Project Gutenberg's The Worlds of Joe Shannon, by Frank M. Robinson

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Title: The Worlds of Joe Shannon

Author: Frank M. Robinson

Illustrator: Paul Orban

Release Date: June 4, 2010 [EBook #32680]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from IF Worlds of Science Fiction March
1954. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.

_Strumming a harp while floating on a white cloud might be Paradise
for some people, but it would bore others stiff. Given an unlimited
chance to choose your ideal world, what would you specify--palaces
or log cabins?_

THE WORLDS
of Joe Shannon

By Frank M. Robinson

Illustrated by Paul Orban

I'll take beer, son, and thanks again for the offer. As you can see,
I'm kinda down on my luck. I know what you're thinking, but I'm not
really on the bum. I usually make out all right--nothing fancy, mind
you, but it's a living. Odd jobs in the winter and spring, follow the
harvests in the summer and fall. Things are slack right now.

You? Electronics, huh? Used to know a fellow in electronics....

His name was Joe Shannon, used to work for Stellar Electric up in
Fremont. Young fellow, not more'n twenty-five or so. Rail thin, wispy
hair, serious look--you know, the one suit, absent-minded type. Joe
was a brain. A triple-A, gold-plated, genuine genius. Had a wife named
Marge. Not beautiful but pretty and a nice figure and a cook you never
saw the likes of. Like I say, she was married to Joe but Joe was
married to his work and after you'd been around a while, you could
tell there was friction.

But that ain't the beginning.

I suppose I'm partly responsible because it started when I was over
for dinner one night. I had been working in the garden and doing odd
jobs around the house that afternoon and I finagled it so I was
invited for s