quietly with the crystal prism.
Toward late afternoon, he crawled over to the bookcase, wrestled downthe encyclopedia and pawed through it, gurgling with delight. Hedefinitely, Melinda decided, would make a fine lawyer someday, not auseless putterer like Big Harry, who worked all hours overtime in thatdamned lab. She scowled as Harry Junior, bored with the encyclopedia,began reaching for one of Big Harry's tomes on nuclear physics. Oneputterer in the family was enough! But when she tried to take the bookaway from him, Harry Junior howled so violently that she let well enoughalone.
At six-thirty, Big Harry called from the lab, with the usual despondentmessage that he would not be home for supper. Melinda said a fewresigned things about cheerless dinners eaten alone, hinted darkly whatlonesome wives sometimes did for company, and Harry said he was verysorry, but this might be _it_, and Melinda hung up on him in a temper.
Precisely fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. Melinda opened thefront door and gaped. This little man could have been Porteous's double,except for the black metallic tunic, the glacial gray eyes.
"Mrs. Melinda Adams?" Even the voice was frigid.
"Y-Yes. Why--"
"Major Nord, Galactic Security." The little man bowed. "You were visitedearly this morning by one Porteous." He spoke the name with a certaindisgust. "He left a neural distorter here. Correct?"
Melinda's nod was tremulous. Major Nord came quietly into the livingroom, shut the door behind him. "My apologies, madam, for the intrusion.Porteous mistook your world for a Class IV culture, instead of a ClassVII. Here--" He handed her the crumpled dollar bill. "You may check theserial number. The distorter, please."
* * * * *
Melinda shrunk limply onto the sofa. "I don't understand," she saidpainfully. "Was he a thief?"
"He was--careless about his spatial coordinates." Major Nord's teethshowed in the faintest of smiles. "He has been corrected. Where is it?"
"Now look," said Melinda with some asperity. "That thing's kept HarryJunior quiet all day. I bought it in good faith, and it's not myfault--say, have you got a warrant?"
"Madam," said the Major with dignity, "I dislike violating local tabus,but must I explain the impact of a neural distorter on a backwaterculture? What if your Neanderthal had been given atomic blasters? Wherewould you have been today? Swinging through trees, no doubt. What ifyour Hitler had force-fields?" He exhaled. "Where is your son?"
In the nursery, Harry Junior was contentedly playing with his blocks.The prism lay glinting in the corner.
Major Nord picked it up carefully, scrutinized Harry Junior. His voicewas very soft.
"You said he was--playing with it?"
Some vestigial maternal instinct prompted Melinda to shake her headvigorously. The little man stared hard at Harry Junior, who beganwhimpering. Trembling, Melinda scooped up Harry Junior.
"Is _that_ all you have to do--run around frightening women andchildren? Take your old distorter and get out. Leave decent peoplealone!"
Major Nord frowned. If only he could be sure. He peered stonily at HarryJunior, murmured, "Definite egomania. It doesn't seem to have affectedhim. Strange."
"Do you want me to scream?" Melinda demanded.
Major Nord sighed. He bowed to Melinda, went out, closed the door,touched a tiny stud on his tunic, and vanished.
"The manners of some people," Melinda said to Harry Junior. She wasrelieved that the Major had not asked for the green vial.
Harry Junior also looked relieved, although for quite a differentreason.
* * * * *
Big Harry arrived home a little after eleven. There were small worrycreases about his mouth and forehead, and the leaden cast of defeat inhis eyes. He went into the bedroom and Melinda sleepily told him aboutthe little man working his way through college by peddling silly goods,and about that rude cop named Nord, and Harry said that was simplyastonishing and Melinda said, "Harry, you had a drink!"
"I had two drinks," Harry told her owlishly. "You married a failure,dear. Part of the experimental model vaporized, _wooosh_, just likethat. On paper it looked so good--"
Melinda had heard it all before. She asked him to see if Harry Juniorwas covered, and Big Harry went unsteadily into the nursery, sat down byhis son's crib.
"Poor little guy," he mused. "Your old man's a bum, a useless tinker. Hethought he could send Man to the stars on a string of helium nuclei. Oh,he was smart. Thought of everything. Auxiliary jets to kick off thenegative charge, bigger mercury vapor banks--a fine straight thrust ofpositive Alpha particles." He hiccuped, put his face in his hands.
"Didn't you ever stop to think that a few air molecules could defocusthe stream? Try a vacuum, stupid."
Big Harry stood up.
"Did you say something, son?"
"Gurfle," said Harry Junior.
Big Harry reeled into the living room like a somnambulist.
He got pencil and paper, began jotting frantic formulae. Presently hecalled a cab and raced back to the laboratory.
* * * * *
Melinda was dreaming about little bald men with diamond-studded trays.They were chasing her, they kept pelting her with rubies and emeralds,all they wanted was to ask questions, but she kept running, Harry Juniorclasped tightly in her arms. Now they were ringing alarm bells. Thebells kept ringing and she groaned, sat up in bed, and seized thetelephone.
"Darling." Big Harry's voice shook. "I've got it! More auxiliaryshielding plus a vacuum. We'll be rich!"
"That's just fine," said Melinda crossly. "You woke the baby."
Harry Junior was sobbing bitterly into his pillow. He was sick withdisappointment. Even the most favorable extrapolation showed it wouldtake him nineteen years to become master of the world.
An eternity. Nineteen years!
--JAMES CAUSEY
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Galaxy Science Fiction_ January 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.
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