The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lighter Than You Think, by Nelson Bond
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Lighter Than You Think
Author: Nelson Bond
Release Date: August 15, 2009 [EBook #29698]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIGHTER THAN YOU THINK ***
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
_It's possible that you won't agree with us that Pat Pending's
latest adventure is a delightful story--possible IF you haven't been
used to laughing in recent years. Blue Book printed more than a
dozen of these stories by Nelson Bond about the "greatest
inventulator of all time"._
lighter
than
you
think
_by NELSON BOND_
Sandy's eyes needed only jet propulsion to become flying
saucers. Wasn't Pat wonderful? she beamed, at everyone.
Some joker in the dear, dead days now virtually beyond recall won
two-bit immortality by declaring that, "What this country needs is a
good five-cent cigar."
Which is, of course, Victorian malarkey. What this country _really_
needs is a good five-cent nickel. Or perhaps a good cigar-shaped
spaceship. There's a fortune waiting somewhere out in space for the man
who can go out there and claim it. A fortune! And if you think I'm just
talking through my hat, lend an ear ...
Joyce started the whole thing. Or maybe I did when for the umpteenth
time I suggested she should marry me. She smiled in a way that showed
she didn't disapprove of my persistence, but loosed a salvo of
devastating negatives.
"No deal," she crisped decisively. "Know why? No dough!"
"But, sugar," I pleaded, "two can live as cheaply as one--"
"This is true," replied Joyce, "only of guppies. Understand, Don, I
don't mind changing my name from Carter to Mallory. In fact, I'd rather
like to. But I have no desire whatever to be known to the neighbors as
'that poor little Mrs. Mallory in last year's coat.'
"I'll marry you," she continued firmly, "when, as and if you get a
promotion."
Her answer was by no stretch of the imagination a reason for loud
cheers, handsprings and cartwheels. Because I'm
|