Page 62 - Astounding Pulp V2

62 ASTOUNDI NG SCIENCE-FfCTION
THE SMALLEST GOD 63
som note might he some of Johnny's willing to lel you have a few clolla 1·s for
pleasant work.·• your work." "Just a little nervous this morning ; not picked it up, whittled the neck quickly
"Th~n you think it's your nephew ?" Thoma~ smiled. and looked across the used to getting up so early. Now, as to a point, and drew a whip. " Hi, fel-
"I don't think anything, but it might room while apparently makina- ll() h' we were saying-" lows !" called the gnome. "Come, see
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be. H e's the type. Tell you what I'll 111111 • As he looked, a cat came o ut Clicli ! The sound was in the young the top I made." He drew the whip
do ; you try to get some of that potas- f!·om where no cat should be, g ravely man's head, and a soft purring voice smartly a cross Thomas' head and sent it
sium salt--oh. yes, I knew about it long ltfted a bottle of whiskey and d k followed it. "I know a secret, I k1~ow spinning as a horde of other little hob-
ago-from your patrot;i. and I'll help deeply. "Excellent, my dear Tho~ a n ,. a secret, and I'm going to tell ! Johnny, goblins jumped out of odd places to
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you investigate Johnny." the cat remarked. "I suppose w:n old kid, tell the old fossil what a smart watch. That was a little too much for
" If you 'II help increase my size." That you collect that grand from yotii· 1 guy you are, putting over a trick like Johnny, with the addition of two worms .,
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question was still a major one in the we 'II 1 S 1 e • that on him. Go ahead and tell !" T here- that were eating his eyes.
1ave ever better drinks
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god's mind. " How·n we find out t n c , stea mg that thmg." · , n1art was a hot flicker of pain that sta:1hed Hodges chuckled. " A ll right, Her-
whether Thomas has the thing ?" up the backbone, then ran around the mes, let him alone. T he boy's fainted.
_The cat licked its chops, sprouted
" That's your worry, son. I'll carry wmgs and turned into a f . ribs and began doing something on the It's a pity I couldn't see the things you
you there, but from then on it's in your " N I a iry order of~ toe dance in Thomas' stomach. were forcing on his mind. Must have
" _aug ,ty, naughty," said lhe fai r .
hands." Hodges pocketed H ermes and L ittle boys shouldn't !;teal." I t flu~~ He gritted bis teeth and groaned. been right interesting."
turned out of the kitchen. tered over to Thoma:s' shoulcl . Hodges became all solicitation. "Some- Hermes came out of the corner, smil-
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e, a nd
pe1 c 1ec t 1ere, tmkl111g reproach full thing you ate?" asked the professor. ing. "T hey were very nice. I think
IX. T he young man swatted at it. fcti .. "' "Just lie down on the bed and relax." he'll talk when he comes to. H e per-
hand p~ss through it. and j umped ~~; T here was a whole den of rattlesnakes suaded Tanya to get him the key by
Jou~NY THOMAS looked reasonably the chair. Now the room was curled up on the bed, making clicking pretending an interest in cyclotrons-
pleasant as lie stuck his head out of the though his eyes darted into ' _e111pty, sounds that seemed to say : ·'Come said he was writing a story. ' She
door. th~ugh the circles under his eyes ner., H ' e, e, y car ahead, young fellow, it's breakfast t ime wouldn't have done it, except that the
is uncle coughed again.
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were _a little too prominent in the early and we're hungry !" Thomas had no key was lying so temptingly within
you re done playing, J ohn- " h If
111or11111g hours. He grinned 1i·ith evi- gested. e s ug - desire to relax among even imaginary reach. H e worked on her innocence."
dent self-satisfaction. snakes.
" Didn't you see it ?'' "O. K., H ermes," H odges grunted.
'' A h. my clear maternal uncle. Do "S~e what ? Oh, you mean that "Gu.!p-ugh!" he said, and an angel "She's washed whiter than .snow, if you
come in." He kicked aside a newspaper Ye~, 1t was a big one. But about fly? unscrewed its head from the light socket want it that way. Better get back in
t hat was scattered across the floor and busmess I have- '' this and dropped near him. " Gulp-ouch!" my pocket ; JohnnY:s coming around
flipped the cigarette ashes off the one "I think he'd make a nice meal ,, . T he. angel sprouted horns and tail, and again."
c~mfortable chair in the room, seating ~ grizzly bear, materializing s~tdde~a icl earned a red-hot fork that felt most
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h1111self on the bed. " \Nhat can I do for So young and succulent." 11 Y- u'. Pleasant when rubbed tenderly along IT w AS noon when H odges came to
you this morning?" A shining halo of light quivered . his shins. the cell where Brugh sat. T he biochem-
Hodges coughed to s:over the noise lenrlv. " You'd poison your 5 V 10 , Click! Again the voice was in hi~ ist dropped the little god on the floor
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of Hennes slipping acro:;s the room to ru1~1. o back home.·• The • head. "Remember that girl at Casey's? and grinned. "You're free now:, Arling-
a dark place under Llie table. With that obediently trotted to the w indo bca i· W ell, when she committed suicide, it ton," he informed the other: "Sorry _I
attended to, he faced his nephew. "You ~assed through the glass; the 1~: a nd wasn•~ so nice. But that was gas, and got you i.n here, but I've tned to make
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light struck a commanding note of
know Anthropos-Lhat sy11thetic man I nd she d1_dn't feel any pains. W hen you up for that."
face of wrath appeared in it. ,~,~ a con 1 1111t suicide-" Brugh looked up at the professor's
grew in a culture bath ? Somebody stole . f .l, oung
,
him last night, tank and all, and slipped man, 1 epent o your ways and lea r n that "I won't commit suicide!" T he bel- ,·oice ' and his face wasn't pretty.
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a note under my door demanding a thou- your s111s 1ave found you out. T i low Was involuntary, forced out just as "Arrughh!' he said. , .
1s but short on this mortal spher n,e T he smile on H odges face remamed
sand dollars for his return.'' the little devil decided his fork would
the bad that we do must foll; · and feel worse in the stomach. "Take 'em unchanged. "I expected that. But H er-
"Too bad. But surely, uncle, you through all eternity. Repent f w tts away !" mes here can tell you I honestly thought
don't think I harl anrthing to do with hour has come!" ' or t i 'le you'd stolen Anthropos. \,\·e just fin-
it?" " I-lodges clucked sympathetically.
T homas quivered clown onto th b . Dear, dear ! Do you have a dizzy feel- ished putting him back where he be-
"Of course not; how could you get again, wiping his forehead. The • el ed ing, Johnny?" longs, and seeing that young nephew of
ic ea o f
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into tl1e laboratory? But I thought you gettmg nervous .,i.t a t11n e like this I T Johnny did, just as the words were mine leave town. If you'll avoid com-
might help me contact the men and make t i . Id ' b · lie out. His head gave an unpleasant twang mitting homicide 011 me, the warden will
ungs cou n t e real. H e turned
arrangemc11Ls to pay. Of course. I'd be t H 1 l . . 1 )ack and leaped from his body, then went unlock the door."
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oc ges, w 10 w.as wa1t111g patien tly.
whirling around the room. A gnome "What about my reputation?"