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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/32802-h.zip b/32802-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..35d15f1 --- /dev/null +++ b/32802-h.zip diff --git a/32802-h/32802-h.htm b/32802-h/32802-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9b89213 --- /dev/null +++ b/32802-h/32802-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,1266 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<!-- $Id: header.txt 236 2009-12-07 18:57:00Z vlsimpson $ --> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Tillie, by Craig Browning. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> + +body { + margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; +} + + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; +} + +p { + margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; +} + +hr { + width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; +} + +table { + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; +} + +.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ + /* visibility: hidden; */ + position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; +} /* page numbers */ + +.linenum { + position: absolute; + top: auto; + left: 4%; +} /* poetry number */ + +.blockquot { + margin-left: 5%; + margin-right: 10%; +} + +.sidenote { + width: 20%; + padding-bottom: .5em; + padding-top: .5em; + padding-left: .5em; + padding-right: .5em; + margin-left: 1em; + float: right; + clear: right; + margin-top: 1em; + font-size: smaller; + color: black; + background: #eeeeee; + border: dashed 1px; +} + +.bb {border-bottom: solid 2px;} + +.bl {border-left: solid 2px;} + +.bt {border-top: solid 2px;} + +.br {border-right: solid 2px;} + +.bbox {border: solid 2px;} + +.center {text-align: center;} + +.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + +.u {text-decoration: underline;} + +.caption {font-weight: bold;} + +/* Images */ +.figcenter { + margin: auto; + text-align: center; +} + +.figleft { + float: left; + clear: left; + margin-left: 0; + margin-bottom: 1em; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-right: 1em; + padding: 0; + text-align: center; +} + +.figright { + float: right; + clear: right; + margin-left: 1em; + margin-bottom: + 1em; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-right: 0; + padding: 0; + text-align: center; +} + +/* Footnotes */ +.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + +.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + +.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} + +.fnanchor { + vertical-align: super; + font-size: .8em; + text-decoration: + none; +} + +/* Poetry */ +.poem { + margin-left:10%; + margin-right:10%; + text-align: left; +} + +.poem br {display: none;} + +.poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + +.poem span.i0 { + display: block; + margin-left: 0em; + padding-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; +} + +.poem span.i2 { + display: block; + margin-left: 2em; + padding-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; +} + +.poem span.i4 { + display: block; + margin-left: 4em; + padding-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; +} + + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tillie, by Roger Phillips Graham + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Tillie + +Author: Roger Phillips Graham + +Release Date: June 13, 2010 [EBook #32802] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TILLIE *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + + +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<h1>TILLIE</h1> + +<h2>By CRAIG BROWNING</h2> + +<p>[Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from Amazing Stories December +1948. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. +copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<div class="sidenote">She was just a blob of metal, but she had emotions like any +woman. She, too, wanted ROMANCE, and wasn't coy about running after her +"guy"</div> + + +<p>"There you are!" Judson Taylor, the eccentric physics prof, pulled a +metallic object out of his pocket and laid it on the table between us. +The object was a solid chunk of some kind of metal, judging from its +bright silver color, about the size and shape of a pocket knife.</p> + +<p>I looked at it stupidly and said, "<i>Where</i> are we?"</p> + +<p>I am Bill Halley. Some of the adolescent undergraduate brats at this +one-horse college have nicknamed me "Comet" and it burns me up every +time some pimply-faced baby waves his arm at me and says, "Hiya, Comet." +But I smile and don't let them know I don't like it, because if they +knew there would be no living with them. Jud is head of the physics +department and I am one of the three profs under him. When I first came +here last fall he looked at my papers, said "BILL HALLEY?" and since +then has treated me with the respect he reserves only for the gods of +Physics. Probably assumed I was a direct descendant of the Halley who +got his name plastered all over Halley's Comet.</p> + +<p>Anyway, between classes this morning he had excitedly asked me to meet +him at the Campus Lunch during the noon hour and he would show me his +latest discovery—and here we were, wherever that was. I picked up the +hunk of metal and turned it over in the palm of my hand, sipping my +coffee from a cup held in my other hand, and tried to figure out why he +was so excited.</p> + +<p>There was a peculiar warmth to the stuff. Maybe it was radioactive. But +no, it was too light to be one of the heavy elements. I tossed it back +to the table top and then nearly rose to the ceiling. The stuff hadn't +bounced with a metallic sound at all, but had settled slowly, coming to +rest with no sign of a bump.</p> + +<p>I picked it up again and looked at Jud, puzzled.</p> + +<p>He grinned and said, "Watch this." Then he looked at the lump of metal +in a peculiar manner like he might be trying mental telepathy out on it, +and suddenly the stuff weighed a ton. It forced my hand down so fast +that it bruised as it struck the table. As suddenly the stuff became +light again and Judson Taylor had hold of my hand, rubbing it.</p> + +<p>"Oh, I'm so sorry, Bill. I am not too good at controlling it yet."</p> + +<p>"What the hell IS that stuff?" I ground out.</p> + +<p>"I don't know, exactly," he replied. "Mallory, the biochemist, made it +and brought it to me. He said he got a lot of chemicals spilled. One of +them was a rare enzyme that he didn't want to lose, so he mopped up the +mess and put it in a large flask and added some alcohol, getting ready +to recover this valuable enzyme. Suddenly this stuff started to form on +the sides of the flask, just like silver in the mirror coating process. +But all the chemicals were pure hydro-carbons with no silver or other +metal present. According to Mallory this stuff is some unknown +hydro-carbon. I've been playing with it for two days now."</p> + +<p>Judson Taylor put the stuff back in his pocket and rose.</p> + +<p>"Let's go over to my lab. I want to show you some things I've found out +about it."</p> + +<p>I gulped down the rest of my coffee and followed him. We crossed the +campus of good old Puget U to the antique building which housed the +physics department. We climbed the creaking stairs to the third floor +which was devoted mostly to Jud's own private research and was filled +with apparatus that he had accumulated during the thirty years he had +been kingpin of this department.</p> + +<p>Jud crossed over to a bench on which there was a balance and some other +stuff and placed the hunk of mystery on one tray of the balance. On the +other tray he placed a ten-gram weight. The balance swayed a little and +then came to rest on the zero mark, showing the stuff weighed exactly +ten grams. Then he placed another ten-gram weight on the tray and the +balance came to rest on the zero mark, showing the stuff weighed exactly +twenty grams!</p> + +<p>"Now watch," he said. He placed the silver chunk on the same side as the +two ten-gram weights, leaving the tray it had been in absolutely empty. +The balance fluctuated a little and again came to rest on the zero mark, +showing a minus twenty grams!</p> + +<p>By that time I had stopped believing what my eyes told me.</p> + +<p>"That's quite a trick," I said skeptically. "How do you work it?" And I +stooped to look under the table, hoping to see a setup of magnets hidden +there that would help restore my belief in my sanity.</p> + +<p>"I don't work it," Jud exclaimed irritably. "It acts that way itself."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>I forgot my one o'clock class entirely. Jud and I played around with +that hunk of metallic hydro-carbon most of the afternoon, arguing back +and forth about what caused it to do the things it did. I found out that +if I thought of beefsteak rare while I looked at it, it would weigh +exactly ten pounds, and if I thought of a chicken with its neck being +wrung the stuff would float up to the ceiling. I tried all sorts of +thoughts on it and got some of the craziest results. But whatever I +thought, when I thought of the same thing again I got the same results. +But my results were different than Jud's! When he thought of a chicken +with its neck being wrung the stuff didn't float up to the ceiling but +instead made the floor creak and groan. Finally we took it over to the +feed company and put it on their car scales. Then when Jud thought of a +chicken with its neck being wrung, we found that the stuff weighed +twelve thousand four hundred and eighty pounds! And it was no bigger +than a pocket knife!</p> + +<p>As we stood there and looked at the feed scales in utter amazement I +said, "Look, Jud, we've got something here. I've got an idea. Suppose we +rig up a strong resting place for this stuff in my car. Then when I +think of the right thing it will push the car forward at any speed I +want to go. We'll have to be careful or it will wreck us, but—maybe +after we know what we are doing we can build a space ship!"</p> + +<p>Well, to cut a long story short, two days later Mallory, the biochemist, +Jud Taylor, and I were speeding along the state highway with the needle +hovering around eighty-five, the engine out of gear and dead, and a +crazy bit of silver stuff encased in a special frame in the dashboard +with reinforcing bars down to the chassis holding it steady.</p> + +<p>It took two of us to drive the car, though, because one of us had to +drive and the other concentrate on the stuff.</p> + +<p>Jud had named the stuff "tellepan" before he showed it to me that noon, +but I pointed out that tellepan sounded too much like Japanese for +turtle, so he renamed it "tellecarbon." Mallory had been wracking his +brains trying to figure the chemical composition of the stuff, but all +he had found out was that the stuff could not absorb any heat whatever, +nor emit any, it had any weight you wanted to give it, and when left +alone assumed any weight it seemed to fancy at the moment. Moreover, no +reagent could touch it. Even aqua regia and hydrofluoric acid couldn't +touch it. It could be manipulated like putty and molded into any shape +with a little persuasion; it always remained the same bright silver +color, and it seemed to be the connecting link between gravity and +thought.</p> + +<p>Mallory even got some more bottles of the chemicals he had spilled and +spilled them over again, cleaning them up and putting some alcohol in +the mess like he had done the first time, but no more tellecarbon +appeared. We finally had to face the facts. Tellecarbon was some complex +hydro-carbon because all of its basic constituents were hydro-carbons. +We had the only bit of it in existence and no more could be made.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>After we had driven for a couple of hours, Jud changed his thought to +something else and we came to a halt on the highway. No one was in sight +so we decided to try our second experiment. For that I had to do the +thinking because none of Jud's thoughts seemed to work in the attempts +we had made in the laboratory. I brought to my mind's eye the image of a +chicken with its neck being wrung. Then made it two of them. The car +rose slowly off the ground. Then Jud thought his thoughts that made it +move forward. By regulating the number of dying chickens in my thoughts +I could cause the car to rise or sink at will.</p> + +<p>Soon we were quite high, or at least Mallory said we were. I looked out +of the window to see and the car started to hurtle to the ground. It +scared me so much that I almost couldn't calm my mind enough to think of +chickens, but finally made it just in time. By a supreme effort of will +I managed to get the car down safely on the highway again. Then I gave +in to my emotions and shook like a leaf.</p> + +<p>We had had enough for the day, so we covered up the tellecarbon and +started the motor, getting back to the U at dusk.</p> + +<p>When we alighted from the car in front of the boarding house in which +Mallory and I stayed, we were still a little shaky over our narrow +escape. We stood on the sidewalk by the car for a moment trying to +decide whether to go up to my room, to Mallory's or down the street a +block to Jud's house. We compromised on Pokey's Malt Shop at the corner +and finally settled with a sigh of relief in a booth way at the back.</p> + +<p>With a round of black coffee in front of us we settled down to business. +Nothing less than a space ship would do. Here in our hands, or rather +out in my car, we had the secret of untold power. With that little hunk +of tellecarbon and a certain amount of concentration on it we could +travel to Mars and back like nothing flat. During summer vacation for +the last two years Mallory and I had worked in the shipyards and gained +practical experience in welding, boilermaking and sheetmetal work. The +two of us could build a small space ship by ourselves. All that would be +necessary would be to make it airtight, with enough insulation to keep +our heat from radiating into space. The rest of the problem involved +only ordering stuff from catalogues. Carbon dioxide absorbers, tanks of +oxygen, food, various instruments, and so on. That would be Jud's work.</p> + +<p>Just as we were finishing our coffees, Lahoma Rice, the secretary in the +Dean's office, came in and discovered us. Mallory and I had been more or +less competing for her affections for some time. It was the only thing +that had ever come between us in our years at college together and the +years since then. We both tried to keep it on a friendly basis, but +underneath it had become pretty serious.</p> + +<p>When we saw her coming Jud whispered quickly, "Keep quiet about all this +in front of her. We don't want anybody to know about our amazing +discovery at this early date."</p> + +<p>Coming over, she slid into the booth beside Jud and flashed a smile at +me and Mallory.</p> + +<p>"Well, what's all the hush-hush about?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, nothing," answered Mallory, looking completely unconcerned.</p> + +<p>"Ha, ha. That's right. Absolutely nothing at all," I echoed, to make it +more convincing. But somehow it didn't sound quite as convincing as I +had intended. Even I noticed that at once, and a secret dangled before +the nose of a woman. It awoke in her an undefeatable urge. Before we +could rally our forces she was in on the secret and determined to go +with us when we went to Mars.</p> + +<p>"But Lahoma," Mallory desperately pleaded, "you don't need to come +along. I'll be all right."</p> + +<p>"I wasn't thinking of you," Lahoma retorted icily, and although she did +not look at me as she said that, my heart quickened its tempo at the +hidden inference in her words.</p> + +<p>So it was settled. The four of us were to go as soon as school let out +the next summer. During the winter Mallory and I would build the space +ship in the old boat house down on the beach just a few blocks from the +campus.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>It was really fun that winter, working late into the night putting the +space ship together. Our crowning achievement was retractible wings for +steering the ship in atmosphere. In space, of course, steering would +have to be done by small steering rockets. The main drive force, though, +would be the missing link, as we had been calling it all winter.</p> + +<p>Came the spring, as somebody in the English department might say, and +the ship was complete. During the spring months we used the last of our +joint resources to stock it with all sorts of things, including seeds +for planting, in case we could not get back, or didn't want to come +back. Our final load, at the end of the school year, was books. Nothing +but books, and literally tons of them on everything from languages to +philosophy, from farming to the Bessemer Process.</p> + +<p>Then we were ready. During the winter we had all read everything we +could get on interplanetary travel. Most of it was, of course, fiction, +but each author had his own little idea that we could consider, so that +by the time we were ready to shove off we had a fairly complete grasp of +every problem we could possibly encounter—or so we fondly hoped.</p> + +<p>The ship was cigar-shaped, about eighty feet long and twenty feet in +diameter. It had been built so that in space, away from gravity, we +could start it spinning with the small rockets and use centrifugal force +to keep us on the deck, which lined the shell. There were ballast tanks +to keep one side down when in a gravity field, the water ballast being +transferred to the center tube tank before the spin was started, to +transfer the center of mass of the ship to the axis of rotation.</p> + +<p>We started early in the evening, heading into the east to take advantage +of the thousand-mile-an-hour speed of the earth's surface.</p> + +<p>The missing link, the hunk of tellecarbon, was encased in a polished +brass case in the exact center of gravity of the ship, strong girders +connecting it to the shell. A sound-proof booth surrounded it in which +the operator would not be distracted. A panel of signal lights was +immediately below it where the operator could see it without taking his +eyes off the tellecarbon. When we took off I was in the driver's seat, +Lahoma standing beside me. We had found that when she thought of +hamburger sandwiches the tellecarbon became antigravitational, just as +when I thought of chickens being killed.</p> + +<p>It took the combined power of our thoughts to lift the ship. As we found +out later, the ship rose sluggishly from the water and floated +erratically upward, reaching the stratosphere in a little over an hour. +By midnight we were over two thousand miles above the Earth's surface +and rising more and more rapidly. By then both of us were exhausted and +spelling each other off every ten minutes.</p> + +<p>Jud was constantly determining our position and speed. At two o'clock in +the morning he relieved Lahoma and concentrated on the tellecarbon to +give us more forward speed. By eight o'clock in the morning our speed +and direction of travel were correct for escape from the Earth's gravity +field toward the planet Mars, and I crawled out of the control booth, +practically a wreck.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>From there on it was smooth sailing. We would coast along for two months +before nearing Mars, and play with the gadgets we had brought along for +taking all sorts of measurements in outer space.</p> + +<p>Space is very different than most writers picture it. Instead of being +dark it is intensely bright in all directions. It was fortunate that we +had movable dark shields on each porthole. By varying the number over a +porthole we could block out most of the light and keep our objective in +view.</p> + +<p>Our most amazing discovery was that the temperature of interplanetary +space is not absolutely zero. Our outside thermostat, carefully shielded +against all rays, that is, infrared, visible, and ultraviolet, and in +the vacuum of space, showed a constant temperature of minus one hundred +and three degrees F. at all times in outer space. Jud explained that +this was probably due to x-rays and cosmic rays which could penetrate +the protective shield.</p> + +<p>On the fifty-eighth day after leaving the earth, Jud, at the forward +telescope, became suddenly excited. Dashing from the telescope to the +chart table he began scribbling figures, ignoring our queries as to what +was wrong. After fifteen minutes of figuring he straightened up, a +worried frown on his face.</p> + +<p>Muttering, "I was afraid of that," he brushed by us to the control booth +and slammed the door behind him. A half-hour later he came out and again +went to the telescope. Glancing through it, he made adjustments and then +read them. Dashing back to the table he again scribbled some figures. +When he had finished he stood there, his head bowed, staring at them. +Then he looked up at our faces and said solemnly, "What I have been +fearing in the back of my mind has happened. The tellecarbon no longer +responds to mental suggestion. It has taken over control of the ship +itself and, judging from our present course, we aren't going to ever get +to Mars."</p> + +<p>"What do you mean?" Lahoma asked.</p> + +<p>"I mean," Jud answered slowly, "that at present we have a velocity great +enough to escape from the solar system and that it is increasing every +moment. Furthermore, a half-hour of concentration on the tellecarbon has +not altered our course in the slightest. Wherever we are headed, it is +not any planet in this system!"</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The effect of his words cannot be imagined by anyone not in the position +we were in. We stood there stunned. Our little, spinning world of iron +and steel kept on spinning. Our gravity, which we had become accustomed +to, was different in many ways than flat gravity. For example, our floor +was curved, yet a dime dropped on it would roll in any direction along +the curve just like it was a flat surface. But something near the center +tube of the ship was practically weightless. So the center of gravity of +our bodies was not the same as its center of mass. This made itself felt +in thousands of little things. Heart action, sense of balance, and even +in walking.</p> + +<p>Picture, if you can, Jud standing several feet from me, his body forming +an angle of about thirty degrees with mine, both of our bodies erect, +our expressions serious. Picture also Lahoma and Mallory, their bodies +at still different angles. Throw in the absolute silence of that moment. +Not a single sound except our breathing, not even a creak from the ship. +If there had only been a cricket to chirp, or a snake, or a fly buzzing, +to make it seem like good old terra firma—but there was only the +interstellar silence and the absolute lack of vibration in the air and +the ship. And nearly two months of it, soaked into the marrow of our +bones.</p> + +<p>I for one would have welcomed a hit against the hull at that moment to +take us out of ourselves and make us fight for our existence. Anything +except the silent impersonal inexorableness of the lonely universe.</p> + +<p>In ten more months our food would be exhausted. In two years our air +could no longer be renewed because the chemicals which renewed it would +be no good. Our water supply would last forever, with the system of +recovery by distillation we had set up. But what is a year's food +supply? If we tossed the tellecarbon out into the void and rode free it +would be hundreds of years before our ship again entered the solar +system in its long ellipse. And if we kept the tellecarbon in the ship, +in another week even that hope would be gone. We could never return! +UNLESS we could regain control of the tellecarbon.</p> + +<p>Lahoma voiced the question that came to all our minds at the same time.</p> + +<p>"What could possibly be the cause of the change in the tellecarbon?" And +none of us had an answer.</p> + +<p>But that was the key to our salvation. IF we could regain control of the +tellecarbon we could at least return to Earth and give up our grand +plans of exploration and discovery. Not a one of us would have been +unwilling to return to good old PU at that moment and stay there, living +our humdrum lives for the rest of our days!</p> + +<p>"We'd better get busy," I said, taking the initiative. "We must cut a +bit of the tellecarbon off the parent chunk and experiment with it. We +must also keep constant check on our course to find out just what +accelerating force is now acting, and whether it changes any. And we +must all think of everything we can that might be the cause of this +revolt of the tellecarbon."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Suiting my actions to my words I got a wood chisel out of the tool +locker and went into the booth, going to work on the missing link. To my +surprise I had no trouble obtaining a thin slice of the silvery stuff. +It lay in my hand, apparently as tame as any other substance.</p> + +<p>I carried it out of the booth and laid it on the desk. The four of us +stood looking at it. Suddenly it jumped forward and plastered itself +against the forward porthole frame. We felt a slight lurch. The ship was +gaining speed!</p> + +<p>What had happened? In all our experience with the stuff it worked only +by thought. It had jumped forward, and the lurch of the ship told us +that the parent chunk as well as the sliver had acted together! Only one +thing could account for that. Some intelligence was controlling it. Some +intelligence so powerful that it could reach across space and blank out +our control completely, taking over the direction of our ship!</p> + +<p>We crowded around the forward porthole and peered out. Somewhere, far +ahead, was our destination. And at our destination some creature of vast +mental power was aware of our presence. Was forcing us to come to it. We +were all aware of that without speaking.</p> + +<p>Suddenly Lahoma began to laugh hysterically. The insane noise shattered +the silence with painful abruptness. I grabbed her by the shoulders and +shook her. Her laughter changed to sobs.</p> + +<p>And now the acceleration of the ship had become so great that it was +hard to stand erect. The rubber soles of our shoes was all that kept us +from sliding to the stern of the ship.</p> + +<p>Lahoma got hold of herself by a tremendous effort, and shook off my arm +which I had placed around her to keep her from falling.</p> + +<p>"Look," she said to us, "maybe there isn't any super intelligence +sucking us into outer space. Maybe it's our own thoughts. I don't know +how the rest of you have been feeling, but for several days now I have +had a fear of outer space that has been growing simply terrific. +Something like the fear of falling as you look over the edge of a cliff. +Could that have anything to do with what's going on?"</p> + +<p>"Maybe that's it!" Jud exclaimed. "We don't know half enough about this +stuff. It could be that such a fear would make it do the very thing +feared."</p> + +<p>As if in answer, the ship stopped accelerating.</p> + +<p>"That MUST be it!" Mallory shouted.</p> + +<p>"We have a clue I hadn't thought of," Jud added. Looking at me he went +on, "When you think of a chicken with its head being wrung, what thought +goes with it?"</p> + +<p>"Why," I hesitated, "I think of a swell chicken dinner."</p> + +<p>"I think of how awful it is to kill!" Jud exclaimed. "It doesn't react +to the idea but to the emotion."</p> + +<p>We experimented from that basis—without result. The tellecarbon was in +complete revolt. It paid no attention to us.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Two more days and we had to admit we were licked. Jud voiced what we had +all begun to suspect.</p> + +<p>"The tellecarbon must have developed a mind of its own," he said +dispiritedly. "We should have taken that into account. It reacts to +thought, so undoubtedly it has a few of the properties of the mind. What +we must try to do now is reason with it—try to find out why it has +become uncooperative. Let's all concentrate on that question and direct +it at the tellecarbon and see what happens."</p> + +<p>We tried it. Nothing seemed to happen for quite a while.</p> + +<p>"An idea just came into my mind," Lahoma said suddenly. "It's absurd. I +just thought, 'Suppose there is another chunk of tellecarbon out here +and our chunk is lonesome?' The way it has been cruising around the past +few days and ignoring us, it might have sensed another piece like it out +here and be looking for it!"</p> + +<p>"That's funny," I spoke up. "The thought just occurred to me too!"</p> + +<p>"Me too," Mallory exclaimed.</p> + +<p>"Then it must be so," Jud said. "Obviously the thought came from the +tellecarbon in reply to our question!"</p> + +<p>"But how can it think?" Mallory questioned. "After all it was +precipitated as a fine film, and you can quash it and even slice it up +without any trouble."</p> + +<p>"In science," Jud said, "you don't try to argue away facts. You accept +the facts and go on from there."</p> + +<p>"Let's go on from there, then," Lahoma spoke up. "Tillie—we might as +well call her that now that we know she, the tellecarbon, you know, +thinks—is looking for a companion. We might as well help her look."</p> + +<p>"How do you know it isn't a him?" I asked.</p> + +<p>"Oh, just a feeling," Lahoma replied.</p> + +<p>"Oh, fine," Mallory groaned. "We should have suspected it was a female +the way it started galivanting all over the solar system."</p> + +<p>"So that's the way you think of us females, Mallory!" Lahoma exclaimed +angrily.</p> + +<p>I smiled to myself. A few more remarks like that from Mallory and I +would have the field to myself. IF we ever got back to the Earth, which +I doubted. Secretly I agreed with Mallory. If the chunk of tellecarbon +was a female we had much less of a chance than if it were a male or an +it.</p> + +<p>Jud went to the telescope and started looking for a stray chunk of +silvery looking stuff. An air of semi-hopelessness began to settle over +all of us. The chances of finding such a thing were extremely slim.</p> + +<p>Almost at once, though, Jud let out an exclamation of triumph. We rushed +to his side and took turns looking into the telescope. There, less than +a quarter of a mile ahead of us, was something that flashed with silvery +brilliance like the belly of a trout in a clear stream. We followed the +flashes and soon figured out that Tillie was not searching for her +companion, but had found him long ago and was, female like, pursuing +him!</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>When the distance between them shortened, the silvery chunk ahead of us +speeded up. When the distance between us increased, it slowed down +again. It was obviously enjoying the chase.</p> + +<p>"This could go on forever," Mallory groaned, sticking his foot in his +mouth again.</p> + +<p>Lahoma ignored the opening.</p> + +<p>"It's obvious what we must do," she said, sounding quite capable. +"Tillie needs a little advice on love making. I'm quite sure that Oscar, +or whatever his name is, would pursue Tillie if she stopped CHASING him. +We've got to convince her of that and get her to try it."</p> + +<p>Evidently she didn't need convincing. She got the idea direct from +Lahoma and acted on it. The silver flash ahead swung away. Half an hour +later it showed up in the stern telescope.</p> + +<p>This seemed to delight Tillie, the tellecarbon, no end. She cavorted +about like a drunken puppy, giving us all a bad case of sea sickness.</p> + +<p>"Now," Lahoma gasped. "We must coax Tillie into setting us back on +Earth. I don't know how you men feel, but I would be quite willing to +turn Tillie loose so she could join her mate—once we were safely home."</p> + +<p>"But if we did that we wouldn't be able to explore the Solar System!" +Jud exclaimed.</p> + +<p>"And if we don't we'll probably wind up flattened against some asteroid +as soon as Tillie decides to break out of her shell," Lahoma snapped.</p> + +<p>I blanched at the thought. Mallory's knees buckled and he sat down on +the floor weakly. Jud himself swayed a little.</p> + +<p>That eventuality just hadn't occurred to us before. Obviously Tillie +would get tired of the chase and want to settle down and get cozy some +day. If she hadn't acquired the idea from us she might figure it out by +herself and dash us against some jagged bit of space rock.</p> + +<p>"All right. All right," Jud said weakly. "Let's see if we can talk +Tillie into taking us back home in exchange for her freedom. As an +arguing point you might all visualize the smashed ship, with her still +imprisoned and all of us dead and unable to help free her."</p> + +<p>An invisible hand seemed to push us to the back of the ship. We were +picking up speed faster than we ever had before.</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> + +<h3>The blob of metal clung to the space ship's trail like a pursuing nemesis.</h3> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<p>I slowly climbed to the forward telescope and looked through it. Dead +center was a small twinkling Earth with the Moon hovering near it.</p> + +<p>I informed the rest. They shouted with relief. We were on our way home!</p> + +<p>The stern telescope showed the other piece of tellecarbon following +us—almost sniffing at our heels. It held there, day after day, while +the Earth grew larger and larger.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>At the last Jud stood at the telescope and directed us in. After +circling about ten thousand miles up until Puget Sound was directly +below us, Tillie dipped down in obedience to his unspoken command.</p> + +<p>The whistling sound of atmosphere on the shell was the sweetest music +ever played by gods or men!</p> + +<p>We landed on Puget Sound opposite the campus. The minute we touched +shore I took a wrench and unscrewed the framework that held the +tellecarbon in place in the center tube. I could feel a rapid, excited +vibration as it waited—I mean she.</p> + +<p>No sooner was the last bolt loosened than she darted away. She almost +reached the open porthole where Mallory had taken his first breath of +fresh air when she stopped and returned.</p> + +<p>Tillie, the silvery blob of matter, came back and touched my cheek +softly. Then she did the same to Lahoma.</p> + +<p>We wasted no time in climbing out of the ship to the shore. There we +looked up. Far over our heads were two silver flashes of brilliance that +zoomed in ever-widening spirals.</p> + +<p>I felt someone beside me and glanced down. Lahoma was standing there. +Cautiously I put my arm around her waist.</p> + +<p>With a starry look in her bright eyes as she glanced at me, she twined +her arm around me. Then we looked up again.</p> + +<p>Far above we saw a wonderful sight. The two silver flashes seemed to +come together. There was a blinding light as from a tremendous +explosion; but unlike an explosion it remained bright. It was like a +morning star—a sun, far, far away. It grew smaller and smaller until at +last it seemed just another star twinkling in the heavens.</p> + +<p>There was an aftermath. We sold the space ship to a Ferry Boat company +and they transformed it into a streamlined excursion boat with a +conventional motor to drive it. But that isn't what I'm talking about.</p> + +<p>Lahoma and I got married shortly after. I had sense enough to capitalize +on the romance of the tellecarbons and proposed right then and there. +She accepted, of course.</p> + +<p>But it was two years later when our first child was born—little William +Lawrence. One Sunday we were down at the beach strolling along, pushing +the go-cart in the twilight.</p> + +<p>A full moon beamed down upon us and a million stars twinkled in the +clear sky. The waves washed with sleepy sounds against the sandy shore +and now and then a sea gull came close enough so we could hear the +swishing of its wings.</p> + +<p>Into this pleasant scene came a sound—at first so faint it could hardly +be heard. It was a shrill scream of some object hurtling through the +atmosphere above, almost like the whine of plane struts, only much +higher pitched.</p> + +<p>Lahoma and I glanced up. There, far up, something silvery flashed. As +our eyes adjusted themselves we saw that there were at least two of +them, and they were coming closer.</p> + +<p>Just as they seemed about to crash into the sandy beach they paused. +There were two large pieces of silvery substance and five small pieces.</p> + +<p>They hovered near us, quivering and scintillating. Then one of the two +larger ones came over and touched my cheek softly. The warmth of its +touch was almost human.</p> + +<p>With coruscating brilliance it left me to pause and touch Lahoma's +cheek. Then it darted down the beach, the other large piece just behind +it, and the five little ones trailing along.</p> + +<p>Lahoma put her arm around my waist and looked up into my eyes. And we +both chuckled and chuckled and chuckled.</p> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tillie, by Roger Phillips Graham + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TILLIE *** + +***** This file should be named 32802-h.htm or 32802-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/2/8/0/32802/ + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Tillie + +Author: Roger Phillips Graham + +Release Date: June 13, 2010 [EBook #32802] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TILLIE *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + + + + TILLIE + + By CRAIG BROWNING + +[Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from Amazing Stories December +1948. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. +copyright on this publication was renewed.] + + +[Sidenote: She was just a blob of metal, but she had emotions like any +woman. She, too, wanted ROMANCE, and wasn't coy about running after her +"guy"] + + +"There you are!" Judson Taylor, the eccentric physics prof, pulled a +metallic object out of his pocket and laid it on the table between us. +The object was a solid chunk of some kind of metal, judging from its +bright silver color, about the size and shape of a pocket knife. + +I looked at it stupidly and said, "_Where_ are we?" + +I am Bill Halley. Some of the adolescent undergraduate brats at this +one-horse college have nicknamed me "Comet" and it burns me up every +time some pimply-faced baby waves his arm at me and says, "Hiya, Comet." +But I smile and don't let them know I don't like it, because if they +knew there would be no living with them. Jud is head of the physics +department and I am one of the three profs under him. When I first came +here last fall he looked at my papers, said "BILL HALLEY?" and since +then has treated me with the respect he reserves only for the gods of +Physics. Probably assumed I was a direct descendant of the Halley who +got his name plastered all over Halley's Comet. + +Anyway, between classes this morning he had excitedly asked me to meet +him at the Campus Lunch during the noon hour and he would show me his +latest discovery--and here we were, wherever that was. I picked up the +hunk of metal and turned it over in the palm of my hand, sipping my +coffee from a cup held in my other hand, and tried to figure out why he +was so excited. + +There was a peculiar warmth to the stuff. Maybe it was radioactive. But +no, it was too light to be one of the heavy elements. I tossed it back +to the table top and then nearly rose to the ceiling. The stuff hadn't +bounced with a metallic sound at all, but had settled slowly, coming to +rest with no sign of a bump. + +I picked it up again and looked at Jud, puzzled. + +He grinned and said, "Watch this." Then he looked at the lump of metal +in a peculiar manner like he might be trying mental telepathy out on it, +and suddenly the stuff weighed a ton. It forced my hand down so fast +that it bruised as it struck the table. As suddenly the stuff became +light again and Judson Taylor had hold of my hand, rubbing it. + +"Oh, I'm so sorry, Bill. I am not too good at controlling it yet." + +"What the hell IS that stuff?" I ground out. + +"I don't know, exactly," he replied. "Mallory, the biochemist, made it +and brought it to me. He said he got a lot of chemicals spilled. One of +them was a rare enzyme that he didn't want to lose, so he mopped up the +mess and put it in a large flask and added some alcohol, getting ready +to recover this valuable enzyme. Suddenly this stuff started to form on +the sides of the flask, just like silver in the mirror coating process. +But all the chemicals were pure hydro-carbons with no silver or other +metal present. According to Mallory this stuff is some unknown +hydro-carbon. I've been playing with it for two days now." + +Judson Taylor put the stuff back in his pocket and rose. + +"Let's go over to my lab. I want to show you some things I've found out +about it." + +I gulped down the rest of my coffee and followed him. We crossed the +campus of good old Puget U to the antique building which housed the +physics department. We climbed the creaking stairs to the third floor +which was devoted mostly to Jud's own private research and was filled +with apparatus that he had accumulated during the thirty years he had +been kingpin of this department. + +Jud crossed over to a bench on which there was a balance and some other +stuff and placed the hunk of mystery on one tray of the balance. On the +other tray he placed a ten-gram weight. The balance swayed a little and +then came to rest on the zero mark, showing the stuff weighed exactly +ten grams. Then he placed another ten-gram weight on the tray and the +balance came to rest on the zero mark, showing the stuff weighed exactly +twenty grams! + +"Now watch," he said. He placed the silver chunk on the same side as the +two ten-gram weights, leaving the tray it had been in absolutely empty. +The balance fluctuated a little and again came to rest on the zero mark, +showing a minus twenty grams! + +By that time I had stopped believing what my eyes told me. + +"That's quite a trick," I said skeptically. "How do you work it?" And I +stooped to look under the table, hoping to see a setup of magnets hidden +there that would help restore my belief in my sanity. + +"I don't work it," Jud exclaimed irritably. "It acts that way itself." + + * * * * * + +I forgot my one o'clock class entirely. Jud and I played around with +that hunk of metallic hydro-carbon most of the afternoon, arguing back +and forth about what caused it to do the things it did. I found out that +if I thought of beefsteak rare while I looked at it, it would weigh +exactly ten pounds, and if I thought of a chicken with its neck being +wrung the stuff would float up to the ceiling. I tried all sorts of +thoughts on it and got some of the craziest results. But whatever I +thought, when I thought of the same thing again I got the same results. +But my results were different than Jud's! When he thought of a chicken +with its neck being wrung the stuff didn't float up to the ceiling but +instead made the floor creak and groan. Finally we took it over to the +feed company and put it on their car scales. Then when Jud thought of a +chicken with its neck being wrung, we found that the stuff weighed +twelve thousand four hundred and eighty pounds! And it was no bigger +than a pocket knife! + +As we stood there and looked at the feed scales in utter amazement I +said, "Look, Jud, we've got something here. I've got an idea. Suppose we +rig up a strong resting place for this stuff in my car. Then when I +think of the right thing it will push the car forward at any speed I +want to go. We'll have to be careful or it will wreck us, but--maybe +after we know what we are doing we can build a space ship!" + +Well, to cut a long story short, two days later Mallory, the biochemist, +Jud Taylor, and I were speeding along the state highway with the needle +hovering around eighty-five, the engine out of gear and dead, and a +crazy bit of silver stuff encased in a special frame in the dashboard +with reinforcing bars down to the chassis holding it steady. + +It took two of us to drive the car, though, because one of us had to +drive and the other concentrate on the stuff. + +Jud had named the stuff "tellepan" before he showed it to me that noon, +but I pointed out that tellepan sounded too much like Japanese for +turtle, so he renamed it "tellecarbon." Mallory had been wracking his +brains trying to figure the chemical composition of the stuff, but all +he had found out was that the stuff could not absorb any heat whatever, +nor emit any, it had any weight you wanted to give it, and when left +alone assumed any weight it seemed to fancy at the moment. Moreover, no +reagent could touch it. Even aqua regia and hydrofluoric acid couldn't +touch it. It could be manipulated like putty and molded into any shape +with a little persuasion; it always remained the same bright silver +color, and it seemed to be the connecting link between gravity and +thought. + +Mallory even got some more bottles of the chemicals he had spilled and +spilled them over again, cleaning them up and putting some alcohol in +the mess like he had done the first time, but no more tellecarbon +appeared. We finally had to face the facts. Tellecarbon was some complex +hydro-carbon because all of its basic constituents were hydro-carbons. +We had the only bit of it in existence and no more could be made. + + * * * * * + +After we had driven for a couple of hours, Jud changed his thought to +something else and we came to a halt on the highway. No one was in sight +so we decided to try our second experiment. For that I had to do the +thinking because none of Jud's thoughts seemed to work in the attempts +we had made in the laboratory. I brought to my mind's eye the image of a +chicken with its neck being wrung. Then made it two of them. The car +rose slowly off the ground. Then Jud thought his thoughts that made it +move forward. By regulating the number of dying chickens in my thoughts +I could cause the car to rise or sink at will. + +Soon we were quite high, or at least Mallory said we were. I looked out +of the window to see and the car started to hurtle to the ground. It +scared me so much that I almost couldn't calm my mind enough to think of +chickens, but finally made it just in time. By a supreme effort of will +I managed to get the car down safely on the highway again. Then I gave +in to my emotions and shook like a leaf. + +We had had enough for the day, so we covered up the tellecarbon and +started the motor, getting back to the U at dusk. + +When we alighted from the car in front of the boarding house in which +Mallory and I stayed, we were still a little shaky over our narrow +escape. We stood on the sidewalk by the car for a moment trying to +decide whether to go up to my room, to Mallory's or down the street a +block to Jud's house. We compromised on Pokey's Malt Shop at the corner +and finally settled with a sigh of relief in a booth way at the back. + +With a round of black coffee in front of us we settled down to business. +Nothing less than a space ship would do. Here in our hands, or rather +out in my car, we had the secret of untold power. With that little hunk +of tellecarbon and a certain amount of concentration on it we could +travel to Mars and back like nothing flat. During summer vacation for +the last two years Mallory and I had worked in the shipyards and gained +practical experience in welding, boilermaking and sheetmetal work. The +two of us could build a small space ship by ourselves. All that would be +necessary would be to make it airtight, with enough insulation to keep +our heat from radiating into space. The rest of the problem involved +only ordering stuff from catalogues. Carbon dioxide absorbers, tanks of +oxygen, food, various instruments, and so on. That would be Jud's work. + +Just as we were finishing our coffees, Lahoma Rice, the secretary in the +Dean's office, came in and discovered us. Mallory and I had been more or +less competing for her affections for some time. It was the only thing +that had ever come between us in our years at college together and the +years since then. We both tried to keep it on a friendly basis, but +underneath it had become pretty serious. + +When we saw her coming Jud whispered quickly, "Keep quiet about all this +in front of her. We don't want anybody to know about our amazing +discovery at this early date." + +Coming over, she slid into the booth beside Jud and flashed a smile at +me and Mallory. + +"Well, what's all the hush-hush about?" + +"Oh, nothing," answered Mallory, looking completely unconcerned. + +"Ha, ha. That's right. Absolutely nothing at all," I echoed, to make it +more convincing. But somehow it didn't sound quite as convincing as I +had intended. Even I noticed that at once, and a secret dangled before +the nose of a woman. It awoke in her an undefeatable urge. Before we +could rally our forces she was in on the secret and determined to go +with us when we went to Mars. + +"But Lahoma," Mallory desperately pleaded, "you don't need to come +along. I'll be all right." + +"I wasn't thinking of you," Lahoma retorted icily, and although she did +not look at me as she said that, my heart quickened its tempo at the +hidden inference in her words. + +So it was settled. The four of us were to go as soon as school let out +the next summer. During the winter Mallory and I would build the space +ship in the old boat house down on the beach just a few blocks from the +campus. + + * * * * * + +It was really fun that winter, working late into the night putting the +space ship together. Our crowning achievement was retractible wings for +steering the ship in atmosphere. In space, of course, steering would +have to be done by small steering rockets. The main drive force, though, +would be the missing link, as we had been calling it all winter. + +Came the spring, as somebody in the English department might say, and +the ship was complete. During the spring months we used the last of our +joint resources to stock it with all sorts of things, including seeds +for planting, in case we could not get back, or didn't want to come +back. Our final load, at the end of the school year, was books. Nothing +but books, and literally tons of them on everything from languages to +philosophy, from farming to the Bessemer Process. + +Then we were ready. During the winter we had all read everything we +could get on interplanetary travel. Most of it was, of course, fiction, +but each author had his own little idea that we could consider, so that +by the time we were ready to shove off we had a fairly complete grasp of +every problem we could possibly encounter--or so we fondly hoped. + +The ship was cigar-shaped, about eighty feet long and twenty feet in +diameter. It had been built so that in space, away from gravity, we +could start it spinning with the small rockets and use centrifugal force +to keep us on the deck, which lined the shell. There were ballast tanks +to keep one side down when in a gravity field, the water ballast being +transferred to the center tube tank before the spin was started, to +transfer the center of mass of the ship to the axis of rotation. + +We started early in the evening, heading into the east to take advantage +of the thousand-mile-an-hour speed of the earth's surface. + +The missing link, the hunk of tellecarbon, was encased in a polished +brass case in the exact center of gravity of the ship, strong girders +connecting it to the shell. A sound-proof booth surrounded it in which +the operator would not be distracted. A panel of signal lights was +immediately below it where the operator could see it without taking his +eyes off the tellecarbon. When we took off I was in the driver's seat, +Lahoma standing beside me. We had found that when she thought of +hamburger sandwiches the tellecarbon became antigravitational, just as +when I thought of chickens being killed. + +It took the combined power of our thoughts to lift the ship. As we found +out later, the ship rose sluggishly from the water and floated +erratically upward, reaching the stratosphere in a little over an hour. +By midnight we were over two thousand miles above the Earth's surface +and rising more and more rapidly. By then both of us were exhausted and +spelling each other off every ten minutes. + +Jud was constantly determining our position and speed. At two o'clock in +the morning he relieved Lahoma and concentrated on the tellecarbon to +give us more forward speed. By eight o'clock in the morning our speed +and direction of travel were correct for escape from the Earth's gravity +field toward the planet Mars, and I crawled out of the control booth, +practically a wreck. + + * * * * * + +From there on it was smooth sailing. We would coast along for two months +before nearing Mars, and play with the gadgets we had brought along for +taking all sorts of measurements in outer space. + +Space is very different than most writers picture it. Instead of being +dark it is intensely bright in all directions. It was fortunate that we +had movable dark shields on each porthole. By varying the number over a +porthole we could block out most of the light and keep our objective in +view. + +Our most amazing discovery was that the temperature of interplanetary +space is not absolutely zero. Our outside thermostat, carefully shielded +against all rays, that is, infrared, visible, and ultraviolet, and in +the vacuum of space, showed a constant temperature of minus one hundred +and three degrees F. at all times in outer space. Jud explained that +this was probably due to x-rays and cosmic rays which could penetrate +the protective shield. + +On the fifty-eighth day after leaving the earth, Jud, at the forward +telescope, became suddenly excited. Dashing from the telescope to the +chart table he began scribbling figures, ignoring our queries as to what +was wrong. After fifteen minutes of figuring he straightened up, a +worried frown on his face. + +Muttering, "I was afraid of that," he brushed by us to the control booth +and slammed the door behind him. A half-hour later he came out and again +went to the telescope. Glancing through it, he made adjustments and then +read them. Dashing back to the table he again scribbled some figures. +When he had finished he stood there, his head bowed, staring at them. +Then he looked up at our faces and said solemnly, "What I have been +fearing in the back of my mind has happened. The tellecarbon no longer +responds to mental suggestion. It has taken over control of the ship +itself and, judging from our present course, we aren't going to ever get +to Mars." + +"What do you mean?" Lahoma asked. + +"I mean," Jud answered slowly, "that at present we have a velocity great +enough to escape from the solar system and that it is increasing every +moment. Furthermore, a half-hour of concentration on the tellecarbon has +not altered our course in the slightest. Wherever we are headed, it is +not any planet in this system!" + + * * * * * + +The effect of his words cannot be imagined by anyone not in the position +we were in. We stood there stunned. Our little, spinning world of iron +and steel kept on spinning. Our gravity, which we had become accustomed +to, was different in many ways than flat gravity. For example, our floor +was curved, yet a dime dropped on it would roll in any direction along +the curve just like it was a flat surface. But something near the center +tube of the ship was practically weightless. So the center of gravity of +our bodies was not the same as its center of mass. This made itself felt +in thousands of little things. Heart action, sense of balance, and even +in walking. + +Picture, if you can, Jud standing several feet from me, his body forming +an angle of about thirty degrees with mine, both of our bodies erect, +our expressions serious. Picture also Lahoma and Mallory, their bodies +at still different angles. Throw in the absolute silence of that moment. +Not a single sound except our breathing, not even a creak from the ship. +If there had only been a cricket to chirp, or a snake, or a fly buzzing, +to make it seem like good old terra firma--but there was only the +interstellar silence and the absolute lack of vibration in the air and +the ship. And nearly two months of it, soaked into the marrow of our +bones. + +I for one would have welcomed a hit against the hull at that moment to +take us out of ourselves and make us fight for our existence. Anything +except the silent impersonal inexorableness of the lonely universe. + +In ten more months our food would be exhausted. In two years our air +could no longer be renewed because the chemicals which renewed it would +be no good. Our water supply would last forever, with the system of +recovery by distillation we had set up. But what is a year's food +supply? If we tossed the tellecarbon out into the void and rode free it +would be hundreds of years before our ship again entered the solar +system in its long ellipse. And if we kept the tellecarbon in the ship, +in another week even that hope would be gone. We could never return! +UNLESS we could regain control of the tellecarbon. + +Lahoma voiced the question that came to all our minds at the same time. + +"What could possibly be the cause of the change in the tellecarbon?" And +none of us had an answer. + +But that was the key to our salvation. IF we could regain control of the +tellecarbon we could at least return to Earth and give up our grand +plans of exploration and discovery. Not a one of us would have been +unwilling to return to good old PU at that moment and stay there, living +our humdrum lives for the rest of our days! + +"We'd better get busy," I said, taking the initiative. "We must cut a +bit of the tellecarbon off the parent chunk and experiment with it. We +must also keep constant check on our course to find out just what +accelerating force is now acting, and whether it changes any. And we +must all think of everything we can that might be the cause of this +revolt of the tellecarbon." + + * * * * * + +Suiting my actions to my words I got a wood chisel out of the tool +locker and went into the booth, going to work on the missing link. To my +surprise I had no trouble obtaining a thin slice of the silvery stuff. +It lay in my hand, apparently as tame as any other substance. + +I carried it out of the booth and laid it on the desk. The four of us +stood looking at it. Suddenly it jumped forward and plastered itself +against the forward porthole frame. We felt a slight lurch. The ship was +gaining speed! + +What had happened? In all our experience with the stuff it worked only +by thought. It had jumped forward, and the lurch of the ship told us +that the parent chunk as well as the sliver had acted together! Only one +thing could account for that. Some intelligence was controlling it. Some +intelligence so powerful that it could reach across space and blank out +our control completely, taking over the direction of our ship! + +We crowded around the forward porthole and peered out. Somewhere, far +ahead, was our destination. And at our destination some creature of vast +mental power was aware of our presence. Was forcing us to come to it. We +were all aware of that without speaking. + +Suddenly Lahoma began to laugh hysterically. The insane noise shattered +the silence with painful abruptness. I grabbed her by the shoulders and +shook her. Her laughter changed to sobs. + +And now the acceleration of the ship had become so great that it was +hard to stand erect. The rubber soles of our shoes was all that kept us +from sliding to the stern of the ship. + +Lahoma got hold of herself by a tremendous effort, and shook off my arm +which I had placed around her to keep her from falling. + +"Look," she said to us, "maybe there isn't any super intelligence +sucking us into outer space. Maybe it's our own thoughts. I don't know +how the rest of you have been feeling, but for several days now I have +had a fear of outer space that has been growing simply terrific. +Something like the fear of falling as you look over the edge of a cliff. +Could that have anything to do with what's going on?" + +"Maybe that's it!" Jud exclaimed. "We don't know half enough about this +stuff. It could be that such a fear would make it do the very thing +feared." + +As if in answer, the ship stopped accelerating. + +"That MUST be it!" Mallory shouted. + +"We have a clue I hadn't thought of," Jud added. Looking at me he went +on, "When you think of a chicken with its head being wrung, what thought +goes with it?" + +"Why," I hesitated, "I think of a swell chicken dinner." + +"I think of how awful it is to kill!" Jud exclaimed. "It doesn't react +to the idea but to the emotion." + +We experimented from that basis--without result. The tellecarbon was in +complete revolt. It paid no attention to us. + + * * * * * + +Two more days and we had to admit we were licked. Jud voiced what we had +all begun to suspect. + +"The tellecarbon must have developed a mind of its own," he said +dispiritedly. "We should have taken that into account. It reacts to +thought, so undoubtedly it has a few of the properties of the mind. What +we must try to do now is reason with it--try to find out why it has +become uncooperative. Let's all concentrate on that question and direct +it at the tellecarbon and see what happens." + +We tried it. Nothing seemed to happen for quite a while. + +"An idea just came into my mind," Lahoma said suddenly. "It's absurd. I +just thought, 'Suppose there is another chunk of tellecarbon out here +and our chunk is lonesome?' The way it has been cruising around the past +few days and ignoring us, it might have sensed another piece like it out +here and be looking for it!" + +"That's funny," I spoke up. "The thought just occurred to me too!" + +"Me too," Mallory exclaimed. + +"Then it must be so," Jud said. "Obviously the thought came from the +tellecarbon in reply to our question!" + +"But how can it think?" Mallory questioned. "After all it was +precipitated as a fine film, and you can quash it and even slice it up +without any trouble." + +"In science," Jud said, "you don't try to argue away facts. You accept +the facts and go on from there." + +"Let's go on from there, then," Lahoma spoke up. "Tillie--we might as +well call her that now that we know she, the tellecarbon, you know, +thinks--is looking for a companion. We might as well help her look." + +"How do you know it isn't a him?" I asked. + +"Oh, just a feeling," Lahoma replied. + +"Oh, fine," Mallory groaned. "We should have suspected it was a female +the way it started galivanting all over the solar system." + +"So that's the way you think of us females, Mallory!" Lahoma exclaimed +angrily. + +I smiled to myself. A few more remarks like that from Mallory and I +would have the field to myself. IF we ever got back to the Earth, which +I doubted. Secretly I agreed with Mallory. If the chunk of tellecarbon +was a female we had much less of a chance than if it were a male or an +it. + +Jud went to the telescope and started looking for a stray chunk of +silvery looking stuff. An air of semi-hopelessness began to settle over +all of us. The chances of finding such a thing were extremely slim. + +Almost at once, though, Jud let out an exclamation of triumph. We rushed +to his side and took turns looking into the telescope. There, less than +a quarter of a mile ahead of us, was something that flashed with silvery +brilliance like the belly of a trout in a clear stream. We followed the +flashes and soon figured out that Tillie was not searching for her +companion, but had found him long ago and was, female like, pursuing +him! + + * * * * * + +When the distance between them shortened, the silvery chunk ahead of us +speeded up. When the distance between us increased, it slowed down +again. It was obviously enjoying the chase. + +"This could go on forever," Mallory groaned, sticking his foot in his +mouth again. + +Lahoma ignored the opening. + +"It's obvious what we must do," she said, sounding quite capable. +"Tillie needs a little advice on love making. I'm quite sure that Oscar, +or whatever his name is, would pursue Tillie if she stopped CHASING him. +We've got to convince her of that and get her to try it." + +Evidently she didn't need convincing. She got the idea direct from +Lahoma and acted on it. The silver flash ahead swung away. Half an hour +later it showed up in the stern telescope. + +This seemed to delight Tillie, the tellecarbon, no end. She cavorted +about like a drunken puppy, giving us all a bad case of sea sickness. + +"Now," Lahoma gasped. "We must coax Tillie into setting us back on +Earth. I don't know how you men feel, but I would be quite willing to +turn Tillie loose so she could join her mate--once we were safely home." + +"But if we did that we wouldn't be able to explore the Solar System!" +Jud exclaimed. + +"And if we don't we'll probably wind up flattened against some asteroid +as soon as Tillie decides to break out of her shell," Lahoma snapped. + +I blanched at the thought. Mallory's knees buckled and he sat down on +the floor weakly. Jud himself swayed a little. + +That eventuality just hadn't occurred to us before. Obviously Tillie +would get tired of the chase and want to settle down and get cozy some +day. If she hadn't acquired the idea from us she might figure it out by +herself and dash us against some jagged bit of space rock. + +"All right. All right," Jud said weakly. "Let's see if we can talk +Tillie into taking us back home in exchange for her freedom. As an +arguing point you might all visualize the smashed ship, with her still +imprisoned and all of us dead and unable to help free her." + +An invisible hand seemed to push us to the back of the ship. We were +picking up speed faster than we ever had before. + +[Illustration: The blob of metal clung to the space ship's trail like a +pursuing nemesis.] + +I slowly climbed to the forward telescope and looked through it. Dead +center was a small twinkling Earth with the Moon hovering near it. + +I informed the rest. They shouted with relief. We were on our way home! + +The stern telescope showed the other piece of tellecarbon following +us--almost sniffing at our heels. It held there, day after day, while +the Earth grew larger and larger. + + * * * * * + +At the last Jud stood at the telescope and directed us in. After +circling about ten thousand miles up until Puget Sound was directly +below us, Tillie dipped down in obedience to his unspoken command. + +The whistling sound of atmosphere on the shell was the sweetest music +ever played by gods or men! + +We landed on Puget Sound opposite the campus. The minute we touched +shore I took a wrench and unscrewed the framework that held the +tellecarbon in place in the center tube. I could feel a rapid, excited +vibration as it waited--I mean she. + +No sooner was the last bolt loosened than she darted away. She almost +reached the open porthole where Mallory had taken his first breath of +fresh air when she stopped and returned. + +Tillie, the silvery blob of matter, came back and touched my cheek +softly. Then she did the same to Lahoma. + +We wasted no time in climbing out of the ship to the shore. There we +looked up. Far over our heads were two silver flashes of brilliance that +zoomed in ever-widening spirals. + +I felt someone beside me and glanced down. Lahoma was standing there. +Cautiously I put my arm around her waist. + +With a starry look in her bright eyes as she glanced at me, she twined +her arm around me. Then we looked up again. + +Far above we saw a wonderful sight. The two silver flashes seemed to +come together. There was a blinding light as from a tremendous +explosion; but unlike an explosion it remained bright. It was like a +morning star--a sun, far, far away. It grew smaller and smaller until at +last it seemed just another star twinkling in the heavens. + +There was an aftermath. We sold the space ship to a Ferry Boat company +and they transformed it into a streamlined excursion boat with a +conventional motor to drive it. But that isn't what I'm talking about. + +Lahoma and I got married shortly after. I had sense enough to capitalize +on the romance of the tellecarbons and proposed right then and there. +She accepted, of course. + +But it was two years later when our first child was born--little William +Lawrence. One Sunday we were down at the beach strolling along, pushing +the go-cart in the twilight. + +A full moon beamed down upon us and a million stars twinkled in the +clear sky. The waves washed with sleepy sounds against the sandy shore +and now and then a sea gull came close enough so we could hear the +swishing of its wings. + +Into this pleasant scene came a sound--at first so faint it could hardly +be heard. It was a shrill scream of some object hurtling through the +atmosphere above, almost like the whine of plane struts, only much +higher pitched. + +Lahoma and I glanced up. There, far up, something silvery flashed. As +our eyes adjusted themselves we saw that there were at least two of +them, and they were coming closer. + +Just as they seemed about to crash into the sandy beach they paused. +There were two large pieces of silvery substance and five small pieces. + +They hovered near us, quivering and scintillating. Then one of the two +larger ones came over and touched my cheek softly. The warmth of its +touch was almost human. + +With coruscating brilliance it left me to pause and touch Lahoma's +cheek. Then it darted down the beach, the other large piece just behind +it, and the five little ones trailing along. + +Lahoma put her arm around my waist and looked up into my eyes. And we +both chuckled and chuckled and chuckled. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tillie, by Roger Phillips Graham + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TILLIE *** + +***** This file should be named 32802.txt or 32802.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/2/8/0/32802/ + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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