tually dropped them all. He built several of those
queer psionic machines--gold detectors, and something he called a hexer.
He's done a lot of different things, evidently."

"Sounds like he was unable to make up his mind," said the small man.

* * * * *

The President shook his head firmly. "Not at all. He did new, creative
work in every one of the fields he touched. He was considered something
of a mystic, but not a crackpot, or a screwball.

"But, anyhow, the point is that he evidently found what he'd been
looking for for years. He asked for an appointment with me; I okayed the
request because of his reputation. He would only tell me that he'd
stumbled across something that was vital to national defense and the
future of mankind; but I felt that, in view of the work he had done, he
was entitled to a hearing."

"And he proved to you, beyond any doubt, that he had this power?" the
small man asked.

Frank shifted his big body uneasily in his chair. "He certainly did, Mr.
Secretary."

The President nodded. "I know it might not sound too impressive when
heard second-hand, but Paul Wendell could tell me more of what was going
on in the world than our Central Intelligence agents have been able to
dig up in twenty years. And he claimed he could teach the trick to
anyone.

"I told him I'd think it over. Naturally, my first step was to make sure
that he was followed twenty-four hours a day. A man with information
like that simply could not be allowed to fall into enemy hands." The
President scowled, as though angry with himself. "I'm sorry to say that
I didn't realize the full potentialities of what he had said for several
days--not until I got Frank's first report."

* * * * *

"You could hardly be expected to, Mr. President," Frank said. "After
all, something like that is pretty heady stuff."

"I think I follow you," said the Secretary. "You found he was already
teaching this trick to others."

The President glanced at the FBI man. Frank said: "That's right; he was
holding meetings--classes, I suppose you'd call them--twice a week.
There were eight men who came regularly."

"That's when I gave the order to have them all picked up. Can you
imagine what would happen if _everybody_ could be taught to use this
ability? Or even a small minority?"

"They'd rule the world," said the Secretary softly.

The President shrugged that off. "That's a small ite