“WHAT are you talking about, Chow?” Tom asked, turning to the old Westerner in amazement.
Chow related how he had dropped the bubble gum inside the robot’s head.
“Did I ruin the critter?” he asked fearfully.
Tom was thoughtful for a moment, frowning as they watched Ole Think Box continue its gyrations. The figure seemed to be calming down somewhat, although Tom could not be sure of this.
Suddenly his face brightened. A new thought had just struck the young inventor! To Chow’s amazement, Tom slapped the cook happily on the back.
“I think you’ve done me a favor, Chow!” he exclaimed.
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AN ELECTRICAL CHRISTENING 93
“I have?” The old Texan stared at his young boss, as if not sure whether or not to believe him. “How come?”
“You saw how Ole Think Box reacted to the gum,” Tom explained. “That shows the energy really is like a brain! It’s responsive and sensitive to conditions of its environment, especially when coming up against something new and unexpected.”
“You mean they don’t have bubble gum on Planet X?” Chow asked with a grin.
Tom smiled as Bud said, “This means we should be able to communicate with it.”
“And the brain will probably be able to communicate back to usl” Tom went on excitedly. “We may even be able to learn about Planet XI”
As he spoke, Ole Think Box’s whirling became slower and slower. Finally it came to rest close to the three humans.
“What do you suppose happened to the gum?” Bud asked. “Did he chew it all up?”
“It’s probably unchanged,” Tom replied. “Our visitor is used to it now.”