Houlihan's Equation Read online

at mequietly.

  "Mr. Houlihan," said Keech, "you will not be forgotten by theleprechauns. If we ever meet again, upon another world perchance, you'llfind our friendship always eager and ready."

  "Thank you," I said.

  "And now, Mr. Houlihan," said Keech, "I'll see that a quantity of goldis delivered to your rooms tonight, and so keep my part of thebargain."

  "I'll not be needing the gold," I said.

  Keech's eyebrows popped upward. "What's this now?"

  "I'll not be needing it," I repeated. "I don't feel it would be right totake it for a service of this sort."

  "Well," said Keech in surprise, and in some awe, too, "well, now, mushaLord help us! 'Tis the first time I ever heard such a speech from amortal." He turned to his people. "We'll have three cheers now, do youhear, for Mr. Houlihan--friend of the little people as long as he shalllive!"

  And they cheered. And little tears crept into the corners of some oftheir turned-up eyes.

  We shook hands, all of us, and I left.

  * * * * *

  I walked through the park, and back to the nuclear propulsion center. Itwas another cool, green morning with the leaves making only soft noisesas the breezes came along. It smelled exactly like a wood I had known inRoscommon.

  And I lit my pipe and smoked it slowly and chuckled to myself at how Ihad gotten the best of the little people. Surely it was not every mortalwho could accomplish that. I had given them the wrong equation, ofcourse. They would never get their spaceship to work now, and later, ifthey tried to spy out the right information I would take specialmeasures to prevent it, for I had the advantage of being able to seethem.

  As for our own rocket ship, it should be well on its way by next St.Patrick's Day. For I had indeed determined the true coefficient ofdischarge, which I never could have done so quickly without thosesessions in the glade with Keech and his working model.

  It would go down in scientific literature now, I suppose, as Houlihan'sEquation, and that was honor and glory enough for me. I could do withoutKeech's pot of gold, though it would have been pleasant to be truly richfor a change.

  There was no sense in cheating him out of the gold to boot, forleprechauns are most clever in matters of this sort and he would havehad it back soon enough--or else made it a burden in some way.

  Indeed, I had done a piece of work greatly to my advantage, and also tothe advantage of humankind, and when a man can do the first and includethe second as a fortunate byproduct it is a most happy accident.

  For if I had shown the little people how to make a spaceship they wouldhave left our world. And this world, as long as it lasts--what would itbe in that event? I ask you now, wouldn't we be even _more_ likely toblow ourselves to Kingdom Come without the little people here for us tobelieve in every now and then?

  Transcriber's Note:

  This etext was produced from _Fantastic Universe_ September 1955. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.