly　the　birthmark

just　below　the　cleft　of　her　buttocks。　Derwent　received　credit　for　this　invention

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