im of his
uniform cap. It is not that Billy is stupid, just that most of his
strength has gone into his back instead of his mind.

"That's Ned's job now because you have a promotion. You are going to
help me with some of my work."

Billy came in very handy at times and I was anxious that the force
shouldn't lose him. My explanation cheered him because he sat down by
Fats and watched Ned do the floor.

That's the way things went for about a week. We watched Ned sweep and
polish until the station began to take on a positively antiseptic look.
The Chief, who always has an eye out for that type of thing, found out
that Ned could file the odd ton of reports and paperwork that cluttered
his office. All this kept the robot busy, and we got so used to him we
were hardly aware he was around. I knew he had moved the packing case
into the storeroom and fixed himself up a cozy sort of robot
dormitory-coffin. Other than that I didn't know or care.

The operation manual was buried in my desk and I never looked at it. If
I had, I might have had some idea of the big changes that were in store.
None of us knew the littlest bit about what a robot can or cannot do.
Ned was working nicely as a combination janitor-file clerk and should
have stayed that way. He would have too if the Chief hadn't been so
lazy. That's what started it all.

It was around nine at night and the Chief was just going home when the
call came in. He took it, listened for a moment, then hung up.

"Greenback's liquor store. He got held up again. Says to come at once."

"That's a change. Usually we don't hear about it until a month later.
What's he paying protection money for if China Joe ain't protecting?
What's the rush now?"

The Chief chewed his loose lip for a while, finally and painfully
reached a decision.

"You better go around and see what the trouble is."

"Sure," I said reaching for my cap. "But no one else is around, you'll
have to watch the desk until I get back."

"That's no good," he moaned. "I'm dying from hunger and sitting here
isn't going to help me any."

"I will go take the report," Ned said, stepping forward and snapping his
usual well-greased salute.

At first the Chief wasn't buying. You would think the water cooler came
to life and offered to take over his job.

"How could _you_ take a report?" he growled, putting the wise-guy water
cooler in its place. But he had phrased his little insult as a question
so he had only himself t