The Past Through Tomorrow (125 page)

“Archie, do you know the ancient Chinese advice to young ladies about to undergo criminal assault?”

“No, what is it?”

“Just one word: ‘Relax.’ That’s what we’ve got to do.”

“Speak English.”

“I’ll give you a blueprint. Why are we under attack?”

“We’ve got something they want.”

“Not at all. We’ve got something they want to quarantine—they don’t want anyone else to have it. So they try to buy you off, or scare you into quitting. If these don’t work, they’ll try something stronger. Now you’re dangerous to them and in danger from them because you’ve got a secret. What happens if it isn’t a secret? Suppose everybody knows it?”

“They’d be sore as hell.”

“Yes, but what would they do? Nothing. Those big tycoons are practical men. They won’t waste a dime on heckling you if it no longer serves their pocket-books.”

“What do you propose that we do?”

“Give away the secret. Tell the world how it’s done. Let anybody manufacture power-screens and light-screens who wants to. The heat process on the mix is so simple that any commercial chemist can duplicate it once you tell ’em how, and there must be a thousand factories, at least, that could manufacture them with their present machinery from materials at their very doorsteps.”

“But, good Lord, Mary Lou, we’d be left in the lurch.”

“What can you lose? We’ve made a measly couple of thousand dollars so far, keeping the process secret. If you turn it loose, you still hold the patent, and you could charge a nominal royalty—one that it wouldn’t be worth while trying to beat, say ten cents a square yard on each screen manufactured. There would be millions of square yards turned out the first year—hundreds of thousands of dollars to you the first year, and a big income for life. You can have the finest research laboratory in the country.”

He slammed his napkin down on the table. “Kid, I believe you’re right.”

“Don’t. forget, too, what you’ll be doing for the country. There’ll be factories springing up right away all over the Southwest—every place where there’s lots of sunshine. Free power! You’ll be the new emancipator.”

He stood up, his eyes shining. “Kid, we’ll do it! Half a minute while I tell Dad our decision, then we’ll beat it for town.”

Two hours later the teletype in every news service office in the country was clicking out the story. Douglas insisted that the story include the technical details of the process as a condition of releasing it. By the time he and Mary Lou walked out of the Associated Press building the first extra was on the street: “
GENIUS GRANTS GRATIS POWER TO PUBLIC
.” Archie bought one and beckoned to the muscle man who was shadowing him.

“Come here, Sweetheart. You can quit pretending to be a fireplug. I’ve an errand for you.” He handed the lunk the newspaper. It was accepted uneasily. In all his long and unsavory career he had never had the etiquette of shadowing treated in so cavalier a style. “Take this paper to your boss and tell him Archie Douglas sent him a valentine. Don’t stand there staring at me! Beat it, before I break your fat head!”

As Archie watched him disappear in the crowd, Mary Lou slipped a hand in his. “Feel better, son?”

“Lots.”

“All your worries over?”

“All but one.” He grabbed her shoulders and swung her around. “I’ve got an argument to settle with you. Come along!”

“What the hell, Archie! Let go my wrist.”

“Not likely. You see that building over there? That’s the court-house. Right next to the window where they issue dog licenses there’s one where we can get a wedding permit.”

“I’m not going to marry you!”

“The hell you aren’t. You’ve stayed all night in my laboratory a dozen times. I’m compromised. You’ve got to make an honest man of me—or I’ll start to scream right here in the street.”

“This is blackmail!”

As they entered the building, she was still dragging her feet—but not too hard.