[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
machines that took a blank provided by a down-time smith or foundry, and fined them up. Trent and
Brent would be using them first, and for the moment they would stay in a corner of Mr. Marcantonio's
shop.
August 25, 1631:
After the initial burst of activity, things slowed to a snail's pace as more urgent jobs claimed more and
more of Dave Marcantonio's time. He was fitting in parts of their machines wherever he could, but he
didn't have a lot of slack time. They were doing a lot better with the down-time contractors, in spite of
the fact that they had to watch every cent, and bargain prices generally don't go with fast delivery.
Still, money-wise they were doing better than expected. Mr. Marcantonio had the blanks he needed to
make the next four of the production machines, and at about two-thirds of what they had expected to
pay. They also had a small but respectable stock of down-timer made sewing machine parts, at better
prices than expected. Partly this was due to Johan's bargaining skills, but mostly it was because the
down-time shops had been losing a lot of their normal business to the up-time shops, and they badly
needed the work.
Sarah, and especially her parents, were worried about the situation. One of the dangers of introducing a
lot of new products into an economy is that it can cause deflation that leads to a depression. Some of the
merchants and many of the farming villages around the Ring of Fire were accepting American money, but
not all of them. Without the American money, the sudden influx of goods and services could end up
ruining everyone within fifty miles of the Ring of Fire.
Which was why they were getting their parts for such low prices. The craft shops in the area were
desperate for business, any business. The HSMC's money was buying more than it should have been.
August 27, 1631: Delia Higgins' Garage
"It's still good," said Brent, as they fiddled with one of the five partially completed sewing machines, "it's
only about an eighth of an inch shallow."
"I don't know," said Trent. "If the catcher is an eighth of an inch off the other way it'll jam." The catcher
was the twins' term for a device that hooked the thread and pulled it around the bobbin every other
stitch. Unfortunately, several of the parts to the bobbin assembly were still waiting on finishing machines
to come out of Mr. Marcantonio's shop. So, while the needles went up and down, and the "thread puller"
pulled the thread at the right time as far as the boys could tell, they were still some distance from actually
sewing a single stitch.
September 1, 1631: Grantville High School
"Hey, Brent. Do you really own a company?"
"What are you taking this year?"
"What's this shit about you owning a company?"
"Yea, they make sewing machines so they can have cloths for their dollies."
"Except, they ain't actually made no sewing machines yet, and I hear they never will."
"I don't know. I heard that Mr. Marcantonio said that they designed good machines, and that some of
them are going to be used in shop class." Which was the first Brent had heard about that.
The first day as a sophomore in high school is supposed to be different from the first day as a freshman.
Well, this was certainly different. People who would not talk to lowly freshmen when they were
sophomores and juniors, now as juniors and seniors, seemed quite willing to talk to lowly sophomores, at
least if those sophomores owned a company. Others seemed to resent them for not staying in their place.
Then there were their classmates.
A significant percentage thought the whole thing was ridiculous. That Delia and the kids were wasting
valuable resources that Grantville needed for other things. That they would never build a working sewing
machine, and even if they did, why weren't they using the money for something that mattered? Like
weapons or reapers?
"I'll tell you why," said one would-be wit. "Because no one would let the Bill Gates wannabes mess with
something that mattered."
Sarah almost got in a fight over that one. "Baby Gates" was the first, but not the most popular of the
nicknames the four got. The "sewing circle" was the favorite. Then there was the rather convoluted
"Barbershop quartet," based on the notion that they were four would-be "singers." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
machines that took a blank provided by a down-time smith or foundry, and fined them up. Trent and
Brent would be using them first, and for the moment they would stay in a corner of Mr. Marcantonio's
shop.
August 25, 1631:
After the initial burst of activity, things slowed to a snail's pace as more urgent jobs claimed more and
more of Dave Marcantonio's time. He was fitting in parts of their machines wherever he could, but he
didn't have a lot of slack time. They were doing a lot better with the down-time contractors, in spite of
the fact that they had to watch every cent, and bargain prices generally don't go with fast delivery.
Still, money-wise they were doing better than expected. Mr. Marcantonio had the blanks he needed to
make the next four of the production machines, and at about two-thirds of what they had expected to
pay. They also had a small but respectable stock of down-timer made sewing machine parts, at better
prices than expected. Partly this was due to Johan's bargaining skills, but mostly it was because the
down-time shops had been losing a lot of their normal business to the up-time shops, and they badly
needed the work.
Sarah, and especially her parents, were worried about the situation. One of the dangers of introducing a
lot of new products into an economy is that it can cause deflation that leads to a depression. Some of the
merchants and many of the farming villages around the Ring of Fire were accepting American money, but
not all of them. Without the American money, the sudden influx of goods and services could end up
ruining everyone within fifty miles of the Ring of Fire.
Which was why they were getting their parts for such low prices. The craft shops in the area were
desperate for business, any business. The HSMC's money was buying more than it should have been.
August 27, 1631: Delia Higgins' Garage
"It's still good," said Brent, as they fiddled with one of the five partially completed sewing machines, "it's
only about an eighth of an inch shallow."
"I don't know," said Trent. "If the catcher is an eighth of an inch off the other way it'll jam." The catcher
was the twins' term for a device that hooked the thread and pulled it around the bobbin every other
stitch. Unfortunately, several of the parts to the bobbin assembly were still waiting on finishing machines
to come out of Mr. Marcantonio's shop. So, while the needles went up and down, and the "thread puller"
pulled the thread at the right time as far as the boys could tell, they were still some distance from actually
sewing a single stitch.
September 1, 1631: Grantville High School
"Hey, Brent. Do you really own a company?"
"What are you taking this year?"
"What's this shit about you owning a company?"
"Yea, they make sewing machines so they can have cloths for their dollies."
"Except, they ain't actually made no sewing machines yet, and I hear they never will."
"I don't know. I heard that Mr. Marcantonio said that they designed good machines, and that some of
them are going to be used in shop class." Which was the first Brent had heard about that.
The first day as a sophomore in high school is supposed to be different from the first day as a freshman.
Well, this was certainly different. People who would not talk to lowly freshmen when they were
sophomores and juniors, now as juniors and seniors, seemed quite willing to talk to lowly sophomores, at
least if those sophomores owned a company. Others seemed to resent them for not staying in their place.
Then there were their classmates.
A significant percentage thought the whole thing was ridiculous. That Delia and the kids were wasting
valuable resources that Grantville needed for other things. That they would never build a working sewing
machine, and even if they did, why weren't they using the money for something that mattered? Like
weapons or reapers?
"I'll tell you why," said one would-be wit. "Because no one would let the Bill Gates wannabes mess with
something that mattered."
Sarah almost got in a fight over that one. "Baby Gates" was the first, but not the most popular of the
nicknames the four got. The "sewing circle" was the favorite. Then there was the rather convoluted
"Barbershop quartet," based on the notion that they were four would-be "singers." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]