Time for Sale by Ralph Milne Farley Read online

  when he wanted me to advance money to him

  “Contingent fee, Doc,” he said. “I’ll

  for his heat experiments. I turned him down;

  come back and pay you right after the exam.”

  and now he’ll make me pay through the nose

  “Okeh,” replied the scientist, with a

  for whatever time which he may sell me. But,

  supercilious grin. “Still incredulous, I see.”

  if he can cram a two weeks Physics Course in

  “Why wouldn’t we be?” McGuire your trick head over night, he’s got exclaimed, as Hatch led them to the elevator.

  something! Come on, son. Lead me to Dr.

  They bought a newspaper at the first

  Hatch!”

  stand, and found that, as promised, only one

  “Poor dear old dad!” Tom Porter

  night had actually elapsed. Filled with elation,

  declaimed, as though explaining an interesting

  Porter took the subway up to the University.

  scientific specimen to a crowd. “He really

  believes that he thought up this idea all

  CHAPTER II

  himself, whereas the truth is—”

  The Time Corporation

  “Skip it!” snapped his father, but not

  harshly, and his heavy-lidded eyes were

  AFTER three hours spent on the examination,

  twinkling. “Son, I’ll take back what I said

  he made a bee line for his father’s downtown

  about your being no use. You’re okeh, and

  office.

  I’m proud of you.”

  Amazing Stories

  6

  “There, that’s better. Come on over to

  too young to have an eight-year-old kid.”

  Hatch’s laboratory. It’s only a few blocks

  “Mr. Porter,” the girl replied with level

  from here.”

  emphasis, “I might just as well tell you now as

  later. I am Dr. Hatch’s wife.”

  A few minutes later Tom Porter was Considerably

  deflated, Tom Porter got

  introducing his father to P. Lanford Hatch in

  slowly down off the desk, raised an eyebrow

  the latter’s laboratory.

  and whistled softly.

  There was reserve and veiled bitterness

  “All right, Mrs. Hatch, you win,” he

  on Dr. Hatch’s fine features, as he said resignedly. “From now on I’ll try not to acknowledged the introduction with, “So at

  annoy you any more than I can help. But you

  last we meet, Mr. Porter. Formerly you can’t stop my looking at you occasionally.”

  refused to see me. Your son has more faith in

  His dark eyes were sad as he strolled

  the possibilities of modern science than you.

  over toward his father and Dr. Hatch. The girl

  He will be a greater man than you some day.”

  stared after him with pity in her own green

  The older Porter lowered his eyes and

  eyes.

  chewed his beard. But his son spoke up,

  “Tommy,” the elder Porter announced

  “You’re unjust to dad, Dr. Hatch. How was he

  happily, as he joined them. “I’ve persuaded

  to know that you weren’t just some crank?

  Dr. Hatch to let me invest a considerable sum

  Well, anyway, here he is to make amends and

  of money in his business. How would you like

  become a good customer. Suppose you show

  to go in here as my representative? You’re

  him the room where I spent two weeks last

  entitled to it, boy, for putting me in touch with

  night.”

  this solution of our worries.”

  As Dr. Hatch and the elder Porter drew

  Tommy cast a glance back at the

  away toward the rear of the laboratory, Tom

  flaming Mrs. Hatch, who was still staring after

  Porter turned back to the flaming-haired girl at

  him.

  the reception-desk.

  “Pop,” he replied, “it’s a go!”

  “Hello, beautiful,” he said. “I killed

  With ample funds now at their

  my exam, thanks to you and your boss. How

  command, Dr. Hatch and Tom Porter plunged

  about helping me celebrate?”

  into further experimentation. They had two

  Her jade-green eyes narrowed objects in view: first, to speed up the operation ominously.

  of the already invented entropy-cabinet; and

  “That reminds me,” she replied in icy

  secondly to devise a cabinet just the converse

  tones. “You owe us an additional fifteen of the other.

  hundred dollars. Contingent fee.”

  That is to say, within this new cabinet

  “Send the bill to father,” he airily the flow of entropy would be so retarded that, replied. “Frederic Porter spelled without any

  while years were passing by in the world

  K, 30 Wall Street.” He seated himself on the

  outside, the inmates of the cabinet would

  corner of her desk, and picked up a silver

  experience only a few days of time.

  picture-frame containing the photograph of a

  Finally the new cabinet was almost

  pretty little girl. “Who’s the infant? Kid sister?

  completed. Meanwhile Tom Porter

  Looks a lot like you.”

  scrupulously observed the proprieties with the

  “It’s my daughter. And she’s eight.”

  flaming wife of his superior; although he had

  “Old stuff,” Porter declared, putting

  great difficulty in keeping his eyes from

  the picture back on the desk, and waving one

  feasting on her luscious loveliness whenever

  large hand expansively. “Just like that phony

  her husband was not around. And, although he

  wedding ring you’re wearing. You’re much

  always addressed her most meticulously as

  Time for Sale

  7

  “Mrs. Hatch,” he thought of her by her first

  To himself Porter added, “And you

  name, “Evelyn.” Evelyn Hatch, radiant, know darn well that it’s your own choosing!”

  flaming, inscrutable, with cold jade-green But aloud he answered, “Mrs. Hatch, I don’t eyes!

  believe that we have yet even scratched the

  Dr. Hatch developed a real affection

  surface of the possibilities of your husband’s

  for his assistant, and couldn’t get it through

  invention. For instance, take the case of a

  his head why his young wife persisted in contractor who wishes to bid on a big contract discouraging his attempts to bring Tom home

  and hasn’t the time to complete his

  for an evening. And at last, after Porter had

  calculations before the bids close. Or a lawyer,

  been working for him for several months, the

  in the midst of an important trial, who wishes

  situation became so embarrassing that Evelyn

  to get a good night’s sleep so as to be alert for

  Hatch finally gave in, and her husband his opponent on the morrow, and yet really triumphantly invited Porter to dinner.

  ought to make a thorough study of the day’s

  Evelyn Hatch and Tom Porter developments. Take the court reporter in the managed to get through the dinner without any

  same case, not having time and too tired to

  contretemps, but after dinner the tension transcribe his notes to meet the insistent became rather ghastly.
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  demands of the lawyer. What wouldn’t each

  The entrance of the Hatch’s little of them be willing to give for just one extra daughter, who had her meal in the kitchen,

  day, sandwiched in overnight!”

  served as a welcome diversion; and Porter

  “Not to mention what the

  covered up his embarrassment by playing with

  entropy-cabinet did for you!” Evelyn Hatch

  the child.

  added laughingly.

  Little Evelyn had the same

  “A much more important use,” Dr.

  copper-gold hair as her mother, the same cool

  Hatch interjected, “would be in the event of

  green eyes, the same peaches-and-cream war. Suppose a new poison gas is suddenly complexion. But instead of being elusive like

  loosed against our troops. It will take weeks of

  her mother, she was frank, almost forward.

  chemical research to develop a specific

  She spent most of the evening on a hassock at

  absorbent, to add to the canisters of our

  Porter’s feet, staring adoringly up at him, and

  gas-masks. Meanwhile our armies are likely to

  insisting upon story after story of his be overwhelmed. But no. Our Chemical experiences in the football arena.

  Warfare Service sends some experts to me,

  “For daddy used to play football too,

  they spend two weeks overnight in one of my

  you know. Only I’ll bet that he wasn’t as good

  cabinets, and the enemy’s great offensive the

  a player as you are, Mr. Porter.”

  next morning is launched in vain. If we can

  “He was a great deal better, you little

  build our cabinets large enough, we could

  minx. He was an All-American in his day.”

  even speed-up the manufacture of munitions

  Dr. and Mrs. Hatch smiled indulgently

  during a war, and the bringing of boys to

  at them, and the doctor remarked under his

  fighting age. I’m beginning to wonder if we

  breath, “Tom would make a nice ‘uncle’ for

  ought not to withdraw our invention from

  the brat, don’t you think so, dear?”

  public use, and deal only with the United

  Finally it came little Evelyn’s bedtime.

  States Army.”

  After the nursemaid had led the child

  “What do you mean ‘withdraw?’”

  away protesting, Mrs. Hatch turned to their

  laughed Porter. “So far as I know, my father

  guest and said, “Tell us what you think of our

  and I have so far been your only clients.”

  latest developments, Mr. Porter. I never get a

  “Your father’s investment has enabled

  chance to talk with you at the laboratory.”

  me to wait, to perfect my invention, to apply

  Amazing Stories

  8

  for patents and see what degree of protection

  test is not so easy.”

  the Patent Office will accord me, and to mull

  “We have already noted the times

  over in my mind the question of whether or

  recorded by two clocks, one inside and one

  not to deal exclusively with the Government.”

  out. They check with your theoretical

  “I

  see.”

  calculations,” Porter replied.

  “But

  what

  I can’t see,” Evelyn Hatch

  “Yes, but I want to try the effect on a

  mused aloud, narrowing her jade-green eyes

  living creature.”

  introspectively, “is what practical use there is

  “We could leave a guinea-pig and a

  going to be to our other entropy-cabinet, the head of lettuce inside for several weeks, and

  one on which you two are now working, then prove by how little of the lettuce gets which slows down the entropy, so that while

  eaten, that only a few hours have elapsed

  the person inside is experiencing the elapse of

  inside.”

  only a few days, time flows on outside

  But Dr. Hatch shook his head

  through several years. Of course, it would

  doubtfully. “Too uncertain. And a conclusive

  enable an inquisitive soul to live to see the

  test of that sort would take several months. I

  future, but is that a practical use?”

  don’t want to wait that long; I want to know

  “Practical uses have always developed

  now. Besides, a guinea-pig can’t report his

  for every advance made by pure science,” her

  feelings to us. But with a real human being

  husband observed sententiously.

  inside the cabinet, we could make a definite

  And there they left the matter for the

  test in less than a week—it would seem like

  present.

  only an hour or two to him.”

  When Tom Porter said goodbye to “Meaning,”

  said

  Porter, grinning, “that

  Mrs. Hatch after a very pleasant evening, he

  you’d like me to be your human guinea-pig. I

  held her hand just a bit longer than was was wondering why you built the full-size necessary, nor did she resist. Warned by a

  cabinet, before you had adequately tested the

  flicker in the cool eyes of her husband she

  miniature one. “All right, I’m game. But don’t

  shifted her gaze, smiled sadly, withdrew her

  leave me inside for too long. I don’t want to

  hand. Dr. Hatch standing behind her in the

  drop several years out of my life.”

  doorway, smiling quizzically, observed the

  Dr. Hatch’s eyes gleamed behind his

  performance through narrowed lids.

  horn-rimmed glasses. “I knew that you

  wouldn’t fail me,” he chuckled. “Good old

  CHAPTER III

  Tom!”

  Human Guinea-Pig

  “Might as well take the plunge now as

  later,” said Porter, with forced casualness.

  BUT the next morning in the laboratory there

  “How long do you plan to leave me in?”

  was no sign of annoyance on his scholarly

  “A seeming hour of your time should

  features. In face he seemed even more friendly

  be enough. Meanwhile two weeks will elapse

  and ingratiating to his young assistant than

  for me. Evelyn can take turns with me at the

  usual.

  controls.” His face darkened almost

  “Tom,” he announced, “I’m imperceptibly as he spoke his wife’s name.

  dissatisfied with these guinea-pig tests in my

  “Okeh,” said Porter, shrugging his

  new cabinet. With my first day-an-hour broad shoulders. “Give me a couple of cabinet, I could put a group of baby morning papers, and lead me to it.”

  guinea-pigs into it, and observe that they

  He stepped over to Mrs. Hatch’s desk

  matured and even became senile overnight.

  by the elevator door, and picked up some

  But with my hour-a-day cabinet, a comparable

  newspapers from it. Then held out his hand

  Time for Sale

  9

  and stared hard into her green eyes. dawned on me, I began to wonder what to do

  “Goodbye, Mrs. Hatch. I’m going for a short

  about the situation. And suddenly our

  jaunt into the future. Meet you there.”

 
; conversation gave me the clue. When Evelyn

  She cast an inquiring glance at her

  (Mrs. Hatch to you) asked what was the

  husband, as Porter turned and strode back into

  practical use for the cabinet in which you now the laboratory.

  find yourself, I was on the point of saying that In a few minutes Porter was seated

  it could be used to adjust disparate ages. For inside the glassed-in cubicle, reading one of

  example, a man like myself, married to a much

  the papers. The glass walls had become black,

  younger woman, could put himself in this

  completely shutting off the outside world.

  cabinet and wait for her to catch up with him.

  An hour later by his wrist-watch, But I like Evelyn exactly as she is—I don’t Porter glanced anxiously at the walls and mind her being so much younger than me, door, but they were still black. He tensed his

  except insofar as her youthfulness offers a

  muscles impatiently—then relaxed with a temptation to covetous young upstarts such as grin. After all, Dr. Hatch’s estimate may have

  you.

  been a bit off. Perhaps two weeks on the

  “However, this cabinet can be used to

  outside equaled slightly more than an hour on

  cause, as well as to adjust, disparity of age.

  the inside.

  Instead of making Evelyn old enough for me, I

  So Porter resumed the perusal of his

  can make her too old for you.

  newspaper for another fifteen minutes. But

  “So, instead of myself, I have put you

  still no sign of clearing of the glass walls.

  into this cabinet. It has been perfected more

  He threw the paper to the floor, and

  than you knew. For I have found a way to slow

  arose from his chair and strode up and down

  down the entropy within it beyond your

  his narrow cell. Weeks were speeding outside,