Page 53 - Astounding Pulp V2

52 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION / THE S MALLEST GOD 53

could play on Tabby when he got back, Thanks for the tip." They reached the Qpen. staring blankly at the ceiling and about a lost key. and Tanva changed
and sped down the lane at a good two main door, and Brugh halted suddenly seeing nothing. '·:\To properly radio- the subject for l1i111. Brug!; threw her
miles an iiour. "Darn!" · · active potassium," Brugh gloated. " In a grateful smile and went in to wash up.
V. "What is it ?" a wa y, it·s a pity, too. J 'd like to \\'Ork He decided to postpone the lecture on
"I left my auto keys on the work- on you." Thomas until after supper; then she was
BnuGH worked late in the laboratory, table upstairs. Don't bother waiting for He· put the cover clown and crept out in too much of a hurry to be bothered,
making up for the time he had taken me, Dixon. I'll see you in the 111orn- again. making sure that the night watch- and he put it_ off_until morning.
off to clear his head. All thoughts of ing." man \\'as not around. The man seldom T he old Morris chair was soothing
his trouble with Hermes had vanished. Dixon smiled. "Absent-minded pro- left the fi rst floor, anyway ; who'd steal after a full meal-so soothing that the
He cleared up the worst of the day's fessor, eh? All right, good night." H e lab.oratory equipment? Brugh reached paper fell from his lap and ·scattered it-
litter of dirty apparatus, arranged went out_ and down . the steps while for his keys and fumbled with them, try- self over the floor unnoticed. until the
things for the night, and locked up. Brugh cltmbed back to his laborator ing to find the proper one. Jt wasn't on jangling of the telephone brought him
Dixon, head of the organic-chemistry where he found the keys without fu~~ the _key ring. ··Damn !" he said softly. back with a jerk. "It's for you." his
department, was coming down the, ha_U ther trouble. Fortunately he carried a "I sqppose it fell off back on the table.:• wife announced.
as the physicist left. He stopped, his ~pare d~or key to the lab in his pocket . But he still had, the spare, and the The voice was that of Hodges. his
pudgy face beaming, and greeted the 1t wasn t the first time he'd done th . ' other cquld stay on the table. W ith the nasal Vermont . t\\"ang unmistakable.
other. " Hi, there, Brugh. Working fool trick. 1 s duplicate, he opened and relocked the "Brugh? Your latest brainstorm back-
late again, eh?" As he passed do\\'n the hall ao-ain ~ door. t_hen slipped down the hall to leave fi red on you! . I've got eYidence against
"A little. H ow's the_ specific for tu- a faint sound of movement cau""t e.t I ·' the bi.1ilding. Again a faint sound you this time, so you'd better bring it
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berculosis going ?" ear an d I 1e turned toward Hodges' labo. reached him, but he decided it was the back." The pitch of the v~ice indicated
Dixon patted his paunch amiably. cat or a rat moving around. H e had
rto1d·y. There was no one there. anc.t fury that was only partly controlled.
"Not bad. \¥e're able to get the metal t 1e oor was locked, the lights all t other worries. i\[rs. Brugh would give The back hairs on Brugh's neck bris-
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poison into the dye, and the dye into Brugh started for the stairs, then turn~d him what-for for being late again, he tled up hotly, and his voice snapped
the bug. We still can't get much of the back. supposed. And T anya probably back harshly: ''You're drunk or crazy,
poison out of the dye after that to kill "Might· as well take advantao-e of wouldn't be home yet from the beach. like all biochemists! I haven't done an~-
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our friend, the bacillus, but we've been opportu111ty when I get tt." he muttered Tl1at ,ms another thing to be attended thing lo you. Anyway, what is it y~u
able to weaken him a little. By the "I'd like to see that creation of Hodge · to; there'd be no more running with want back?"
way, I saw your daughter today, out as long as he won't know abo.ut it." B~ that young Thomas !
with Hodges' nephew, and she told slipped quietly to the door. unlocked ·t ''You wouldn't know ? How touch-
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n1e-" and pulled it shut after him: The ~~ TN THE LATTER supposition he was ing, such inn~cence ! I want Anthropos,
'·You mean Johnny Thomas ?" !<ey unlocked e~ery door in the DLtild- wrong; Tanya ·was there, fooling with my synthetic man. I suppose you
Brugh's eyebrows furrowed tightly and mg and the mam entrance; he had t her hair and gushing to her mother about weren't in the laboratory this evening?''
met at the corners. "So Hodges is his much trouble losing keys to carry ° 0 a date she had that night with Will !3ru~h gulped, remembering the faint
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uncle ! Hm-m-m." than needed with him. ore Young. She usually had seven dates a noises he had heard. So it had been
''Still fighting the biochemistry de- There was no mistaking the heav week with at least four different men a trap ! "I never- "
partment ?" By a miracle of tact and tank on the low table, and Bruo-h 1110 dy servii1g as escorts. Brugh thoroughly "Of course. But we had trouble be-
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good nature, Dixon had managed to quietly to 1t, 1 ted the cover, and star d approved of Young, however, since he fore-someone trying to force their way
keep on friendly terms with both men. inside. There was a light in the ta~k \\'as completing his Ph.D. work and in-and we set up a photoelectric eye
'· ( wish you two would get together ; that went 0 ~1 automatically when the acting as lab assistant. Mrs. Brugh ap- and camera with film for u. v. light.
Hodges is really a pretty decent sort. cover was raised. and the details of th prO\·ed o ( him because the young rpa n Didn't expect to catch you, but there's
. .. Well, I didn't think so ; you're both body inside were clearly defined. Brug? cam_e h:om a good family and had inde- a nice picture of your face on it. and
too stubborn for your own good. That was disappointed ; he had been hopinc.~ pendent means, without the need of the your key is in the lock-the number
nephew of his isn't so good, though. for physical defects, but the figure wa~ long_ grind up to a full professorship. show it's yours., I didn't think even
Came up here to pump money out of his that of a young man, almost too clas • T anya was chiefly interested in his six- you would stoop to stealing!'.
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uncle and get away from some scandal call_Y per ect dm o yf, and with an in- foot-two, his football reputatior1, and a Brugh made strangling sounds. "I
in New York. His reputation isn't any telligent, 1 1an so.me ace. ').'here was new Dodge he owned. didn't steal your phony man; \\'Oulcln 't
'too savory. Wouldn't want my daugh- even a healthy pmk glow to the skin. .M_argaret Brugh spied her hw;bancl touch the thing! Further111ore, T didn't
t~r going with him." But there was no real life, no faint co111111g through the door, and began her ]eave a key. Go sleep your insanity.
"Don't worry; Tanya won't be going ·est spark of ~ni1~1ation . or • breathing~ usual \\'Orried harangue about his health off !"
with Hodges' nephew any longer. A.uthropos lay m !us nutntive bath, eyes and overwork. He muttered something "Are you going to return Anthropos ?"