The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tinker's Dam, by Joseph Tinker

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Title: Tinker's Dam

Author: Joseph Tinker

Illustrator: John Schoenherr

Release Date: February 20, 2008 [EBook #24655]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration]

TINKER'S
DAM

By JOSEPH TINKER

_There is something very fundamental
indeed about the ancient showman's
trick--divert their attention from
the thing you're really doing ..._

Illustrated by Schoenherr

The call on the TV-phone came right in the middle of my shaving. They
have orders not to call me before breakfast for anything less than a
national calamity. I pressed "Accept," too startled to take the lather
from my face.

"Hi, Gyp," George Kelly said to me from the screen. "Hurry it up, boy."
He made no reference to my appearance on his screen. "Quit draggin' your
feet!"

This I take from George Kelly. First of all, he's Director of the F.B.I.
Even more important, he's my boss. "Hey, George," I protested, knowing
he would not have called on a routine matter. "I got up before breakfast
as it is. What's up?" I hardly needed to ask. When they call me, it's
always the same sickening kind of trouble.

"Fred Plaice and his gang got their hands on a telepath in the District
last night," George told me. "It's been on the newscast already.
There'll be a damned ugly mob at the office--a lynch mob. Listen, Gyp, I
want you to go through the main entrance this morning."

I nodded my willingness to fight my way through the crowd that would be
gathering at the office. Usually I have my taxi drop me on the roof of
the building. Call it a petty vanity if you want. It's one of the
perquisites of being Washington brass.

"Swell, Gyp," George Kelly said, as if there had been any question about
whether I'd come in through the main entrance. "The public has a world
of confidence in you. Now, damn it, Gyp, if they want to make a fuss
over you this morning, let them. We've got to get that snake out of the
building ali