murray leinster - the middle of the week after next

5/24/2018 Murray Leinster - The Middle of the Week After Next

1/8

Murray Leinsfer THEMIDDLE OF THE WEEK AFTER NEXTIn this tale we meet our first Mad Scientist. Just as in reality the thoroughly cracked pots used to be found

inventing perpetual-motion machines, so in science fiction we find the lunatic fringe more often than not trying

to perfect time-travel mechanisms.

Of course, Mr. inder is not really mad! he is "ust a bit unlikely. #nd the results of his e$periments are unlikelier

yet, but you come to look for that sort of thing with pleased anticipation when you read time-travel stories.

%on&t write in asking Mr. 'einster where the people in his story were when they weren&t here. (e could tell you,

but you wouldn&t understand, any more than Mr. Mc)adden did, or I did.

It can be reported that Mr. Thaddeus Binder is again puttering happily around the workshop he calls hislaboratory, engaged again upon something that healonecalls philosophic-scientific research. He is aery nice, little, pink-cheeked person, Mr. Binderbut maybe somebody ought tostop him.Mr. !teems could be asked for an opinion. If the matter of Mr. Binder"s last triumph is mentioned in Mr.!teems"s hearing, he will begin to speak, rapidly and with emotion. His speech will grow impassioned# histone will grow shrill and hoarse at the same time# and presently he will foam at themouth. This occurs though he is not aware that he eer met Mr. Binder in person, and though the word$compenetrability$ has neer %&allen upon his ears. It occurs because Mr. !teems is sensitie. He stillresents it that the newspapers described him as the Ta'i Monstera mass murderer e'ceeding een M.(andru in the number of his ictims. There is also the matter of Miss !usie Blepp, to whom Mr. !teemswas affianced at the time, and there is the matter of )atrolman *assidy, whose loe life was rearranged. Mr.

!teems"s reaction is iolent. But the background of the episode was completely innocent. It was eenchastely intellectual.The background was Mr. Thaddeus Binder. He is a plump little man of si'ty-four, retired on pension fromthe Maintenance +epartment of the local electric light and power company. He makes a hobby of a line ofresearch that seems to hae been neglected. !ince his retirement, Mr. Binder has read widely and deeply,uaffing the wisdom of men like ant, (eibnit, Maritain, &instein, and %udge /utherford. He absorbsphilosophical notions from those great minds and then tries to apply them practically at his workbench. Hedoes not realie his success. +efinitely0Mr. !teems droe a ta'icab in which Mr. Binder rode 1ust after one such e'periment. The whole affairsprang from that fact. Mr. Binder had come upon the philosophical concept of compenetrability. It is theabstract thought thatall e'perience to the contrary notwithstandingtwo things might manage to be inthe same place at the same time. Mr. Binder decided that it might be true. He e'perimented. InMaintenance, before his retirement, he had answered many calls in the emergency truck, and he knew some

things that electricity on the loose can do. He knows some other things that he doesn"t beliee yet. In anycase, he used this background of factual data in grappling with a philosophical concept. He made a deice.He tried it. He was delighted with the results. He then set out to show it to his friend Mr. Mc2adden.It was about fie o"clock hi the afternoon of May 3, 4564. Mr. Binder reached the corner of Bliss andelin !treets, near his home. He had a paper-wrapped parcel under his arm. He saw Mr. !teems"s cabparked by the curb. He approached and gae the address of his friend Mr. Mc2adden, on Monroe 7enue.Mr. !teems looked at him sourly. Mr. Binder got into the cab and repeated the address. Mr.!teems snapped, $I got it the first time0$ He pulled out into the traffic, scowling. &erything was normal.Mr. Binder settled back blissfully. The inside of the cab was dingy and worn, but he did not notice. The seatcushion was so badly frayed that there was one place where a spring might stab through at any instant. ButMr. Binder beamed to himself. He had won an argument with his friend Mr. Mc2adden. He had proof of hiscorrectness. It was the paper parcel on his lap.The cab passed 8ernon !treet. It went by +upuy !treet. Mr. Binder chuckled to himself. In his reading, the

idea of compenetrability had turned up with a logical argument for its possibility that Mr. Binderconsidered hot stuff. He had repeated that argument to Mr. Mc2adden, who tended to skepticism. Mr.Mc2adden had said it was nonsense. Mr. Binder insisted that it was a triumph of inductie reasoning. Mr.Mc2adden snorted. Mr. Binder said, $7ll right, I"ll proe it0$ 9ow he was on the way to do so.His reading of abstruse philosophy had brought him happiness. He gloated as he rode behind Mr. !teems.He een untied his parcel to admire the eidence all oer again. It was a large, thin, irregularly shaped pieceof soft leather, supposedly a deerskin. It had been a throw on the parlor settee, and had had a picture ofHiawatha and Minnehaha on it. The picture was long gone, now, and the whole thing was about right towash a car with# but Mr. Binder regarded it ery happily. It was his proof that compenetrability waspossible.


2/8

7nother cab eeled in before Mr. !teems, forcing him to stop or collide. Mr. !teems 1ammed on his brakes,howling with wrath. The brakes screamed, the wheels locked, and Mr. Binder slid forward off his seat. Mr.!teems hurled inectie at the other drier. In turn, he receied inectie. They achieed heights ofelouence which soothed their separate kes. Mr. !teems turned proudly to Mr. Binder. $That told him off,huh:$Mr. Binder did not answer. He was not there. The back of the cab was empty. It was as if Mr. Binder had

eaporated.Mr. !teems fumed. He turned off abruptly into a side street, stopped his cab, and inestigated. Mr. Binderwas utterly gone. 7 large patch of deerskin lay on the floor. ;n the deerskin there was an unusual collectionof small ob1ects. Mr. !teems found? in siler, nickel, and copper coins4 pocketknife 4@ eyelets of metal, suitable for shoes4 pair spectacles in metal case4 nickel-plated ring, which would fit on a tobacco pipe 4A? small bits of metal, looking like ipper teeth4 key ring, with keys4 metal shoelace tip4 belt buckle, minus beltMr. !teems swore iolently. $!mart guy, huh0$ he said wrathfully. $ettinC a free ride0 He outsmartedhimself, he did0 (et "im try to get this watch back0 I neer seen him0$He pocketed the watch and money. The other ob1ects he cast contemptuously away. He was about to heaeout the deerhide when he remembered that Miss !usie Blepp had made disparaging remarks about thecondition of his cab. !o had her mother, while grafting deadhead cab rides as Mr. !teems"s prospectiemother-in-law. Mr. !teems said, $The hell with her0$ But then, grudgingly, he spread the deerhide oer theback-seat cushion. It helped. It hid the spring that was about to stab through.Mr. !teems was dourly pleased. He went and hocked Mr. Binder"s watch and felt a great deal better. Heresumed his lawful trade of plying the city streets as a common carrier. )resently he made a soft moaningsound.!usie"s mother stood on the curb, waing imperiously. His ta'i flag was up. Trust her to spot that first0 Hecouldn"t claim he was busy. Bitterly, he pulled in and opened the back door for her. !he got in, puffing alittle. !he was large and formidable, and Mr. !teems mareled gloomily that a cute trick like !usie couldhae such a battle-a' for a mother.$!usie told me to tell you,$ puffed Mrs. Blepp, $that she can"t keep tonight"s date.$

$;h, no:$ said Mr. !teems sourly.$9o,$ said !usie"s mother seerely. !he waited challenging-ly for !teems to drie her home Dany hesitationon his part would mean a row with !usieE. !he slipped off her shoes. !he settled back.Mr. !teems droe. 7s he droe, he muttered. !usie was breaking a date. Maybe she was going out withsomeone else. There was a cop named *assidy who always looked wistfully at !usie, een in the cab of heraffianced boy friend. Mr. !teems muttered anathemas upon all cops.He drew up before !usie"s house# !usie wouldn"t be home yet. He turned to let !usie"s mother out.His eyes practically popped out of his head.The back of the cab was empty. ;n the seat there was seenteen cents in pennies, one nickel, a slightlygreenish wedding ring, an empty lipstick container, seeral straight steel springs, twele bobbie pins,assorted safety pins, and a ery glittering dress ornament. ;n the floor Mrs. Blepp"s shoes remainedsieten and a half.Mr. !teems cried out hoarsely. He stared about him, gulped seeral times for air, and then droe rapidly

away. !omething was wrong. He did not know what, but it was instinct to get away from there. Mr. !teemsdid not want trouble. He especially did not want trouble with !usie. Buthere it was.This was bad business0 )resently he stopped and inspected his cab with infinite care. 9othing. The deerskinmade a good-looking seat coer. That was all. There was no opening anywhere through which !usie"smother could hae fallen. !he could not hae gone out through the door. Fnder no circumstances would shehae abandoned her shoes. !omething untoward and upsetting had come into Mr. !teems"slife.Mr. !teems retired to a bar and had seeral beers. There was a situation to be facedto be thought out. ButMr. !teems was not an intellectual type. Thinking made his head " hurt. He could not ask adice, because


3/8

nobody would beliee what he had to say. 7pprehension deeloped into desperation and then into defiance.$I didn"t do nothing,$ muttered Mr. !teems truculently. $I don"t know nothing about it0$ Gould !usie not bewilling to beliee that: $I neer seen her0$ said Mr. !teems in firm resole. $I neer set eyes on that oldbattle-a' today0 The hell with her0$He had another beer. Then he realied that to stay enclois-tered, drinking beer after beer, might suggest tosomeone that he was upset. !o he set out to act in so conspicuously normal a manner that nobody could

suspect him of anything. He had lost considerable time in his meditation, howeer. It was nearly nineo"clock when he resumed his cruising. It was half-past nine when he stopped behind a 1am of other ehiclesat a red light on &ers 7enue. He waited. He brooded.

!omebody wrenched open the door of the cab and crawledin.Mr. !teems reacted normally. $Hey0 Ghat"s the idea: Howya know I want a fare now:$!omething cold and hard touched his spine and a hoarse oice snarled, $et goin", buddy. eep your mouthshut an" don"t turn around0$The red light changed. !houting broke out half a block behind. Mr. !teemswith cold metal urging himshifted gears with great celerity. He droe with all the enthusiasm of a man with no desire to be mi'ed up ingunplay. The shouting died away in the distance. Mr. !teems droe on and droe on. )resently he dared tosay meekly, $Ghere you want me to drie you or let you out:$Behind him there was silence.

/esting on the deerskin seat coer there was a ery nasty-looking automatic pistol, a black-1ack, =4.@6 incoins, seenteen watches, thirty-four rings, a sterling siler gray bowl, and a garnet necklace. There werealso two large gold teeth.Mr. !teems, trembling, went home and put the cab away. Then, unable to stay alone, he went out and drankmore beers as he tried to figure things out. He did not succeed.7fter a long time he muttered bitterly, $It ain"t my fault0 I don"t know nothing about it0$ !till later he saidmore bitterly still, $I can"t do nothing about it, anyways0$ Both statements were true. They gae Mr. !teemssome pleasure. He was innocent. He was blameless. Ghateer might turn up, he could stridently andtruthfully insist upon his complete rectitude. !o he had some more beers.*ame the dawn, and !usie babbling frantically on a telephone. Her mother hadn"t come home or called, andit was raining terribly andMr. !teems said indignantly, $I ain"t seen her. Ghat"s the idea of missing that date with me:$!usie wept. !he repeated that her mother had not come home. The police)atrolman *assidyhadchecked, and she hadn"t been in any accident. !usie wanted Mr. !teems to do something to find out whathad become of her mother.$Huh0$ said Mr. !teems. $9obody ain"t going to kidnap her0 I don"t know nothing about it. Ghat you wantme to do:$!usie, sniffling, wanted him to help find her mother. But Mr. !teems knew better than to try it. It hurt hishead een to think about it. Besides, he didn"t want to get mi'ed up in anything.$(ook,$ he said firmly, $it"s rainin" cats and dogs outside. I got to make some money so we can get married,!usie. Theold dame"ll turn up. Maybe she"s 1ust kickin" up her heels. "by.$He went out to his cab. /ain fell heaily. It should hae brought 1oy to Mr. !teems"s heart, but he regardedhis cab uneasily. It wore a look of battered innocence. Mr. !teems grimly climbed into the front seat. He setforth to act innocent. It seemed necessary. That was about nine o"clock in the morning.By half-past ten, cold chills were practically a permanent fi'ture along his spine. He had had passengers.They had anished. Fnanimously. Ine'plicably. They left behind them e'traordinary things as mementos.

2inancially, Mr. !teems was not doing badly. He aeraged half a dollar or better in cash from eery fare.But otherwise he was doing ery badly indeed. 7t eleen, driing in teeming rain, he saw )atrolman*assidyand *assidy saw him. 7t *assidy"s gesture Mr. !teems pointed to the back of his cab, implyingthat he had a fare, and droe on through the rain. His teeth chattered. He droe hastily to his lodgings.Business had been good. 2ar too good to hae allowed *assidy a look into the cab. Mr. !teems furtielycarried into his lodgings

murray leinster - the middle of the week after next

Documents