Turner and Lincoln had done their jobs exceptionally well. Better than he anticipated. Eliza Mills was the laughingstock of the scientific world. The moment was ripe for him to step into the spotlight and let his peers and leaders see just how vast his knowledge and expertise were. And just how indebted they were to him for his brilliant, forward-thinking mind.
He would now become Carnegie’s most valuable asset. And he could hardly wait to let the world know exactly that. Finishing his whiskey, he stood and strode out of the club. Scanning the street, he spotted a five-cent jitney car sitting down the street.
Placing his fingers between his lips, he let loose a whistle, high and sharp.
The driver looked up and gave him a nod, driving his black automobile up to the edge of the sidewalk. The balding man poked his head out the window. “Where to, sir?”
“ThePittsburgh Post-Gazette.” He opened the back door.
The man whistled. “That’s clear on the northwest side of town.”
He settled in the back seat and glared at the older gentleman. “I’ll pay you double if you can get me there in twenty minutes.”
Bushy white eyebrows shot up on the driver’s wrinkled forehead. “Yes, sir!”
Eighteen minutes later, he was walking up the front steps of the newspaper building. Pushing through the large doors, he entered a room of chaos. Typewriters clacked loudly, cigar smoke hanging in the air.
A young man with slicked-back hair and wire-rimmed glasses nodded from the desk at the front of the room. “What do you want, sir?”
He adjusted his tie and approached the large oak desk. “I need to speak with someone about a scoop of a story with the Carnegie Museum and Mr. Carnegie himself.”
The young man gazed at him, dark brown eyes large and unblinking behind his thick glasses. “And who are you?”
“I am a leading scientist at the Carnegie Museum. Here is my card.” He slid the rectangular paper across the smooth surface of the desk. “Trust me when I say one of your writers will want the scoop of the year regarding the Dinosaur National Monument, the Carnegie Institute, and skeletons. In the closet and otherwise.”
He smirked. Such a clever turn of phrase. He was in rare form today.
“Hmm...” The clerk took his card and studied it for a moment.
Oh yes, the interest was there. His pulse thrummed. His rightful recognition was almost in his grasp.
Finally, the wiry young man pushed back from his desk and entered the frenzy of reporters behind him. He walked to a desk in the far-right corner and whispered something in the ear of a man who looked to be about forty, with sandy brown hair and a serious expression.
The two men walked back toward him. The clerk pushed the swinging gate open for the writer with him.
“This is Bradley Hopper. He is our national news writer and has covered many events out at the museum.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hopper. Might I take you out for a cup of coffee? I promise an afternoon with me will not be wasted. The story I have for you is a scoop to capitalize on the dinosaur mania sweeping our fair country.”
“There’s a small deli about four blocks from here.” Mr. Hopper motioned toward the door. “A good spot to discuss your ... scoop.”
So. The writer was skeptical. Not to worry. By the end of the afternoon, and on the heels of a generous tip for running his story, the article would be queued up for the paper’s run the next day.
The next morning, he stepped out of his boardinghouse, a bounce in his step and humming a jaunty tune. The stories couldn’t have been better. He pulled the newspaper from under his arm and snapped it to its full length.
Carnegie Museum Scientist Is Real Genius behind Dinosaur National Monument
Female Paleontologist Steals from Museum
They were beautiful. Mr. Hopper had outdone himself. The articles were perfect. In fact, he had almost memorized them both in their entirety. But his favorite paragraph was the oneoutlining his spectacular accomplishments in discovering Carnegie’s beloved Dippy, his direction to Earl Douglass to dig just a bit farther to the northwest of the quarry, and his prestigious post as the Carnegie Museum’s curator.
As curator, Mr. Nelson has brought several popular displays to the Carnegie Institute. Responsible for the discovery ofDiplodocus carnegii, fondly known as Dippy, Mr. Nelson launched Andrew Carnegie’s dream of paleontological science into the stratosphere. Not only is his Diplodocus carnegii beloved by kings and world rulers alike, it is the cornerstone for the magnificent Hall of Dinosaurs. Conceived by Mr. Nelson’s keen oversight and care, the Hall of Dinosaurs is the number-one attraction at the museum. And he only plans to make it bigger and better.
“I am determined to make Carnegie Institute the crown jewel of paleontology,” he told this reporter. “And with the discoveries from the Dinosaur National Monument, we will have species of dinosaurs to display for decades to come. I am sure Earl Douglass thanks his lucky stars every day when he remembers it was I who encouraged him to dig just a few hundred yards farther to the northwest in what is now Dinosaur National Monument.”
Mr. Hopper had eaten every detail right out of his hand. Nelson almost crowed. It washewho had single-handedly changed the face of paleontological science in America. That little Miss Mills was painted as a thief. She’d never work in the field again.
Job offers would start pouring in, giving him leverage with Carnegie to force the man to pay him what he was actually worth.
