attract any attention in Southern California."

"Per-

"Oh?" the stranger said looking somewhat crestfallen. haps that's why I haven't been getting on as fast as I hoped I would."

"If you'd like a suggestion, you might take up the bongos and get in with the beach crowd. I think you'd do very well with them." "No, thank you," said the Visitor. "I'm much too old for that sort of thing. Anyway, it's you I've come to talk about."

"You said you wanted to trade.

#1

"Surely you are aware of our standing offer?"

"Oh that, 11

replied the young man with a deprecatory wave of his hand. "You certainly don't think people are so naive anymore as to trade their souls for something as intrinsically useless as money and power, do you? At least, not the people that count?"

"Wait," the Diabolic Trader protested. "We know that power and tension and the circulatory diseases are all tied together. the mere mention of the word 'cholesterol' sends a novice dictator

Why,

into a panic. And money! We can hardly give it away. As soon as we say anything at all about it people throw up their hands and shout, go away, my tax picture's impossible already!' No, our trading in those areas is pretty well washed up.

#

"

"I'm surprised you got away with it as long as you did. The young man smiled as though at an errant child. "But now, what is it you imagine you can trade me?"

"Well," said the Stygian Stranger. "It isn't everyone who wants to be a girl."

The young man was quite surprised. "I didn't know you'd make THAT sort of trade!

"We'll trade you anything you like."

"You had better come in," said the young man contemplating the possibilities just laid before him, and as the Visitor seated him- self asked, "What do you propose to do for me?"

"It strikes me **

·

said the demonic Guest, "that you are in

rather bad straights just now.

You're being evicted, you have some trouble holding a job, and what with your expensive tastes in cloth-

13.