
Mr. Chipfellow's Jackpot
Sam Chipfellow is the kind of genius the world remembers for reshaping the Space Age. He built a self‑operating mansion on a remote estate, surrounded by relatives who keep a polite distance, hoping his death will finally open the vault of his fortune. Though his inventions—eternal metals, telepower that lets thoughts steer machines—have changed civilization, the old man is more preoccupied now with a mystery he can’t solve: his own mortality.
To settle the inheritance, Sam hands his young attorney a sealed envelope and a smile, promising that “the winner will take all” and that anyone on the planet could claim the jackpot. A massive, gleaming structure rises nearby, its purpose hinted at but not explained, while the lawyer wrestles with curiosity and duty. The stage is set for a clever, high‑stakes contest that will test more than just luck, inviting listeners to wonder who, if anyone, will crack the enigmatic will.
Language
en
Duration
~16 minutes (15K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Dec 13, 2009
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

A little-known mid-century science-fiction writer, Dick Purcell created sharp, imaginative stories about time, ambition, and humanity’s reach beyond Earth. His work offers a fascinating glimpse into the adventurous pulp-SF era of the 1950s.
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