BOOBY PRIZE
a novelet by
GEORGE O. SMITH
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Thrilling Wonder Stories August 1953.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
I
Peter Mansfield waved a hand in a gesture that included the laboratoryinclusively and said, "I can't wait to turn it on."
Norma Higgins smiled up at him and said, "Peter, you're still a bit ofa breathless kid at heart, aren't you?"
Peter nodded boyishly. "Maybe I am," he admitted with a grin. "Butafter a guy has worked and slaved for about five years, and then hefinally gets his job finished, it's tough to wait before he can try itout."
"Just 'till tomorrow," said Norma softly. "It isn't so awfully long. Inthe meantime, Peter, maybe we can think of the day after tomorrow andthe day after that?"
Peter Mansfield forgot the two equipments that were the focal points ofthe laboratory and turned to the girl. Norma came into his arms with agreat amount of quiet enthusiasm. Her lithe young body pressed againsthim, tempting him. Her lips were warm and eager. Then before he wasready to let her go, Norma leaned back in his arms and asked softly,"Why must we wait, Peter? Why not tonight? Right now?"
He shook his head unhappily. "No," he said stubbornly, "not until I canlook you in the eye."
Norma shrugged herself out of his arms—not angrily, but with enoughdisplay of annoyance to let him understand that she thought his remarkentirely uncalled for. "You're a bit of a booby, Peter," she told him."We've been putting this off for four or five years just because youare afraid of my bank book. You've been struggling like an overloadeddraft animal on an uphill drag just so you can prove to me that you'vegot what it takes to support me. Darn it, Peter, I don't need to besupported. And I could have helped you, you know, if you'd been lessstubborn. You could have hired help, you could have bought equipment,you might have been finished sooner. But no. Is that—"
Peter Mansfield looked down at the floor. "Norma," he said plaintively,"I couldn't let my wife support me. It isn't the way I was brought up."
Norma moved into his arms again to show him that she was irritated butnot angry. "You're a sweet fool, Peter. But sometimes too much of afool and not as sweet as you might be." She kissed him quickly. "Let'snot beat the past to death. It's past. Let's hope for tomorrow. And whynot tonight? You're on the brink of success. Let's make it complete."
"I'd like to. But there's only one catch."
"A catch?"
Peter Mansfield nodded unhappily. "Don't you think for one moment thatI don't know your father's feelings. He poured money into this projectbecause you urged him to, not because he felt that I was a howlingsuccess."
Norma laughed gently. "Peter, you'd take his money, so why not takemine?"
Peter smiled grimly. "Because it is your father that I've got to face,even more than you. Sure," he said with a bitter smile, "I could havepoured a million of your dollars down the drain and if I'd failed,you'd have forgotten it. But I'd know that and maybe I'd have workedless hard—"
"You? Nonsense."
"—but when it is a strictly business proposition, and I make a successand hand your father the details of a paying proposition, then bothhe—and me—and the rest of the world will know that I've got what ittakes, instead of havin