Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 21: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

TRADE SECRET 19 They watched with mild satisfac- tion as the approaching stranger Stopped, glanced a moment at the sign hanging above, then moved in- side the club. Their satisfaction van- ished as he emerged a moment later. He looked about and seemed to spot them with some difficulty. “Mr. Nagle—?” he said as he moved toward them. “Yes,” said Mart. It was apparent now that the man had been drinking somewhat and was just barely over the edge of feeling high “I want to know how this thing works. I won’t use it until you tell me how it works.” “Of course, be glad to,” said Mart. He sighed and took the man’s arm. Inside, they moved around to the side of the Volcano where they would not obscure the vision of any cus- tomer seated in the amphitheater around the gambling device. The lights of the room were dim, most of the illumination coming through the plastic Volcano cone. It was as mas- sive as three or four juke boxes and easily topped them in the garishness of its lighting. Waves of light rippled down the sides of the cone, and inside, a dozen brightly colored balls danced madly on a diaphragm across the bot- tom of the hole that pierced the axis of the cone. “The world’s first and only com- pletely honest gambling device,” said Mart. Abruptly one of the balls ap- ared on the outside of the cone and rolled to the bottom where it clanked against the metal rim. The number of the ball and its color flashed on a panel behind them. One of the cus- tomers looked pleased and waved a betting sheet at the nearest girl at- tendant. “Absolutely foolproof,” Mart said. “The emergence of a ball from the cone is governed absolutely and com- pletely by random chance.” The man peered closer at the balls which had resumed their dancing on the diaphragm. “Is that so? What keeps them bouncing up and down?” ‘“‘A small motor actuates the rubber diaphragm. The balls are matched in weight to a thousandth of a milligram and their balance exceeds that of the finest ball bearing.” “Is that so? You're sure the game isn’t fixed, now?” **Positive,”’ said Mart. “Think I'll try it. Where do I buy some chips?” “Just take a seat anywhere you like. One of the girls will provide you with a betting sheet and you stamp your selection for the following game with the device provided on the arm of the chair. The attendant will show you how. The play is continuous.”’ “Thanks, mister. Two dollars bet high enough to start?” “You may start as low as a dollar if you like.” “Look, mister, I want my games to be honest, but I want you to know I’m no small timer. Nothing smaller than two dollars for Paul Gentry. But you're sure this game’s not fixed—”’ Mart went out into the night air and joined Berk. “The guy’s a reporter,” he said. ““We’ll be in the papers. If that doesn’t bring us business, nothing will.” But it wasn’t the newspapers. Not at first anyway. Joe Baird had learned with considerable interest of the closing of the New York office and with exasperation that was also con- siderable he had tracked them during the ensuing weeks. So elusive had they been that it was two weeks after their Opening before his man caught up with them. So it was not in the news- papers at first, but on Joe Baird’s television program the following night. “What two famous ex-Government EComichooksnco im