The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Sometimes the simplest and most reasonable request brings astonishing results…

Excerpt

"Sometimes the simplest and most reasonable request brings astonishing results.

The fiasco at the big No.1 Plant atop Pikes Peak began like this.

“Hoskins,” said the man known the world over as The Sorcerer, turning from the empty water cooler, “will you pick up the phone please and call the storeroom down at the ten-thousand-foot level and ask them to send up a bottle of mineral water? This one is dry.”

“Yes, Sir,” said Hoskins, obediently, and began flicking the number. He clicked impatiently several times, then announced, “The phone’s dead.”

“That’s so,” agreed The Sorcerer. “I forgot. They are having some trouble in No. 31 Distribution Station. The phones may be out for another hour. But I’m thirsty as hell. Won’t you hop on the elevator, like a good boy, and drop down and bring up one yourself?”

“Y-yes, Sir,” acknowledged Hoskins, reluctantly. He was the junior most of the six young scientists honored with the appointment of being understudies to the foremost scientist of all time. It griped him to be asked to do what he regarded as menial things. It was not fitting to his august position. But he shoved away the mass of formulas he was working on and got grudgingly to his feet. With just a show of sulkiness—enough to be unmistakable, yet discreet—he slouched toward the door.

“Dumb egg, that,” whispered Bob Hallet to Freddie Palmer, next to him. “How in the name of Einstein did he ever get this far?”

“Sh-h-h,” cautioned Palmer. “Didn’t you know? He’s Sol Hoskins’ nephew—”

“You mean the General Director of Production at Washington? Oh!”

And that is the end of that scene. Nearly an hour later The Sorcerer rose, stretched and yawned.

“Well, boys,” be called, “let’s call it half a day and drop down to the Quick-and-Dirty and snatch a bite of chow. Looks as if the kid fell down the shaft or something.”

The other five young men slid their papers together and rose, delighted at the invitation for a recess. Their chief was a difficult man in many respects. He was a hound for work and no respecter of hours. Moreover, he expected his whole staff to work with him, minute for minute. Often stretches of as long as fifteen and twenty hours occurred. without the slightest break. Today the chief seemed unusually genial and relaxed. They followed him respectfully down the corridor to the western bank of elevators. In a moment they would be down at the six-thousand-foot level and would climb into a subway car bound for the officers’ restaurant in Manitou. They had no way of knowing whether they would be there five minutes or three hours, for the chief might be in one of his rare talkative moods. Again, he might be seized with a new idea even as he was ordering the meal, and drag them back again on the run to their desks. Being understudy to The Sorcerer had its points, but not all of them were good.