Project Gutenberg 2009-08-06 Public domain in the USA. 117 Causey, James 1924 2003 Causey, James Oliver, Jr. Francis, Dick Francis, Richard D. Teething Ring Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1953. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Teething Ring" by James Causey is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. The narrative revolves around the interactions between Melinda Adams, a housewife, and an alien peddler named Porteous, who mistakenly believes she lives in a lower-class culture. The story explores themes of societal misunderstanding and the humorous consequences that arise when advanced technology encounters a seemingly primitive environment. In the tale, Melinda is initially annoyed by Porteous's visit but becomes intrigued by his array of alien gadgets. Despite her resistance, she engages with him, showcasing her life and cultural practices. When Porteous introduces a neural distorter, which he claims could enhance her son Harry Junior's intelligence, Melinda's protective instincts kick in. The story takes a twist when a Galactic Security officer arrives, revealing that Porteous's assumptions about Melinda's world were incorrect, thus raising questions about classification and cultural context. Ultimately, as Melinda reflects on the day’s events, Harry Junior demonstrates a uniquely childlike ambition, dreaming of grand achievements that feel hilariously out of reach. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 78.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Humour 41165 2025-07-12T08:30:46.902480 text/html 37181 2009-08-06T14:38:50 text/html 118101 2025-07-12T08:30:50.836522 application/epub+zip 116888 2025-07-12T08:30:48.708536 application/epub+zip 116839 2025-07-12T08:30:47.571516 application/epub+zip 249215 2025-07-12T08:30:52.327463 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 134253 2025-07-12T08:30:50.139531 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 104878 2022-09-13T16:18:43.599781 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 34699 2025-07-12T08:30:46.630488 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 34604 2009-08-06T14:38:50 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19713 2025-07-12T08:30:52.458462 application/rdf+xml 10077 2025-07-12T08:30:48.072469 image/jpeg 2686 2025-07-12T08:30:47.823472 image/jpeg 58458 2009-08-06T14:38:50 application/octet-stream application/zip 13674 2009-08-06T14:38:50 application/octet-stream application/zip 116945 2025-07-12T08:30:46.915476 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog