Galaxy Magazine (February 1958) by Galaxy

Author:Galaxy
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 1958-02-08T16:00:00+00:00

OGER'S voice was calm, although his eyes were fever-*

ishly bright, as he replied, "A lot of things are going to be different around here, Meg, as soon as the Board is forced to admit that only my quick thinking made it possible to bring the name of Puffyloaf in front of the whole world."

"Puffyloaf could do with a little of that," the business girl observed judiciously. "The way sales have been plummeting, it won't be long before the Government deeds our desks to the managers of Fairy Bread and asks us to take the Big Jump. But just where does your quick thinking come into this, Mr. Snedden? You can't be referring to the helium — that was Rose Thinker's brainwave."

She studied him suspiciously. "You've birthed another promotional bumble, Roger. I can see it in your eyes. I only hope it's not as big a one as when you put the Martian ambassador on 3D and he thanked you profusely for the gross of Puffyloaves, assuring you that he'd never slept on a softer mattress in all his life on two planets."

"Listen to me, Meg. Today — yes, today! — you're going to see the Board eating out of my hand."

"Hah! I guarantee you won't have any fingers left. You're bold

i

enough now, but when Mr. Gryce and those two big machines come

through that door —"

"Now wait a minute, Meg —"

BREAD OVERHEAD

"Hush! They're coming now!"

Roger leaped three feet in the air, but managed to land without a sound and edged toward his stool. Through the dilating iris of the door strode Phineas T. Gryce, flanked by Rose Thinker and Tin Philosopher.

The man approached the conference table in the center of the room with measured pace and gravely expressionless face. The rose-tinted machine on his left did a couple of impulsive pirouettes on the way and twittered a greeting to Meg and Roger. The other machine quietly took the third of the high seats and lifted a claw at Meg, who now occupied a stool twice the height of Roger's.

"Miss Winterly, please — our theme."

The Blonde Icicle's face thawed into a little-girl smile as she chanted bubblingly:

"Made up of tiny wheaten motes And reinforced with sturdy oats,

It rises through the air and

floats — The bread on which all Terra dotes!"

6 <• HP HANK YOU, Miss Winter-■■* ly," said Tin Philosopher. "Though a purely figurative statement, that bit about rising through the air always gets me — here." He rapped his midsection, which gave off a high musical clang.

"Ladies —" he inclined his photocells toward Rose Thinker and Meg —"and gentlemen. This is a historic occasion in Old Puffy's long history, the inauguration of the helium-filled loaf ('So Light It Almost Floats Away!') in which that inert and heaven-aspiring gas replaces old-fashioned carbon dioxide. Later, there will be kudos for Rose Thinker, whose bright relays genius-sparked the idea, and also for Roger Snedden, who took care of the

details.

"By the by, Racehorse, that was a brilliant piece of work getting the helium out of the government — they've been pretty stuffy lately about their monopoly.

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