car. His face was streaked with sweat and dust.
"That's the way to handle 'em, Hank," Mike said breathlessly. "Men,
women, sheep, horses and dogs all need to be pushed a little."
"And even if you're not in a hurry you have to get out and kick
them?" Hank asked. "Just to be kicking?"
"That's right, even if you're not in a hurry," Mike said. He looked
slyly sideways at Hank. "But, of course, I'm in a hurry."
"I know, I know," Hank said.
The car sped down the road and began the long climb into the brown soft
hills of the Coast Range.
CHAPTER 4
The Experiment
Mike got a job as a guinea pig the second month he was at Stanford. On
the bulletin board on the English Corner there was a sign that stated
that subjects for an important psychological experiment were wanted. The
pay was fifty cents an hour. The sign directed applicants to see Miss
Bird in the Psychology Department.
Mike saw Miss Bird and was hired. She told him where to report for
the experiment and the next afternoon he climbed to the top floor
of the Psychology Building. He walked down a long corridor lined
with rat cages. He could see hundreds of pink eyes glittering in the
semi-darkness and a wave of sound preceded him. It was the scurrying
of thousands of horny feet. The smell of the rats was thick and hot;
like rotted cereal. In one cage there were six rats with neat scars down
their skulls. Something had been cut out of their brains for they stayed
frozen in one position, unable to move, although their eyes glittered
wildly when Mike put his face close to their cage. One rat had been
placed with its forepaws tucked under its chin and it squatted on its
hind legs. Once it shivered as it tried to move and its eyes rolIed,
but it remained motionless . . . only its hair rippled.
Mike turned away and walked down to the room where the experiment was
being conducted. Two people were in the room and they were both wearing
long white coats. One was a middle-aged woman, the other was a young
man with protruding eyes.
"Are you Mr. Freesmith?" the man asked. "I'm Dr. Sutliff. This is
Dr. Urich."
Mike shook hands with both of them.
"Could you for the next week every afternoon be available?" Dr. Urich
said. She had a foreign accent and spoke very slowly. "Two hours every
afternoon?"
"Sure," Mike said.
They led him over to a large table at the end of the room. On the table
was a large black box with a naked electric light bulb protruding from the
top. There were two windows in the front of the box, one covered with a
red card, the other with a blue card. In the center of the machine was
a small funnel. Mike sat down at the chair in front of the apparatus.
"The object of the experiment is to see how many times you can cause
the light to go on," Dr. Urich said in a slow precise voice. Mike sensed
that this was a special voice, developed just for giving instructions to
subjects. "The light can be illuminated by pressing one or the other of
the two cards. Every five seconds a machine within the box automatically
changes the cards, giving you cards of different colors. It also changes
the window, which will close the circuit and cause the light to go on.
So every five seconds you will have a fresh choice. Each time you
illuminate the light a penny will drop out of the funnel. You may keep
all the pennies you earn. If they do not equal fifty cents an hour we
will make up the difference. Do you have any questions?"
"No."
"You may begin."
Mike pressed the red card in the left-hand window. The light did not
go on. The machine whirred, two new cards, orange and yellow, dropped
down into the windows. Mike pressed the yellow card. The light did not
go on. The mechanism whirred again and the cards were changed.
Mike hesitated. Something was wrong. He pressed the right-hand card
again. A penny dropped down the funnel, rolled slowly on the table and
slowly spun to the surface between his hands. Mike looked down at the
penny. The
"That's the way to handle 'em, Hank," Mike said breathlessly. "Men,
women, sheep, horses and dogs all need to be pushed a little."
"And even if you're not in a hurry you have to get out and kick
them?" Hank asked. "Just to be kicking?"
"That's right, even if you're not in a hurry," Mike said. He looked
slyly sideways at Hank. "But, of course, I'm in a hurry."
"I know, I know," Hank said.
The car sped down the road and began the long climb into the brown soft
hills of the Coast Range.
CHAPTER 4
The Experiment
Mike got a job as a guinea pig the second month he was at Stanford. On
the bulletin board on the English Corner there was a sign that stated
that subjects for an important psychological experiment were wanted. The
pay was fifty cents an hour. The sign directed applicants to see Miss
Bird in the Psychology Department.
Mike saw Miss Bird and was hired. She told him where to report for
the experiment and the next afternoon he climbed to the top floor
of the Psychology Building. He walked down a long corridor lined
with rat cages. He could see hundreds of pink eyes glittering in the
semi-darkness and a wave of sound preceded him. It was the scurrying
of thousands of horny feet. The smell of the rats was thick and hot;
like rotted cereal. In one cage there were six rats with neat scars down
their skulls. Something had been cut out of their brains for they stayed
frozen in one position, unable to move, although their eyes glittered
wildly when Mike put his face close to their cage. One rat had been
placed with its forepaws tucked under its chin and it squatted on its
hind legs. Once it shivered as it tried to move and its eyes rolIed,
but it remained motionless . . . only its hair rippled.
Mike turned away and walked down to the room where the experiment was
being conducted. Two people were in the room and they were both wearing
long white coats. One was a middle-aged woman, the other was a young
man with protruding eyes.
"Are you Mr. Freesmith?" the man asked. "I'm Dr. Sutliff. This is
Dr. Urich."
Mike shook hands with both of them.
"Could you for the next week every afternoon be available?" Dr. Urich
said. She had a foreign accent and spoke very slowly. "Two hours every
afternoon?"
"Sure," Mike said.
They led him over to a large table at the end of the room. On the table
was a large black box with a naked electric light bulb protruding from the
top. There were two windows in the front of the box, one covered with a
red card, the other with a blue card. In the center of the machine was
a small funnel. Mike sat down at the chair in front of the apparatus.
"The object of the experiment is to see how many times you can cause
the light to go on," Dr. Urich said in a slow precise voice. Mike sensed
that this was a special voice, developed just for giving instructions to
subjects. "The light can be illuminated by pressing one or the other of
the two cards. Every five seconds a machine within the box automatically
changes the cards, giving you cards of different colors. It also changes
the window, which will close the circuit and cause the light to go on.
So every five seconds you will have a fresh choice. Each time you
illuminate the light a penny will drop out of the funnel. You may keep
all the pennies you earn. If they do not equal fifty cents an hour we
will make up the difference. Do you have any questions?"
"No."
"You may begin."
Mike pressed the red card in the left-hand window. The light did not
go on. The machine whirred, two new cards, orange and yellow, dropped
down into the windows. Mike pressed the yellow card. The light did not
go on. The mechanism whirred again and the cards were changed.
Mike hesitated. Something was wrong. He pressed the right-hand card
again. A penny dropped down the funnel, rolled slowly on the table and
slowly spun to the surface between his hands. Mike looked down at the
penny. The
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