The Worlds Of Robert A. Heinlein Part 25

. . . within twenty minutes of Pinero's strange pre-

diction, Timons was struck by a falling sign while

walking down Broadway toward the offices of the

Daily Herald where he was employed.

Dr. Pinero declined to comment but confirmed the

story that he had predicted Timons' death by means

of his so-called chronovitameter. Chief of Police

Roy. . . .

Does the FUTURE worry you??????

Don't waste money on fortune-tellers-

Consult

Dr. Hugo Pinero, Bio-Consultant

He will help you plan for the future

by infallible

SCIENTIFIC METHODS.

No "Spirit' Messages

$10,000 Bond posted in forfeit to back

our predictions

Circular on request

SANDS of TIME, Inc.

Majestie Bldg., Suite 700

( adv. )

Legal Notice

To whom it may concern, greetings; I, John Cabot Winthrop III, of the firm of Winthrop, Winthrop, Ditmars and Winthrop, Attorney-at-law, do affirm that Hugo Pinero of this city did hand to me ten thousand dollars in lawful money of the United States, and did instruct me to place it in escrow with a chartered bank of my selection with escrow instructions as follows:

The entire bond shall be forfeit, and shall forthwith be paid to the first client of Hugo Pinero and/or Sands of Time, Inc., who shall exceed his life tenure as predicted by Hugo Pinero by one per centum, or the estate of the first client who shall fail of such predicted tenure in a like amount, whichever occurs first in point of time.

Subscribed and sworn,

John Cabot Winthrop III.

Subscribed and sworn to before

me this 2nd day of April, 1939.

Albert M. Swanson

Notary Public in and for this

county and State My commission

expires June 17, 1939.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Radio Audience, let's go to press! Flas.h.!.+ Hugo Pinero, the Miracle Man from Nowhere, has made his thousandth death prediction without anyone claiming the reward he offered to the first person who catches him failing to call the turn. With thirteen of his clients already dead, it is mathematically certain that he has a private line to the main office of the Old Man with the Scythe. That is one piece of news I don't want to know about before it happens. Your coast-to-coast correspondent will not be a client of Prophet Pinero-"

The judge's watery baritone cut through the stale air of the courtroom.

"Please, Mr. Weems, let us return to our subject. This court granted your prayer for a temporary restraining order, and now you ask that it be made permanent. In reb.u.t.tal, Dr. Pinero claims that you have presented no cause and asks that the injunction be lifted, and that I order your client to cease from attempts to interfere with what Pinero describes as a simple, lawful business. As you are not addressing a jury, please omit the rhetoric and tell me in plain language why I should not grant his prayer."

Mr. Weems jerked his chin nervously, making his flabby gray dewlap drag across his high stiff collar, and resumed:

"May it please the honorable court, I represent the public-"

"Just a moment. I thought you were appearing for Amalgamated Life Insurance."

"I am, your honor, in a formal sense. In a wider sense I represent several other of the major a.s.surance, fiduciary and financial inst.i.tutions, their stockholders and policy holders, who const.i.tute a majority of the citizenry. In addition we feel that we protect the interests of the entire population, unorganized, inarticulate and otherwise unprotected."

"I thought that I represented the public," observed the judge dryly. "I am afraid I must regard you as appearing for your client of record. But continue. What is your thesis?"

The elderly barrister attempted to swallow his Adam's apple, then began again: "Your honor, we contend that there are two separate reasons why this injunction should be made permanent, and, further, that each reason is sufficient alone.

"In the first place, this person is engaged in the practice of soothsaying, an occupation proscribed both in common law and statute. He is a common fortune-teller, a vagabond charlatan who preys on the gullibility of the public. He is cleverer than the ordinary gypsy palm reader, astrologer or table tipper, and to the same extent more dangerous. He makes false claims of modern scientific methods to give a spurious dignity of the thaumaturgy.

We have here in court leading representatives of the Academy of Science to give expert witness as to the absurdity of his claims.

"In the second place, even if this person's claims were true-granting for the sake of argument such an absurdity-" Mr. Weems permitted himself a thin-lipped smile-"we contend that his activities are contrary to the public interest in general, and unlawfully injurious to the interests of my client in particular. We are prepared to produce numerous exhibits with the legal custodians to prove that this person did publish, or cause to have published, utterances urging the public to dispense with the priceless boon of life insurance to the great detriment of their welfare and to the financial damage of my client."

Pinero arose in his place. "Your honor, may I say a few words?"

"What is it?"

"I believe I can simplify the situation if permitted to make a brief a.n.a.lysis.

"Your honor," put in Weems, "this is most irregular."