Latest / The Three Just Men / Four Science Fiction Stories by G.L.Vandenburg-G. L. Vandenburg

Transcript

Four Science Fiction Stories by G.L.Vandenburg-G. L. Vandenburg · The Three Just Men

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Story one of four science fiction stories by G. L.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Vandenburgh.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. These stories, recorded by Phil Schinebert
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Martian V. F. W.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: By G. L.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Vandenburgh was published first in Amazing Science Fiction Stories of
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: May nineteen fifty nine. There's nothing like a parade, I
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: always say, of course, I'm a Martian. Mister Carruthers was
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: a busy man. Co Ordinating the biggest parade in New
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: York's history.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: Is not easy.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: with the agility of a quarterback. He had his hands full,
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: organizing marchers, locating floats, placing the many brass bands in
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: their proper order, and barking commands to assistance. But mister
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Carruthers approached the job with all the zeal of an
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: evangelist at a revival meeting. As he approached the southwest
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: corner of the square, he saw something that George is
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: already frayed nerves. He stopped abruptly. The mass of clip
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: boards and papers he was carrying fell to the street.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: There before him were one hundred and fifty ants, each
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: of them at least six feet tall. His first impulse
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: was to turn and run for the nearest doctor. He
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: was certain that the strain of his job was proving
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: too much for him. But one of the ants approached him.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: It seemed friendly enough, so mister Carruthers stood his ground.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: My group was waiting for their assignment. The ant's voice
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: seemed to be coming from the very core of its thorax,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: which was violent red. Good lord, mister Brother's mouth opened
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: up as wide as an uven door. Mister Carrothers, I
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: believe the parade is about to start in my group,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: mister Carruthers managed to blurt out, what the.
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: Devil are you anyway?
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: This is the parade marking the International Geophysical Year, is
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: it not? The ant had a pleasant, friendly voice. Well, yes,
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: but and you are, mister Carruthers, the manager of the parade.
• 2:27
  Speaker 4: Is that not correct?
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: Mister Carruthers rubbed his eyes and took another look at
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: the strange creature. Its head was a brilliant yellow. It
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: had two large goggle eyes which rolled like itinerant marbles.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: When it spoke, the low slung abdomen was a burnt brown.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: It was bad enough. Carruthers thought that these ants were
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: six feet tall, but it was nightmarish to see them
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: in three colors, Mister Carruthers, The ant continued, haven't you
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: been instructed by the National Academy of Sciences that the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: Martian V F W is to participate in this parade?
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: The Martian. Mister Carruthers's mouth was opened again. Then he
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: realized that when the ant spoke, its mouth didn't move.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: He picked up his clipboard and papers from the street.
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: His voice was hostile.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: Now, what the hell is this some kind of a gag?
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: What are you trying to do? Scare a man half
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: to death? Oh, we're not joking, mister Carruthers. The National Academy,
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: they didn't say anything to me about a bunch of
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: clowns dressed up like ants. Mister Carruthers's indignation became intensified.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: He was loath to admit that he'd been taken in
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: by such obviously animated costumes. Now look here, I'm a
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: very busy man.
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: The arrangements have been made, mister Carruthers. If my group
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: is refused take placed in this parade, we shall file
• 4:03
  Speaker 4: suit immediately. As manager, you'll be named co defendant.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: The ant was gentle but firm. The thought of being
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: sued softened mister Carruthers's attitude. Well, I'm very sorry, pal,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: but every contingent in this parade is listed on my clipboard.
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: And you're not.
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: I know this list by heart. What did you say?
• 4:26
  Speaker 4: The name of your group was the Martian V.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: F W. Mister Caruthers was amused. Those sure are the
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: craziest outfits I've ever seen. He chuckled, where'd you get them?
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: Walt Disney make them for you? He followed his own
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: little choke with a long, throaty laugh. The ant was
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: impatient about the parade, mister Carruthers, There isn't much time.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: Oh yes, the parade. Well, let me see, he thumbed
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: through the clipboard. I guess there. There's always room for
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: a few laughs. How many in your group? One hundred
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: and fifty? And we also have a float with us,
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: not a very large one. It measures twenty by twenty.
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: Tell you what?
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: You move your group to the corner of Thompson Street
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: and third Street.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: Get behind the.
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: Tiffany float and follow them. Okay.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: The ant paused a moment to record the instructions in
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: his mind. Then he turned to leave.
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: Oh wait a.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Minute, mister Caruthers cried before the ant could rejoin his group.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: Just who did you speak to at the National Academy
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: of Sciences. I believe it was a mister Kenfield. Mister
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: Carruthers's face lit up. Why didn't you say so in
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: the first place, I'd have placed you right away. That's
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: perfectly all right, mister Carruthers.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: Listen.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: I don't know what you guys do, but those costumes
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: should certainly bring the house down. There's going to be
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: four million people watching this parade. I bet that's the
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: biggest audience you've ever seen.
• 6:04
  Speaker 4: It certainly is.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: With that, the ant strode away. Good luck, mister Carruthers
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: shouted after him. Daddy, Daddy, look look at the big rocket.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: The little boy jumped up and down gleefully. It must
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: be a whole mile long, Daddy, what kind is it?
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: That's the vanguard? Son and Autumn Breeze from the East
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: River chilled their vantage point at sixty first Street and
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: Fifth Avenue. The Vanguard, The Vanguard. The name meant nothing
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: to the boy. Gee, I'll bet it can fly all
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: the way to the stars. It's the rocket that carried
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: the first artificial satellite into space. The parade, now three
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: hours long, continued past the reviewing stand. I want to
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: get a better look at the vanguard, the boy shouted.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: The father lifted the boy on.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: To his shoulders.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: The little fellow laughed and whooped it up, firing several
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: shots from his captain video raygun at the passing missile.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: The rocket moved on, and the noise of the crowd
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: diminished slightly. A one hundred piece brass band was passing
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: in front of them. They were playing the Stars and
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: Stripes Forever. They were followed by these sacks. Fifth Avenue
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: display nine small floats, each depicting life on another planet.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: The National Academy of Sciences had success on its hands. Wow, daddy,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: I want to ride on it. I want to ride
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: on that float and visit all those planets, can I daddy?
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: The boy became all limbs, trying to squirm down from
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: his father's shoulders. You stay right where you are, young men.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: The father struggled to hold his balance, but I want
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: to go to the stars. I can watch the rest
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: of the parade from Venus or Mercury, please, Daddy, the father,
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: Not just yet, son, But it won't be long before
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: man will go.
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: To the stars.
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: Who lives up there, daddy? Oh, there isn't any life
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: up there yet. If no one's living up there, why
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: does anyone want to go there? Well, maybe there'll be
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: too many people on Earth someday, and then we'll have
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: to find other planets.
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: With more room.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Another monstrous brass band was going by. The boy became restless.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: He began to toy with his raygun, half interested in
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: seeing if there were any sparks left in it. Why
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: can't there be something besides so many bands in a parade?
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: I want to see another float. The father tried to
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: interest the boy by pointing out all the famous people
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: who were also there, a variety of statesmen, the world's
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: leading scientists, and religious and cultural leaders, the President of
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: the United States. The boy was interested, but not in
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: what his elder was saying to him.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: He was looking.
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: Down town, his eyes squinting, trying to make out figures
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: as far away as fifty sixth Street. Then his mouth opened,
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: not uttering a sound, yet just waiting to burst with
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: joy at what was coming toward them.
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: His father looked up at him.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: I wish you'd tell me what you were looking at.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: I'm all the way down here on street level, remember, Daddy.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: They looked like ants? What ants, Daddy? Ants?
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: A whole army of them.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: Ain't it exciting? What on earth are you talking about.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: They're doing somersaults and back flips and everything. They're coming
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: right this way. Gee, there's hundreds of them. And they
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: got a float behind them, Daddy, a great big float
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: with something burning on it. The child sitting on his
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: shoulders made mobility impossible for the father, and he couldn't
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: see a the spectators. He resigned himself to stand and
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: wait for this new spectacle to overtake them.
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: The reaction to this new.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: Sight had already begun to work its way uptown in
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: the distance, but getting closer. Every second he could hear
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: unrestrained laughter and rejoicing. Hey, take it easy. The boy
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: was beginning to ride the shoulders like a broncho buster.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: By the time they get here, I won't have any
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: shoulders left. Where are they now? They're almost here, daddy,
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: and they aren't ants at all, they're just a bunch
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: of clowns dressed up like it. He began to giggle hysterically,
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: golleat your footy kid. Can you see them yet, daddy?
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: Before the father could produce an answer, the ants were
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: in view. They were a sight that couldn't fail to
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: stimulate the funnybone. By comparison with real ants, everything about
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: them had been grossly exaggerated to achieve the proper effect.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: They walked on their two back legs, but the four
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: front apertures were far from idle. Some of them turned somersaults,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: others did complicated flips consisting of two or three spins
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: in mid air. Still others doing a kind of animated cakewalk.
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: Carried toy ray guns, which they fired at random into
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: the crowd. The guns were something like the Little Boys
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: Captain video ray gun, only larger. They emitted little streaks
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: of blue sparks which shone brightly but disappeared when contact
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: was made with air. They were easily the hit of
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: the parade, a three ringed circus all by themselves as
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: they pranced and clowned their way up Fifth Avenue, giving
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: the spectators a wail of a show that was completely
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: new The guests on the reviewing stand refrained from any
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: hilarity until they saw the float that four of the
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: ants were pulling behind them. It was in keeping with
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: the rest of the nonsense they were perpetuating. The float
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: boasted eight larger ray guns, three on either side and
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: two in the rear, that fired the same fascinating blue sparks.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: Behind each gun, an aunt stood on its head, wildly
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: waving six legs in the breeze, begging to be noticed
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: and laughed at. Above the guns, emblazoned in fiery orange letters,
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: were the words Martian V f W. This was interpreted
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: by one and all as a punchline, and was treated accordingly.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: It was heartwarming to be able to see the President
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: and so many other dignitaries abandoned composure in favor of
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: a good old fashioned belly laugh. Daddy, I can't laugh
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: any more. The boy had to pause between every other word.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: My stomach herds.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Aren't they the funniest things you ever saw? The father
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: was too convulsed to be able to answer him, Daddy,
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: one of them is coming this way. He's firing his
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: captain video rakeun at us. The boy squeezed his father
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: and held on tight. The father took a deep breath
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: in order to be able to speak. Take your gun
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: and fire back at him. Son, Fire away, go on,
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: he's just being playful, he broke forth with another gust
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: of laughter. I won't see anything as funny as this
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: again if I live to be a hundred. The ant
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: pranced over to where they were standing, firing its gun
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: in every direction. The boy fired back. The ant took
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: one look at the lad's gun and let out a long,
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: cackling sound, which built to a crescendo and then stopped
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: as though it had been turned off. The ant rejoined
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: the group and they continued on their merry way. The
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: boy fired several shots into the float as it passed.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: He wanted to see if he could knock out those
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: blazing orange letters Martian V.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: F W.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: The letters continued to burn, but in the boy's mind
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: he was certain he had made several direct hits. The
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: boy and his father watched the float until it was
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: out of sight. They knew there wouldn't be another attraction
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: like those ants. They must have been real professionals.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: The father thought, such.
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: Teamwork, such precision, each one of them having a specific
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: job to do, and each doing it to perfection. After them,
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: everything was bound to be anti climactic. More marchers, more bands,
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: a few more floats. The boy was beginning to tire.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: It had been a long day. Now everything was dull. Daddy,
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: I don't want to see any more. Let's go home.
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: We'll stay at other five minutes. The parade somehow seen
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: to be slowing down. The father yawned and let his
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: son down from his shoulders. He looked across the street
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: at the President and the other dignitaries on the reviewing stand.
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: All were slowly raising their hands in salute as another
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: color guard drowsily made its way by. Soon the last
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: group in the parade was passing the reviewing stand, another
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: brass band. They were moving with the speed of a glacier.
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: A full five seconds elapsed between each note of music.
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: Everything was happening in slow motion. On the reviewing stand.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: The dignified hands went up agonizingly slow to a final salute,
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: and they stayed there. The greatest minds in the world
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: stood motionless, unalterably still, just as each wave of pandemonium
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: had unfurled itself up Fifth Avenue during the parade, did
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: silence take command the little boy tugged at his father's coat. Daddy, Daddy,
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: He pleaded, why has the parade stopped? I want to
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: go home. His words came more slowly with each passing second,
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: like a high speed phonograph playing at thirty three and
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: a third rpm. Daddy, why don't you? And sir me, Daddy,
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: why don't His father never heard him? Fifty miles above
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: the Atlantic, the fleet of spaceships hung suspended like lanterns.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: In the leadship. The ant in charge of communications reported
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: to the commander, We've just received the first communicate from
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: the advance guard. Sir read it to me. The communications
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: chief read from a large perforated time, oh six hundred.
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: Mission accomplished, Manhattan Island cut down the middle immediate result
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: of super isonic rays four million dead rays spreading east
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: and west. Estimated time of raise full effect oh eight hundred.
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: Island will be neutralized. Awaiting further orders, The ant folded
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: the paper and looked up at the commander. Shall I
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: relay further orders? Sir no. The commander of the ants
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: paused and stroked his chin. We are moving. In end
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: of Martian v. F W. Story, two of four science
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: fiction stories by G. L. Vandenburgh. This LibriVox recording is
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: in the public domain. Jubilation USA. Torrel pointed the small
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: cryptpreter toward the wooden horseshoe shaped sign. The sign's legend
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: was carved in bright yellow letters Sartan. Tourel's companion, watched
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: up and down the open highway for signs of life.
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: In seconds, the small cylindrical mechanism completed the translation. The
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: sign said, Jubilation U s a the dog honest, cheeriest
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: little town in America. The two aliens smiled at each other.
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: Unaccustomed to oral conversation, they exchanged thoughts. The cryptpreter worked
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: incredibly fast. The language is quite simple. It would seem
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: safe to proceed. The sign indicates friendliness, thought Torel, the
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: older of the two Capellans. Very well, brother replied Sartan,
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: though I still worry for the safety of the ship.
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: Sartan Our instruments tell us that any one who discovers
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: the ship, Turle explained, a trifle impatient, will show a
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: remarkable degree of curiosity before they display any hostility. Sartin
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: agreed to dismiss his worries, and the two iliens began
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: to walk along the barren highway before them. At a
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: great distance they could see a cluster of small frame buildings.
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: When they had walked a hundred feet or more, they
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: encountered another sign Jubilation U s a welcome stranger, see
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: America first and begin with jubilation, and several hundred feet
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: further two more signs the rotary Club of Jubilation welcomes
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: and extends the warm hand of friendship to you. You
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: are now entering paradise. Brother, howdy stranger, come right on in,
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: stay awhile and make yourself to home Jubilation, Chamber of Commerce.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: As members of a peaceful race, Tarrel and Sartin naturally
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: found the signs encouraging. They walked at a sprightly pace.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: A worrying noise behind them brought the two to a halt.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: They turned to discover a pre war shivy choking its
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: way along the road. The aliens edged their way to
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: a gully along the side of the road. They were
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: confident of a friendly reception, but in the event their
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: calculations had been wrong. They poised themselves to make a
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: break in the direction of their ship. The ancient Chevy
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: sputtered by. The driver was almost as ancient as the car,
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: A bearded fellow with a stogy stuck between his teeth
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: and a crushed hat on his head. The driver slowed
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: down when he saw the aliens. How to strangers, he
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: called cheerily, say, ain't you fellers that might warm in
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: them coveralls? He cackled merrily, put his foot to the floor,
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: and sped on by. Sartan looked at his companion, I
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: am sorry. I should not have doubted you, brother. You
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: were right. These people will welcome our visit. They seem
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: very cardial good Sartin let us continue one hundred yards further.
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: They were confronted by still another brace of signs. They
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: stopped once more. City limits gambling aloud, jubilation where troubles
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: never come due cause the good Lord takes a likin
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: to you, Where gloom and doom are out lawn, and
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: there's never any sadness, Where a smile lights up the
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: midnight sky and gives off only gladness, gambling aloud. The
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: second sign was another in the shape of a horseshoe.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: Beyond this point you have four thousand, three hundred seventy
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: two friends you never had before. Gambling aloud. Suddenly Torels stopped,
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: then played with several switches and dials on the cryptopreter.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: What is wrong, brother, asked the puzzled Sartan. I received
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: no direct translation for the term gambling. What is the
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: closest term the machine gives fraternizing? Sartan laughed, Now it
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: is you who fret, Torel. According to the sign post legends,
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: fraternizing would seem to be accurate. A steady rolling sound
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: of passionless one armed bandits drowned out all other noise
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: in OKI's oasis bar. As a result, Torel and Sartan
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: drew little attention when they entered. Except for their blue
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: metallic space suits, they looked like and were ordinary humans.
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: They proceeded rather timidly toward the bar. Oki, the proprietor,
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: was on duty readying the place for the night shift.
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: Tarrel held up his hand. The cryptupreter had already informed
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: him that oral conversation was the manner of communication on
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: this strange planet. Such conversation had long ago been abandoned
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: on the planet Capella, but learned men such as Tarrel
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: and Sartine were familiar with how it was done, though
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: when they spoke they sometimes had to halt between syllables.
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: How D Tarl flashed a wide grin at the barkeep
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: just hold your horses there, mister.
• 23:34
  Speaker 3: Was OKI's sharp reply.
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: You ain't the only snake in this desert. There's four
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: customers ahead of you. Tartan transmitted an admonishing thought to
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: his companion Tarrel. You should have noticed that the man
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: was busy. He has only two hands. Forgive me, brother,
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: I was blinded by my own excitement. The two Capellans
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: waited and were soon attracted by these silver handled machines
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: that it seemed to have most of the customers fascinated.
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: Sartan wondered over to where a small group of men
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: were gathered around a single machine. A huge man, raw
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: boned and crimson faced, wearing surplus army sun tans, was
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: operating the machine. The big man dropped a large coin
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: into a slot. He gave the silver handle a vicious snap.
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: It made a discordant, bone crushing sound. Three little wheels
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: visible underglass, spun dizzily. Anxious screwed up faces looked on
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: as the first little wheel stopped bell fruit. A collective
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: gasp went up from the small crowd. The second wheel
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: stopped bell fruit. Another gasp, Sartan touched the arm of
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: the man operating the gambling device. I beg your pardon,
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: but could you please tell me? The man wheeled around
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: like a bear aroused from hibernation. Hands off, mister, you
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: trying to jinx me. The third little wheel stopped Lemon.
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: The crowd groaned. The big man turned on Sartan again,
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: a wild and furious look in his eye. You jinxed me.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: Damn you out to bust you one right in the snout.
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: My humble apollo, geez, sir, the bewildered Sartan began. I'll
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: give you your humble apologies right back with my fist,
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: roared the gambler Tarlo quickly made his way through the
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: small crowd, which by now was itching to witness a fight.
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: It excuse me, sir, but my friend did not real
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: eyes the hell he didn't. The gambler fumed. He was
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: trying to jinx me, by god, and I'm gonna teach
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: him to keep his paws. Okay, oh y, you guys,
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: break it up. It was Oakie massive and me looking,
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: using his barrel belly to push his way through to
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: the two aliens and the unlucky gambler.
• 26:11
  Speaker 4: What's going on here? Smoking?
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: He inquired of.
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: The gambler, Okie, I had a jackpot work and when
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: this dumb jerk here ups and grabs my arm, Tarl
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: interrupted with, my friend is sorry for.
• 26:25
  Speaker 3: What he did?
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: Sir Oki stabbed a cigar into his mouth. Who are
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: you guys, anyhow where'd you dig up them crazy coveralls?
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: Such a queer way to dress in this heat? Spoke
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: a voice from the crowd. This was the moment of
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: pride that Tarl and Sartine had.
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: Looked forward to.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: They both grinned confident grins. We have come to you
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: from Capella, he said, with some exultation. Okie's face went blank.
• 26:56
  Speaker 4: Copella, Where the hell is that?
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: Sound like one of them damn hick towns in California,
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: said Smokey. The gambler, Tarrol, somewhat deflated but by no
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: means defeated, hastened to elucidate. Capella is located in the constellation,
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: which you called a regard. Anybody know what the hell
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: he's talking about, asked the saloon keeper. Tarrol and Sartan
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: exchanged troubled glances Sartan took up the cudgel. Riga is
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: a constellation, a star cluster, sir, it is forty two
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: million light years away. What intardation is a light year,
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: asked an old timer in the group. Another replied, they
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: must be from Alaska. They got light years up there.
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: Sometimes stays light the whole confounded year round. That must
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: be it, agreed, Oki. And that's why they're wearing them
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: crazy suits. The saloon keeper on loose, sta grim. You
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: can take them ord pajamas off now, boys, weather's kind
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: of warm in these parts, hey, fellas a voice shout out,
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: did you bring any Eskimo babes down with you? The
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: crowd roared approval at the witticism. Torel transmitted a depressing
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: thought to his companion, I fear they do not believe us, Sartin.
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: Sartan did not get the opportunity to answer. Immediately, Listen, you, guys,
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: Okie pounded his fat finger into Sartin's chest. I want
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: you to behave yourselves understand now that means lay off
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: the customers while they are at the games. You want
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: to gamble, There is plenty of machines available. I got
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: a respectable place I want to keep it that way.
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: He turned and addressed the other men. All right, boys,
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: fund's over, no fight to day, drink up and gamble
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: your money away. Let's get back to the games. It
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: was necessary for Turrel to use the kryptupreter to translate
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: the various signs along the bar. Oki saw the small
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: cylindrical machine sitting on the bar, His curiosity best at him.
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: He gave it a more thorough examination than a dog
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: gives the fire plug.
• 29:20
  Speaker 3: Some of the.
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: Signs read double Bourbon two dollars ten cents, cool gin
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: Rickie one twenty five in God we trust, but nobody else,
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: Rum Collins one dollar, A friend in need is a friend. Indeed,
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: no Indian served here. And Scotch imported a dollar fifty
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: domestic a dollar thirty cool gin Ricky said, Turtle come
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: and right up. Okee mumbled, his attention still wrapped around
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: the Crypturpeter say what is this gadget? Anyway? It is
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: a kryp turk tarle grined with pride. It enables us
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: to understand and speak your langguage haw go on. Oki
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: managed a faint hearted grin, uncertain of whether his leg
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: was being pulled. Come on, now tell me what it is.
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: But I have told you, sir. The barkeep cursed under
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: his breath to Jinrickie, did you say yes? Oki brought
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: the drinks. Sartan smiled broadly, Thank you, exceed Inglee, that'll
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: be two fifty. Tarle raised his glass as though making
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: a toast, to fifty, he repeated. Ok, caught his arm
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: and brought the glass down to fifty, the barkeep said,
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: with grim insistence. Sartan pursed his lips comprehendingly. He removed
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: a large pentagonal piece of metal from his pocket and
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: gave it to Oki. Oke took the piece between his fingers,
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: examined it, and frowned, I'll give up.
• 31:05
  Speaker 3: What is it?
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: Sartan had to glance at Tarl for an answer. Tarl
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: threw a switch on the kryptopreter Money. Tarles silently advised him. Money,
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: said sartand to Oki, you guys hold on and don't
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: drink up yet, growled the barkeep. He then yelled in
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: the direction of the black jack table, Hey, nugget, get
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: on over here.
• 31:29
  Speaker 4: I need you.
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: A wiry little man with a full, unkempt Beard hustled
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: over to the bar Nugget MacDermot at your service. Oke,
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: w's your pleasure, he asked, with a sunny smile. Take
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: a look at this ok handed him the piece of metal.
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: The old prospector turned it over in his hands, bit it,
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: and then held it in his palm as though to
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: judge its weight. His expert opinion was it's gold, Oki,
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: and was uttered without a shred of modesty.
• 32:02
  Speaker 2: Are you sure?
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: The old timer was highly insulted. Am I sure? Why
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: you lopbeard sunstroke jackass? Of course, I'm sure. Nugget McDermott
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: is drawed to gold like nails to a bagnet. Why
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: when this here town was nothing but a patch of cactus?
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: All right, all right, Okie waved him off. Don't get
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: your gander up. Go on back to the blackjack table
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: and tell Sam to give you a drink on the house.
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: Much obliged Oakie. Much obliged, said Nugget, doffing his cap
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: and trotting back to the blackjack table. The bar keeper's
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: face was pure sunshine when he turned to the aliens again, gentlemen,
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: with this kind of a substitute, you don't need money
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: in my place. Drink up, Thank you, exceeding lee, said sartin.
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: Okie arbitrarily judged the gold piece to be worth ten dollars.
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: The management invites you to try your luck, gentlemen, go
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: on give.
• 33:04
  Speaker 4: It a whirl.
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: Torrel and Sartan wore blank expressions as Oki slapped seven
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: dollars and fifty cents change on the bar, four silver dollars,
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: four half dollars and six quarters. Don't be bashful, gentlemen.
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: OKI's machines are friendly to one and all, said the barkeeper.
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: Torrel removed the change and gave his companion two silver dollars,
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: two half dollars and three quarters. What is the purpose
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: of the machines, thought Sartan, as they approached the one
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: armed bandits. I suppose that is what the one called
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: Oki wishes us to learn. Perhaps it is some type
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: of registration machine. It is doubtful the gentleman you disturbed
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: has been at the same machine since we arrived. Sartan
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: gripped the handle of a vacant machine. Do you think
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: it might be a kind of intelligence test? In lieu
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: of an answer, Tarl focused his attention on a small
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: card above the machine, which gave the winning combinations. There
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: is that term again, what term gamboling? Tars pointed to
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: a line on the card warning miners not to gamble.
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: A look of perplexity fell upon his face. I am
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: no longer sure the term has anything to do with fraternizing,
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: he observed, mentally, let us find out. Sartan placed the
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: quarter in the coin slot. The three little wheels went spinning, cherry, lemon, lemon, nothing.
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: Tarrel and Sartan looked at each other, their faces blanker
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: than ever. Try it again, Sartan disposed of another quarter.
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: They waited, lemon, plum, plum nothing. Tarrel inspected the machine
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: from every angle, command on the outside, trying to figure
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: a way in. Let me try it. He put a
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: quarter in the slot. Three lemons. It isn't very interesting,
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: is it, thought Sartin. Why don't we try the larger pieces?
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: A splendid idea, brother, The larger coins did not fit.
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: Tarl proceeded to report this sad state of affairs to Oki.
• 35:24
  Speaker 2: And was amazed.
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: Win for the eight large coins, Ok rewarded him with
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: twenty four smaller ones. He went back to his companion
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: at the one Armed Bandit. They then dropped twenty consecutive
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: quarters into the appropriately named machine without getting so much
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: as a single quarter in return. It is puzzling, is
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: it not, brother, Yes, Sartin. From all indications, it would
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: seem to be a machine totally without purpose. It does
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: consume money, But why would one build the machine whose
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: sole purposes to consume money? Sartan gave it some hard thought.
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: I don't know, remarkable. Tarrel concluded, but nothing is done
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: without a purpose. Obviously we found something.
• 36:15
  Speaker 3: That is no.
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: I do not believe that. Let me have the electro analyzer.
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: The aliens were so engrossed in their problem as to
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: be unaware that Oki and two men at the bar
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: were casting suspicious eyes on them. Sartan fished around in
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: his pocket and produced a small object in the shape
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: of an irregular triangle. Tarl took the electro analyzer from him,
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: removed the cover, and moved his finger around inside. He
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: replaced the cover and slapped the electro analyzer against the
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: side of the one armed bandit. When he took his
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: hand away, the small object stuck to the machine like
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: a leech. Oki scratched his head and addressed one of
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: the two men at the bar, what the hell you
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: suppose they're doing? Sam, what's that gadget for search me,
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: replied Sam, A well dressed, stoop shouldered gent. But if
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: you want my opinion, it doesn't look legal. Hey Nugget
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: called the barkeep again.
• 37:17
  Speaker 3: The little old prospector.
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: Hustled himself over to the bar. Nugget McDermott, at your service,
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: will it be? Okie, go on over and get the sheriff.
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: Tell them there's two queer characters here trying to jimmy
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: one of my machines in broad daylight. The old man's
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: feet kicked up sawdust as he scampered out the door.
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: Okie kept his attention riveted to the two iliens. Tarl
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: was busy adjusting the electro analyzer to the best possible position.
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: What if it does not respond to this machine, Sartin
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: wanted to know. I do not think the machine contains
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: any type of metal with which we are unfamiliar. We
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: will have a reading in one minute. The aliens took
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: a step backward and waited. A sudden noise like that
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: of a television tube exploding, jolted at everyone in the room,
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: including Tarrel and Sartan. The black jack table emptied gamblers
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: left their machines. A semi circle of the curious formed
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: around the two aliens. Oki lit out from behind the
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: bar and elbowed his way through the crowd. The alien's
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: concentration was unbroken by the attention they had aroused. With
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: all the single mindedness of religious fanatics, they continued to
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: observe the strange mechanical device. Oki was dumbfounded to find
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: the machine still in one piece, and doubly dumbfounded to
• 38:48
  Speaker 1: discover it was behaving in a most unconventional manner. It
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: was emitting a low, steady gurgling sound and an occasional
• 38:59
  Speaker 1: sputter or burp.
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: The legs of.
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: The machine seemed unsteady, its body lifted back and forth
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: in herky jerky motions like an old fashioned washing machine.
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: The three little bell fruit wheels were spinning at the
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: speed of an aeroplane propeller. Okie thought they might never
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: stop again. What the helly you crazy galutes doing to
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: my machine, he bellowed. Before the aliens could answer, there
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: was another explosive sound, causing the crowd to jump back
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: several steps. Quarters fell from the mouth of the machine,
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: slowly at first, then at an alarming rate. The coins fell,
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: bounced and rolled all over the floor. The crowd gulped
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: with fascination. Holy catfish, said one of the men. How
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: long since that lasted thing's paid off? Looks like this
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: is the first time, said one of the others. You guys,
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: keep quiet, yelled Oki. The coins continued to fall for
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: what seemed like a record time. The crowd was spellbound.
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: Oki watched in silent fury, and the aliens were more
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: confused than they had been when the machine wasn't paying
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: off the one armed Bandit finally coughed out its last quarter.
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: The three bell fruit wheels came to an abrupt halt,
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: as though an inner spring had snapped. The machine broke down.
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: Certain observers later reported that the poor thing actually looked exhausted.
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: The sheriff burst in the door, with Nugget mac Dermot
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: close behind.
• 40:40
  Speaker 4: Sheriff.
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: I want you to arrest these two tin horns, cried
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: Okey tin horns. Sartain's face was creased with bewilderment. What's wrong,
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: oke asked the sheriff. Take I'll look for yourself. These
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: two bugged my machine and then broke it down. Look
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: at that money all over the floor. Tarrel smiled, We
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: meant no harm. Sir, the hell you didn't mean no harm.
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: You were out to rob me. We were only expirimentting.
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: That's their crooked experiment rot there, said Oki, pointing a
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: finger at the deactivated one armed bandit. I want them
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: locked up until that machine's paid for. All right, said
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: the sheriff. You too, better come with me. But Sir,
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: Sartin protested, we merely wanted to know how the machine functioned.
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: You see, we are from Capella and Cropella.
• 41:39
  Speaker 3: Exclaimed the sheriff.
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: Where is that? I never heard of the place. Well
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: it is not a part of your earth. Oh well,
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: why didn't you say so before? The sheriff winked at
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: the crowd. You mean you boys from out of this world,
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: that is correct, Sartin grinned proudly. Well, well that does
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: make a big differends. The sheriff turned to the crowd.
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: All right, boys, grab them and hustle them over to
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: the jailhouse. A group of men slowly closed in on
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: the two aliens. Tarrel and Sartan backed away toward the wall.
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: I believe they are angry, brother, thought Sartan. But why,
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: inquired Tarrel.
• 42:22
  Speaker 3: I do not know.
• 42:24
  Speaker 1: Do you suppose the machine represented some form of religious
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: deity exceeding the posse bull Tarrell answered. As the men
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: came closer, Oki yelled, just get them two crack pots.
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: I'll plug the first man that touches that money. The
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: men were diverted by OKI's warning. They didn't notice until
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: it was almost too late that the two strangers were
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: half way out the door. Get after them, the sheriff bellowed.
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: The aliens ran as though their lives were at stake,
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: which was true, Following the same route they had taken
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: in town. The crowd followed them as far as the
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: edge of town. From there they hurled rocks. Tarl and
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: Sartan continued to run at breakneck speed, praying they could
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: reach the safety of the ship. Once they looked behind
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: them and saw that the crowd of angry men had
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: given up the chase. Halfway back to their ship, they
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: passed a sign, though they didn't bother to stop and
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: read it. You're now leaving Jubilation, USSA the dog gondest,
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: cheeriest little town in America. Come back soon. End of
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: Jubilation USA. Story three of four science fiction stories by G. L.
• 43:48
  Speaker 2: Vandenburgh.
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 43:53
  Speaker 4: Monglow.
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: This tale was first published in Amazing Stories nineteen fifty eight.
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: The Ajax xx was the first American spacecraft to make
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: a successful landing on the Moon. She had arbited the
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: Earth's natural satellite for a day and a half before
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: making history. The reason for arbiting was important. The Russians
• 44:19
  Speaker 1: had been boasting for a number of years that they
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: would be first. Captain Junius rob usaf had arders to
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: investigate before and after landing. The Moon's dark side was explored.
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: Due to the unknown hazards involved during the orbiting process,
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: more thorough investigation was possible on the Moon's familiar side.
• 44:45
  Speaker 1: The results seemed to be incontroversible. Captain Junius rob and
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: his crew of four were the first humans to tread
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: the ashes of the long dead heavenly body. The Russians,
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: for all their boasts, had never come near the place.
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: The Ajax xx stood tall and gaunt and mighty, framed
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: against the forbidding blackness of space. Captain rob had maneuvered
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: her down to the middle of an immense crater, which
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: the crew came to nickname the Colosseum without seats. Rob
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: had orders not to leave the ship. Consequently, the crew
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: of four scrupulously chosen, well integrated men split into two
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: groups of two. For three days, they labored at gathering specimens,
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: conducting countless tests, and piling up as much data as
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: time and weight would allow. Captain Rob kept them well
• 45:41
  Speaker 1: reminded of the weight problem attached to the return trip.
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: Near the end of the third day, Captain Rob contacted
• 45:48
  Speaker 1: his four flung crew member's over helmet intercom. He ordered
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: them back to the Ajax XX for a briefing session.
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: Soon the men entered the ship, they were hot, uncomfortable,
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: and exhausted. Once back on Earth, they could testify that
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: there was nothing romantic about a thirty five pound pressure suit. Hampston,
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: the rocket expert, summed it up with that damn bulbo
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: his skull. A man is helpless to remove a single
• 46:18
  Speaker 1: bead of perspiration. He could easily develop into a raving maniac.
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: Rob held his meeting in the control room. You have
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: eight hours to finish your work, gentlemen, we're blasting off
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: at O nine hundred. I beg your pardon, captain, said Kingsley,
• 46:36
  Speaker 1: the young man in charge of radio operation. But what
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: about Washington? They haven't made contact yet, and I thought
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: I talked with Washington an hour ago. A modest chair
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: of approval went up from the crew members. Well why
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: didn't you say so before, said Anderson, the first officer.
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: Rob explained, it seems their equipment has been hay wire
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: for two days. They haven't been able to get through.
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: How do you like that, cracked Farnsworth, the astrogator. We're
• 47:07
  Speaker 1: two hundred and forty thousand miles off the Earth and
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: our equipment works fine. They have all the conference of
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: home down at headquarters and they can't repare radio transmission
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: for two days. The men laughed. Gentlemen, Rob continued, every
• 47:24
  Speaker 1: radio and TV network in the country was hooked up
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: to the Chief's office in Washington. I not only talked
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: to General Lovett, I spoke to the whole damn country.
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: The men could not contain their excitement. The captain received
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: a verbal pelting of stored up questions. Did you get
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: word to my family, captain asked Kingsley. I hope you
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: told them we're physically sound. Captain said Farnsworth. I have
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: a fiancee that'll never forgive me if anything happens to me.
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: What's the reaction like around the country. Have the Russians
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: had anything to say yet? A I'll bet their sorry.
• 48:00
  Speaker 1: Do you think the army would mind if I handed
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: my resignation? Kingsley's remark brought vigorous applause from the others.
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: Captain Rob held up his hand for silence.
• 48:10
  Speaker 3: Hold on, hold on.
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: First of all, General Lovett has personally contacted relatives and
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: told them were all physically and mentally sound. Secondly, you'd
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: better get set to receive the biggest damn welcome in history,
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: The General says. Half the nation has invaded Florida for
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: the occasion. Tell them we're not coming back, snapped Kingsley
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: until the Florida Tourist Bureau gives us a cut. Kingsley,
• 48:40
  Speaker 1: the president has declared a national holiday.
• 48:42
  Speaker 3: We'll all be.
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: Able to write our own ticket. Yes, Anderson put in
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: to hell with a Florida Tourist Bureau. Captain Rob said,
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: we'll be so sick of parades. We'll wish we'd stayed
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: in this god forsaken place. Not me, boast Thornsworth. I'm
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: ready for a parade in my honor any old time.
• 49:05
  Speaker 3: The sooner the better.
• 49:07
  Speaker 1: Oh and about the Russians, said Captain Rob, smiling. There's
• 49:11
  Speaker 1: been nothing but a steady stream of no comment out
• 49:15
  Speaker 1: of the Kremlin since we landed here. Right now, said Hampston,
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: it's probably high noon for every scientist behind the Iron curtain.
• 49:25
  Speaker 1: I wonder how they planned to talk their way out
• 49:27
  Speaker 1: of this, one asked Thornsworth. Gentlemen, I'd like to go
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: on talking about the welcome we're going to receive, but
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: I think we'd better take first things first before there
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: can be a welcome. We have to get back, and
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: we still have work to do before we start. What
• 49:45
  Speaker 1: about souvenirs, captain asked Thornsworth. Rob pursed his lips thoughtfully. Yes,
• 49:51
  Speaker 1: I guess there is a matter of souvenirs, isn't there.
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: The others detected a note of disturbance in the way
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: the captain spoke. Kingsley asked, is anything wrong? Captain Rob
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: laughed with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. Nothing is wrong, Kingsley.
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: The fact is we've taken on enough additional weight here
• 50:12
  Speaker 1: to give us some concern on the return trip. He
• 50:16
  Speaker 1: paused to study the faces of his men. They were disappointed,
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: but he added emphatically, I seem to remember promising something
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: about souvenirs, and I guess a man can't travel five
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: hundred thousand miles without something to show for it. I'll
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: get together with Hampston and work out something, but remember
• 50:36
  Speaker 1: the weight problem. First trouble we encounter on the return trip,
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: and a souvenir will be our number one expendable. The
• 50:45
  Speaker 1: crew was more than happy with Rob's compromise. Rob went
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: into a huddle with Hampston, the rocket expert. When he emerged,
• 50:53
  Speaker 1: he informed the crew that each man would be permitted
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: one souvenir, which must not exceed two pounds. He allowed
• 51:01
  Speaker 1: them four hours to find what they wanted. The men
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: got back into their pressure suits and left the ship.
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: Captain Junius Rob stood outside the Ajax x X. His
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: eyes scanned the great circular plane that stretched for fifty
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: miles in all directions. The distant, jagged rises of the
• 51:21
  Speaker 1: crater's rim resembled the lower half of a gigantic bear trap.
• 51:26
  Speaker 1: The moon, in all its splendor, wasn't there a song.
• 51:30
  Speaker 3: That was something like that?
• 51:32
  Speaker 1: The Moon and all its splendor or a lack of it,
• 51:36
  Speaker 1: was Rob's mute opinion. The scientists, as usual, were right
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: about the place. To all intents and purposes, the moon
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: was as dead as the Roman Empire. True, they had
• 51:48
  Speaker 1: found scattered vegetation. There were even two or three volcanoes
• 51:52
  Speaker 1: spewing carbonic acid, but they spewed it as though it
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: were life's last breath. Nothing more, or the fires of
• 52:01
  Speaker 1: the moon had given way to soft, lifeless ashes. Rob
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: was glad he had allowed the men to look for souvenirs.
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: After all, it wasn't a hell of a lot.
• 52:11
  Speaker 2: To ask for.
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: A man could cut press clippings and collect metals and
• 52:16
  Speaker 1: frame citations, and probably these things would impress grandchildren some day.
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: But it seemed that nothing would be quite as effective
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: as for a man to be able to produce something tangible,
• 52:29
  Speaker 1: an authentic piece of the Moon itself. Captain Rob had
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: always tried to be a humble man. He recalled an
• 52:38
  Speaker 1: interview held by the Three Wire Services a week before takeoff.
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: One of the reporters had asked the obvious question, why
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: do you want to go to the Moon. He could
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: have given all of the high sounding esthetic reasons, but
• 52:52
  Speaker 1: instead his answer was indirect, given with a modest smile,
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: to get to the other side. I guess yes, he
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: had told them, like the chicken crossing the road. That
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: was how simple and uncomplicated Rob's life had been. But
• 53:09
  Speaker 1: now he stood his feet spread apart beside his mighty ship,
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: a quarter of a million miles away from home. He
• 53:19
  Speaker 1: was the first, and he could not fight back the
• 53:22
  Speaker 1: feeling of pride and accomplishment that welled in him. The
• 53:26
  Speaker 1: word first in this instance conjured up names like Balboa, Columbus, Pieri, Magellan,
• 53:34
  Speaker 1: and Junius Rob. The crew members deserved the hero's welcome
• 53:38
  Speaker 1: they would receive. They could have the banquets, parades, and
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: honorary degrees. But it was Junius Rob who had commanded
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: the flight. It would be Junius Rob's name for the
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: history books. He wouldn't be needing any souveneers. Kingsley and
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: Anderson were the first to return. They both carried small
• 54:03
  Speaker 1: leather bags inside the ship. They revealed the contents to Rob.
• 54:07
  Speaker 1: He examined them carefully. Kingsley had found an uncommonly large
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: patch of brownish vegetation. He had torn away a sizeable
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: chunk and placed it in the bag. Who knows, he shrugged,
• 54:20
  Speaker 1: I might be able to cultivate it, or let it
• 54:23
  Speaker 1: play the lead in a science fiction movie, snapped Andersen.
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: The first officer's bag contained a piece of one of
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: the smaller craters. It had no immediate discernible value. It
• 54:35
  Speaker 1: was Anderson's intention to polish it up and put some
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: kind of metal plaque on it. Four more hours went
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: by and there was no sign of Farnsworth or Hampsten.
• 54:46
  Speaker 1: Rob began to worry. He'd never forgive himself if anything
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: happened to either of the two men. He waited another
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: half hour, then ordered Kingsley and Anderson to put on
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: their pressure suits and go look for the two missing
• 55:00
  Speaker 1: crew members. The search was avoided as Thornsworth entered the ship,
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: dragging Hampston behind him. What happened, yelled Rob. Forensworth began
• 55:11
  Speaker 1: the job of getting out of his pressure suit. I
• 55:13
  Speaker 1: don't know. Hampston's sick as a dog. I checked every
• 55:17
  Speaker 1: inch of his suit and couldn't find anything out of order.
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: Rob bent over the prone rocket expert. Hampston looked up
• 55:25
  Speaker 1: at him with half opened eyes and an insipid grin
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: on his face. He mumbled something about a fine state
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: of affairs. They removed Hampston's suit and placed his limp
• 55:38
  Speaker 1: figure on a bunk Rob examined him for forty minutes.
• 55:42
  Speaker 1: He reached the curious conclusion that Hampston was as fit
• 55:46
  Speaker 1: as a fiddle. The rocket expert fell asleep. Rob and
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: the rest of the crew prepared to blast off. The
• 55:55
  Speaker 1: Ajax x X thrust itself through space half way back
• 55:59
  Speaker 1: to its home planet. The excitement of her crew members
• 56:03
  Speaker 1: grew with every passing second. In his concern over Hampston,
• 56:08
  Speaker 1: Fororinsworth had forgotten about his souvenir. He now opened his
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: bag and displayed it before the others.
• 56:16
  Speaker 3: What is it?
• 56:17
  Speaker 1: Asked Kingsley, Dust was Forornsworth proud reply, what the hell
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: are you going to do with dust? Maybe you don't
• 56:26
  Speaker 1: know it, but this is going to be the most
• 56:28
  Speaker 1: valuable dust on the face of the Earth. Do you
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: realize what I could get for an ounce of this stuff?
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: What's anybody want to buy dust for souvenirs? Man souveners?
• 56:43
  Speaker 1: Fororinsworth asked to see what Kingsley and Anderson had picked up.
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: The two men obliged. For the next hour, the three
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: men and Rob discussed the mementoes and their possible uses
• 56:53
  Speaker 1: on Earth. Then Anderson said, I sure wouldn't turn down
• 56:58
  Speaker 1: about a gallon of good Kentucky whiskey right now, Rob laughed.
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: We did enough sweating on the way, you wouldn't want
• 57:07
  Speaker 1: to sweat out the trip back on a belly full
• 57:09
  Speaker 1: of booze. That may be a better idea than you
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: think it is, Captain. The four men turned to find
• 57:16
  Speaker 1: Hampston sitting up on his bunk. Hampsteon Rob exclaimed, how
• 57:21
  Speaker 1: do you feel terrible?
• 57:24
  Speaker 3: What happened to you?
• 57:25
  Speaker 1: Hampston stared at each man individually. He took a deep breath,
• 57:30
  Speaker 1: and his cheeks puffed up as he let it out slowly. Well,
• 57:35
  Speaker 1: I guess you'd better know now, Rob frowned, What do
• 57:40
  Speaker 1: you mean? Thornsworth and I separated after we got about
• 57:44
  Speaker 1: four miles from the ship. I thought I saw something
• 57:48
  Speaker 1: that looked like a cave. I figured I might find
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: something interesting there to take back with me, so I
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: told Thornsworth i'd keep radio contact with him, and off
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: I went. Did you find a ca Rob wanted to know, No,
• 58:03
  Speaker 1: it was just a big indentation in the wall of
• 58:05
  Speaker 1: the crater. I threw some light on it and found
• 58:08
  Speaker 1: it to be ten or fifteen feet deep. He paused,
• 58:12
  Speaker 1: as though not sure of what to say next. So,
• 58:17
  Speaker 1: so that's where I found my souvenir. Well, let's see it,
• 58:22
  Speaker 1: said Anderson. Hampston opened his leather bag. The object he
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: removed rendered the crew weak in the knees. He said,
• 58:32
  Speaker 1: we can have that drink, Andersen, but I don't think
• 58:36
  Speaker 1: we'll enjoy it. He poured them each a shot from
• 58:40
  Speaker 1: a half filled bottle of vodka. End of Moon Glow
• 58:53
  Speaker 1: Story four, Part one of four science fiction stories by G. L.
• 58:59
  Speaker 2: Vanden.
• 59:00
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain The Observer's
• 59:05
  Speaker 1: Part one. This story was first published in Amazing Stories
• 59:10
  Speaker 1: November nineteen fifty nine. A job as laboratory technician with
• 59:18
  Speaker 1: the Army Weapons Development Center carried about as much prestige
• 59:23
  Speaker 1: as a bat boy in a world series. George Fisher
• 59:27
  Speaker 1: was a laboratory technician. He was a shy but likable fellow,
• 59:32
  Speaker 1: a diligent worker and trustworthy. He didn't talk. He was
• 59:37
  Speaker 1: rarely talked too. He had no burning ambition to push
• 59:41
  Speaker 1: himself ahead in the world. Being an assistant to the
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: brains was good enough for him. He had a commendable
• 59:48
  Speaker 1: talent from minding his own business in a security job.
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: These qualities counted ahead of scientific knowledge. One day, George
• 59:59
  Speaker 1: Fisher turned up dead. The initial shock and concern experienced
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 1: by his superiors was soon overcome by the coroner's finding suicide.
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 1: Harry Payne was the civilian personnel director of Fort Dixon.
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 1: It was his job to find a replacement for George Fisher.
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 1: Miss Conway. Harry's voice lashed into the intercom. There was
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 1: an interminable pause. He cursed under his breath. Then, yes,
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 1: mister Payne, where the hell were you? Never mind, bring
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 1: me the file on George Fisher. George Fisher. Miss Conway
• 1:00:43
  Speaker 1: was in her favorite state of mind, confusion. But he's dead,
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 1: isn't he. Harry let out a deep, anguished groan. Yes,
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 1: Miss Conway, he's dead. That's why I want his file.
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 1: That answer, answer your question, Yes, sir, be there in
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: a jiffy. Harry could tell she was bubbling over with
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: smiles as she spoke. A few more centuries would pass,
• 1:01:10
  Speaker 1: he thought, before they manufactured another broad As dumb as
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: Miss Conway. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: looked out the window across the parade ground. He could
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: see the Army Weapons Development Center. He had no idea
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: what new bomb they might be working on behind those
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: heavily guarded fences. He didn't care. He was only concerned
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: with the people who worked there. The rest of Fort
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 1: Dixon used mostly civil service personnel, but the barricaded security
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: jungle across the parade grounds was more particular about its
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 1: hired help. A person's record had to be spotless almost
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 1: from the day of his conception, or a person could
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 1: not even gain entrance. Harry had never been inside Weapons Development.
• 1:02:03
  Speaker 1: He had once been to traffic court as a roaring
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: juvenile eighteen years before. That was enough to bar him
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: from even visiting. He realized, though, that the Army couldn't
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 1: afford to take chances. Hiring new technicians required an arduous
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 1: screening process. Harry loathed it. He was thankful that the
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 1: personnel at Weapons Development were highly paid and usually permanent.
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 1: He never had to hire more than one person a year.
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: Miss Conway swept into the office and handed Harry the folder. Thanks,
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 1: he muttered, don't mention it. Boss, Harry called after her
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: as she went back toward the reception room. Stay at your.
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 4: Desk, will you.
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 1: The government may need you. A muffled giggle was her
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 1: only response. Miss Conway was a civil service employee. She
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: had been Harry's secretary for six months. Most other civil
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: service personnel. According to Harry's way of thinking, she was
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: a tower of inefficiency. His chief annoyance stemmed from the
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 1: fact that the Army had arbitrarily placed her in his office.
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 1: He had been given no choice in the matter. It
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: was one hell of a way to treat a personnel director,
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 1: he thought. He sat at his desk gloomily, aware of
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 1: the headaches he'd have to face in his quest for
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 1: George Fisher's replacement. He opened the folder and glanced at
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: the vital statistics. Fisher George h. Forty, weight one sixty
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 1: height five foot nine, eyes green, hair, none, complexion light,
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 1: date of employment ten seven fifty eight, date of departure
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 1: four twelve fifty nine. Reason suicide, et cetera, et cetera.
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 1: Harry yawned. Statistics bored him. He turned to a page
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: marked qualifications and started reading. The phrase education and experience
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 1: in nuclear physics required caught his eye. The requirement was
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: no surprise to him, but whenever he saw it, he
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 1: took a few minutes off to indulge his curiosity. What
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 1: was the big project that weapon's development he loved to know.
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: He couldn't find out, of course, and the inability to
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 1: find out naturally gave his imagination the widest latitude. His
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 1: most persistent theory involved an atomic powered rocket capable of
• 1:04:38
  Speaker 1: knocking the Russians manned satellites out of space. The Russians
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: were still ahead of every one, and their latest satellites
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 1: were heavily armed. As usual, they were lording it over
• 1:04:50
  Speaker 1: the rest of the world, and the rest of the
• 1:04:53
  Speaker 1: world had not come up with an effective answer to
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: this challenge. Harry closed the folder. He glanced at a
• 1:05:01
  Speaker 1: list of technical schools. He would call each of them
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 1: and ask them to submit a list of lab technicians.
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 1: He would also look over the field of technicians still
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: left in private enterprise. The intercom buzzed, what is it,
• 1:05:15
  Speaker 1: Miss Conway? Miss Ralston is here. Who is miss Ralston?
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 1: She has an appointment with you? An appointment. Harry was baffled.
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 3: Who made it? I did?
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 1: I guess I forgot to tell you. Harry closed his
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: eyes and counted to ten. Thank you, Miss Conway. Will
• 1:05:37
  Speaker 1: you step into my office for a moment? He tried
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 1: to control his mounting anger. She breathed into the office now,
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 1: Miss Conway, will you please tell me who is this
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 1: Miss Ralston? She operates Ralston Personnel Consultants. I think she
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 1: wants to talk to you about the replacement for George Fisher,
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 1: you know, the one who died. Yes, yes, I know.
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 1: And you know, Miss Conway, we don't do business through agencies.
• 1:06:08
  Speaker 3: Oh.
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 1: Miss Ralston doesn't run an agency. She told me. Her
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 1: business is much more exclusive than that. She handles very
• 1:06:17
  Speaker 1: highly specialized people. That's the reason why I know. That's
• 1:06:22
  Speaker 1: why you gave her an appointment with me, said the
• 1:06:25
  Speaker 1: exasperated personnel director. Well, you can go right back out
• 1:06:30
  Speaker 1: and tell her I've canceled the appointment. This is a
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 1: security job we're filling.
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 2: And before Harry.
• 1:06:37
  Speaker 1: Could utter another syllable, his attention was drawn to the doorway.
• 1:06:42
  Speaker 1: The view to the outer office was blocked by a
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 1: bundle of curves. The most alluring female bombshell his eyes
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 1: had ever beheld. Put everything important out of his mind.
• 1:06:57
  Speaker 1: I didn't realize you were being so inconvenienced, Miss to Pain.
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 1: I'm terribly sorry. Her eyes drooped. I can take my
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 1: business elsewhere. Miss Ralston's voice was just above a half whisper.
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 1: The words came out warm and intoxicating. No wait, wait
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 1: a minute, Miss Ralston. Harry was out of his chair
• 1:07:19
  Speaker 1: and at the door. He took her arm, who said
• 1:07:22
  Speaker 1: anything about inconvenience, Come in, come in. That'll be all
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 1: Miss Conway.
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 3: Thanks.
• 1:07:29
  Speaker 1: The secretary giggled and left. Miss Ralston sat down and
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 1: lit a cigarette. Harry noticed she was wearing a beige
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 1: knit suit with a neck line that spoke volumes. Each
• 1:07:42
  Speaker 1: curve was in the right place, Every movement had another
• 1:07:46
  Speaker 1: movement all its own. Harry knew she was bound to
• 1:07:50
  Speaker 1: talk business, and he knew there wasn't much he could
• 1:07:53
  Speaker 1: do for her in that direction. But at thirty five
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 1: and eligible, he just couldn't let this woman leave his office.
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 1: Harry Payne was a sucker for a gorgeous face. He
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 1: knew it, and he knew the gorgeous face knew it.
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 1: Tell me, Miss Ralston, when did my secretary arrange this
• 1:08:14
  Speaker 1: appointment for you? I called yesterday? Harry orched his eyebrows
• 1:08:19
  Speaker 1: and smiled. Yesterday. What prompted you to call me? You're
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 1: looking for a laboratory technician, aren't you? What gave you
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 1: that idea? He asked, not caring in the slightest. What
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 1: gave it to her? I make it my business to
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 1: comb the papers every day, mister Payne. I came across
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 1: the news of George Fisher's suicide and called you simple
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: as that.
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 4: You don't waste any time, She.
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 1: Smiled and pursed her lips.
• 1:08:48
  Speaker 2: Do you? I try not to.
• 1:08:52
  Speaker 1: I have seven clients who would qualify for the job.
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 1: I'd appreciate it if you'd see them well. As a
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 1: matter of fact, Miss Ralston, she leaned forward with an
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: inquisitive yes, Harry cleared his throat. As a matter of fact,
• 1:09:08
  Speaker 1: I'm not supposed to do business with civilian agencies, mister Payne,
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: she smiled demurely. Do I look like an agency? Or
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 1: do I look like a personnel consultant? Now there was
• 1:09:23
  Speaker 1: an opening, Harry thought, but it might be best to
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 1: avoid it. You're working to get someone a job. It
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 1: amounts to the same thing I see. Then, how do
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 1: you go about hiring your new personnel? I do the
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: soliciting myself, sorry, miss Ralston, but I don't make the
• 1:09:43
  Speaker 1: rules and regulations. But the lady was undeterred. She crossed
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 1: her legs and sank further into the easy chair. Her
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 1: eyes sparkled at Harry. These clients of mine are all
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 1: top men, mister Payne. Why couldn't I just leave you
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 1: their names? You can still do the soliciting. I'd be
• 1:10:05
  Speaker 1: happy to forego my regular commission on this job. Call
• 1:10:09
  Speaker 1: it the value of prestige. Harry recognized another opening, and
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 1: this time plunged in. Suppose we talk it over later.
• 1:10:20
  Speaker 1: There's a place at Fourth Avenue and Woodward called Maria's
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 1: best Italian food in captivity. I'm through at five? What
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 1: about you? She didn't have to say anything. Her eyes
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 1: told him he would be having an Italian dinner that night,
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 1: and not alone. She rose and walked in front of
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 1: his desk. I'm so glad we have something in common,
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 1: mister Payne. I can't think well on an empty stomach either.
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 1: After walking her to the outer office, he came back
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 1: to his desk. He took a deep breath and loosened
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 1: his tie. Dreams like miss Ralston didn't materialize every day.
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 1: For a first meeting. He figured he hadn't fared too
• 1:11:05
  Speaker 1: badly at all, and if this first date went well,
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 1: he was sure he'd be seeing a lot of this girl.
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 1: It did not escape Harry's mind that here was a
• 1:11:16
  Speaker 1: girl who was in the habit of getting what she wanted,
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 1: but why not? Her powers of persuasion were Grade A.
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 1: They were so good they presented him with one big problem.
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 1: He had regulations, army regulations. He couldn't violate them. Miss Ralston,
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 1: it was obvious, was going to meet him solely for
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 1: the purpose of getting a client a job. Would he
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: be able to see her again after she knew he
• 1:11:44
  Speaker 1: had no intention of hiring that client. The following morning,
• 1:11:50
  Speaker 1: Harry entered the office to find his secretary unusually busy.
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 1: She was pecking away furiously at the typewriter. He handed
• 1:11:59
  Speaker 1: her a paper and said, Miss Conway, copy these names
• 1:12:03
  Speaker 1: and the dresses and when they when they come in,
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 1: you'll see them at half hour intervals. She smiled benignly.
• 1:12:10
  Speaker 1: Miss Ralston just called and told me pretty smart chick.
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 4: Huh.
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 1: Boss Harry did a slow burn and ambled into his office.
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 1: Miss Conway was right, of course, and that's what annoyed him.
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 1: It had been quite a night, he whined and eyed her.
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 1: They did all the bright spots and wonder of wonders.
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 1: On the first date, they wound up at Paula Ralston's apartment.
• 1:12:39
  Speaker 1: She was a captivating hostess, an exquisite dancer, and something
• 1:12:43
  Speaker 1: of a sorceress. After one kiss, an unforgettable one, Harry
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 1: had agreed to interview her seven clients. But all this
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 1: was last night, Harry reminded himself. Today was a different matter.
• 1:12:59
  Speaker 1: He was in the sanctity of his office now and
• 1:13:03
  Speaker 1: capable of clearer thinking. Paula Ralston had accomplished the first
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 1: phase of her mission. The next move was his seeing
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 1: the clients, he rationalized, was not violating the regulations, and
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 1: for the moment it satisfied her. She certainly was a
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 1: determined girl. Anyone would think watching her operate that a
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: lab technician was a job of world shaking importance.
• 1:13:30
  Speaker 2: What the hell, he shrugged.
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: If the girl didn't look out for her own interests,
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 1: she wouldn't have a successful business. There's only one way
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: to keep clients happy, and that's to keep them busy. Besides,
• 1:13:43
  Speaker 1: her maneuvering wasn't going to work anyway. He just couldn't
• 1:13:47
  Speaker 1: hire any of them. His problem now was to stall
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 1: her for a couple of days so he could keep
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 1: seeing her. In the end, he might possibly tell her
• 1:13:57
  Speaker 1: the Army had refused to accept any of them. He
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 1: glanced out the window and saw the Weapons Development Center
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 1: across the parade ground. Business appeared to be going on
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 1: as usual, routine, quiet, cautious, high time. I started thinking
• 1:14:13
  Speaker 1: seriously about that replacement. He thought. There was a knock
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 1: at the door. Come in, Miss Conway bounced in. They
• 1:14:22
  Speaker 1: started to arrive. The first one is mister Thompson. Okay,
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 1: let's get started.
• 1:14:27
  Speaker 4: Send him in.
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 1: Thompson was a small, roundish man in his mid forties.
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 1: He remained quite at ease during the interview. Harry began
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 1: the session in the usual dull manner, formulating his questions
• 1:14:42
  Speaker 1: from the several sheets of information mister Thompson had brought
• 1:14:45
  Speaker 1: with him. It wasn't long before Harry detected something unusual
• 1:14:50
  Speaker 1: about the man, but he couldn't determine.
• 1:14:53
  Speaker 3: What it was.
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 1: He became more alert, more interested as the interview progressed.
• 1:14:59
  Speaker 1: Where are you from a ridge, mister Thompson? Chicago?
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 4: Oh?
• 1:15:03
  Speaker 2: Yes?
• 1:15:03
  Speaker 1: He glanced at the written information. I see you went
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 1: to the university, Yes, sir, My practical experience is documented
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 1: on the second sheet. What was it about this guy?
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 1: He was overly polite, but that could hardly be considered strange.
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 1: His answers were brief, to the point even Kurt that
• 1:15:25
  Speaker 1: was just a personality trait, Harry supposed, couldn't condemn a
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 1: man for that. How long did you live in Chicago?
• 1:15:32
  Speaker 1: Twenty one years, sir? Are you married? No, sir, He
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 1: had noted before that mister Thompson had a distracting habit
• 1:15:40
  Speaker 1: of patting his hair. Now he knew why he was
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: wearing a two pay. Harry wondered if the poor guy
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 1: was sensitive about it. If he was that conscious of it,
• 1:15:52
  Speaker 1: it might account for his strange attitude. Thank you for
• 1:15:56
  Speaker 1: coming in, mister Thompson. I'll submit your papers to Colonel
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 1: if he has any further interest in you. Don't be
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 1: surprised if you receive a visit from a couple of
• 1:16:05
  Speaker 1: intelligence agents. That's routine for this job. I just tell
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: you in advance so you won't worry, I understand, he said,
• 1:16:15
  Speaker 1: rising and checking his to pay once more. Many thanks
• 1:16:18
  Speaker 1: to you, sir. He shook Harry's hand and left the room.
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 1: Harry glanced at the papers again. Mister Thompson's background was impressive. Indeed,
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 1: there didn't seem to be much question as to his ability.
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 1: But what a queer duck he was. The second applicant
• 1:16:37
  Speaker 1: was a short, wiry man named Chase. Like his predecessor,
• 1:16:41
  Speaker 1: he was brief and to the point with his answers.
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 1: He let his qualification papers speak for themselves. He was
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 1: formal and polite. Midway through the interview, Harry noticed that
• 1:16:54
  Speaker 1: he too was wearing a toupey if that wasn't the
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: damnedest coincidence. Fortunately, mister Chase didn't have the annoying habit
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 1: of patting his head every thirty seconds. Harry guessed he
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 1: either had a more expensive one or was just endowed
• 1:17:09
  Speaker 1: with more confidence that it would not slip off.
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 4: The interview over.
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 1: Mister Chase offered his thanks and strolled out. Harry had
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 1: a few moments to himself before Paula's third client arrived.
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 1: He thought about the first two men. Funny thing about
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 1: two pays, even the most expensive ones could always be detected.
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 1: He couldn't quite understand why the two men wore them.
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 1: They were often used by playboys, actors, self styled over
• 1:17:40
  Speaker 1: age romeos, people whose niche in society depends upon their looks,
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 1: but not scientists or technicians. In fact, Harry couldn't remember
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: ever having known one such person who shunned his baldness
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 1: in this manner. That didn't mean they had no right,
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: but it did seem fule.
• 1:18:00
  Speaker 3: You're as hell.
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 1: By the time the third interview was over, Harry Pane's
• 1:18:06
  Speaker 1: curiosity was a blaze. Applicant number three, mister Bowles was
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 1: not only wearing a two pay, but had gone one
• 1:18:15
  Speaker 1: step further. Just north of his mouth, there was a mustache,
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 1: a good looking mustache, well groomed and shaped, but phony
• 1:18:24
  Speaker 1: is a wax banana. For a moment he thought Paula
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 1: Rolston might be perpetrating a joke of elaborate proportions. He
• 1:18:34
  Speaker 1: rejected the idea as fast as it.
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 3: Came to him.
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 1: He didn't know the girl very well yet, but he
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 1: knew her well enough to know she was strictly business.
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 1: She wanted one of these men to get that job.
• 1:18:48
  Speaker 1: He flipped the intercom button for Miss Conway. She might
• 1:18:52
  Speaker 1: be able to tell him end directly. You wanted to
• 1:18:56
  Speaker 1: see me, mister Payne. Yes, Miss Conway, the three men
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: who've already been in here. Have you noticed anything strange
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 1: about them? Her eyebrows merged and spelled perplexity. She pursed
• 1:19:10
  Speaker 1: her lips and gave the matter the greatest consideration. Then
• 1:19:14
  Speaker 1: she concluded, yes, something very strange. Harry was hopeful.
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 2: What was it?
• 1:19:22
  Speaker 1: None of them did very much, talking strictly antisocial types.
• 1:19:27
  Speaker 1: Harry groaned, realizing he should have known better. Thank you,
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 1: miss Conway. That's all. The fourth guy is waiting outside.
• 1:19:37
  Speaker 1: Let him sit for a couple of minutes, then send
• 1:19:40
  Speaker 1: him in. He decided to put the whole matter out
• 1:19:44
  Speaker 1: of his mind and get the interviews over as fast
• 1:19:47
  Speaker 1: as possible. There were other more serious duties to attend to.
• 1:19:52
  Speaker 1: The two pay episode was probably nothing more than a
• 1:19:55
  Speaker 1: crazy coincidence anyway, strictly an item before, believe it or not.
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 1: By two o'clock that afternoon, the four remaining candidates had
• 1:20:05
  Speaker 1: come and gone, and Harry Payne sat at his desk
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 1: in the immediate aftermath, questioning his sanity. All seven men
• 1:20:15
  Speaker 1: wore two pays. It was incredible but true, and now
• 1:20:19
  Speaker 1: the matter was one of deep and abiding concern to him.
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 1: There was nothing funny about it. There was a touch
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 1: of the macabinet that rendered his flesh cold and weak.
• 1:20:31
  Speaker 1: He lit a cigarette and tried to pull his thoughts together.
• 1:20:35
  Speaker 1: Seven men applying for the same job. Seven men with
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 1: one thing in common, seven men as bald as doctor cyclops.
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 1: Harry had to abandon the notion that sheer coincidence brought
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 1: these men together. That was too fantastic. They were brought
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 1: together by design. Their backgrounds varied in that they had
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: all worked and come different parts of the country, but
• 1:21:02
  Speaker 1: those facts were only on paper. It was an odds
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 1: on bet they all knew each other. There was even
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 1: something about the ardor in which they arrived in the
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 1: office that indicated a pattern or an overall plan. Numbers three,
• 1:21:17
  Speaker 1: five and six had worn false mustaches. If it was
• 1:21:22
  Speaker 1: true that the seven men were well acquainted, then Paula
• 1:21:26
  Speaker 1: Ralston could undoubtedly give him some answers. Harry had another
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 1: dinner engagement with her at five o'clock, but this date,
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: he told himself, would be different. He was going to
• 1:21:38
  Speaker 1: be all business until he learned exactly what she was
• 1:21:42
  Speaker 1: involved in. He picked up the phone, got an outside
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 1: line and dialed. Frank Barnes was a private detective, a
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 1: good one. Harry was sure he could rely on him
• 1:21:54
  Speaker 1: for a small favor. A subdued, resonant voice answered on
• 1:21:59
  Speaker 1: the other end. Frank Harry Payne here, Harry, where you
• 1:22:04
  Speaker 1: been hiding?
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 2: I need a favor.
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 1: The only time you ever called me you in great
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 1: There's a dame called Paula Ralston who runs a business
• 1:22:15
  Speaker 1: called Ralston Personnel Consultants. How soon can you get anything
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 1: on her? How soon do you need it to day?
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: If possible, you can call me at home any hour.
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 1: After promising Frank to meet him for lunch one day,
• 1:22:30
  Speaker 1: Harry sank into an easy chair and tried to shake
• 1:22:33
  Speaker 1: the unnerving effect the seven men had had on him.
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 1: Maybe he shouldn't have called Frank. This might be something
• 1:22:41
  Speaker 1: he should have informed the army about. No, they'd want
• 1:22:45
  Speaker 1: to know what business he had seen the seven men
• 1:22:48
  Speaker 1: in the first place. He didn't have much of an
• 1:22:50
  Speaker 1: answer for that one. Driving along Woodward Street toward Fourth Avenue,
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 1: Harry was beset with one nagging question. Why I had
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 1: Paula Ralston never brought any of her clients to see
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 1: him before He was the dispenser of over a hundred
• 1:23:08
  Speaker 1: good jobs that offered high salaries. The answer was just
• 1:23:12
  Speaker 1: as persistent as the question. Lab technician was the only
• 1:23:17
  Speaker 1: security job he handled. She was determined that one of
• 1:23:22
  Speaker 1: her men get that job at any cost. It wasn't
• 1:23:26
  Speaker 1: a very pleasant thought. Harry didn't want to believe it.
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 1: He didn't want to believe that Paula Ralston was going
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 1: to mean trouble for him, and yet he knew that's
• 1:23:37
  Speaker 1: exactly what she meant. She was waiting for him at Maria's.
• 1:23:42
  Speaker 1: She kissed him as he slipped into the booth beside her.
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 1: Threw four drinks and a six course dinner. He watched
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 1: her smile. That smile could melt down the door of
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 1: a bank vault. He noticed how she laughed at all
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 1: his wise cracks. When it was her turn to talk,
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 1: she talked about him. She offered a toast to their
• 1:24:03
  Speaker 1: closer friendship, with special emphasis on the word closer. But
• 1:24:09
  Speaker 1: she did not mention the seven men. That was the
• 1:24:12
  Speaker 1: smart approach. Harry ventured she'd save that until she got
• 1:24:16
  Speaker 1: home and slipped into something more comfortable. He stood alone
• 1:24:22
  Speaker 1: in Paula's living room, nursing a scotch on the rocks.
• 1:24:25
  Speaker 1: The night before, he had been too concerned about his
• 1:24:28
  Speaker 1: progress with this latter day aphrodite to give a damn
• 1:24:32
  Speaker 1: about the place she lived in. He glanced around the room.
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 1: Every inch reeked of success. The furniture was sleek, modern,
• 1:24:42
  Speaker 1: exquisitely contoured like its owner. There wasn't much question about it.
• 1:24:48
  Speaker 1: Paula Ralston made a lot more dough than he did.
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 1: But how that was the question. She came out of
• 1:24:55
  Speaker 1: the bedroom and mixed herself a drink. She was a
• 1:24:58
  Speaker 1: living dream, a black lace, negligee, transparent. It figured a
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 1: lot of things were beginning to figure. Shall I tell
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: you a secret?
• 1:25:10
  Speaker 2: She asked.
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 1: I didn't think he had any left. He couldn't take
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 1: his eyes from the neglige. I think mister Chase and
• 1:25:20
  Speaker 1: mister Bowles are the best of the seven. I think
• 1:25:23
  Speaker 1: they come closest to what you're looking for. She lifted
• 1:25:27
  Speaker 1: her glass and clinked it against his. Harry smiled. He
• 1:25:32
  Speaker 1: wasn't looking at her anymore. It was more of an
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 1: education to look through her. She was good, damn good.
• 1:25:42
  Speaker 1: She could lull you into believing the Grand Canyon was
• 1:25:45
  Speaker 1: brimming over with silver dollars, all yours.
• 1:25:48
  Speaker 3: For the taking.
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 1: It was next to impossible to doubt the sincerity in
• 1:25:52
  Speaker 1: her face. I liked all seven of them, he said,
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 1: But since you know them better than I do, I'll
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 1: take your recommendation that Chase and bowls are the best.
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 2: She moved closer to him.
• 1:26:05
  Speaker 1: He could feel the warmth of her body. We're making
• 1:26:09
  Speaker 1: some progress, Harry. We've narrowed the field down to two candidates.
• 1:26:14
  Speaker 1: Harry kept her maneuvering Paula. I'm still faced with the
• 1:26:18
  Speaker 1: problem of finding a way around the regulations. I can't
• 1:26:22
  Speaker 1: hire either one of them. Until I saw that nothing
• 1:26:25
  Speaker 1: stopped this girl, nothing even slowed her down. She moved
• 1:26:30
  Speaker 1: still closer to him. There's a way around everything if
• 1:26:35
  Speaker 1: a man has the right incentive to look for it.
• 1:26:38
  Speaker 1: He knew what the right incentive was. He didn't have
• 1:26:42
  Speaker 1: to go looking for that. He laid his drink down,
• 1:26:45
  Speaker 1: put his arms around her, and kissed her. They walked
• 1:26:49
  Speaker 1: to the sofa. Paula stayed close to him, the ever thoughtful,
• 1:26:53
  Speaker 1: loving female companion.
• 1:26:56
  Speaker 2: She rubbed his back and neck.
• 1:26:58
  Speaker 1: And sprinkled him with soft, moist kisses. She never mentioned
• 1:27:03
  Speaker 1: her clients again, and Harry promised to hire one of them.
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 1: The following day. He was anxious to get back to
• 1:27:12
  Speaker 1: his apartment to find out if Frank Barnes had called.
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: As he drove back along Woodward Street, he couldn't put
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 1: Paula out of his mind. He already had her character pegged.
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 1: But what was she up to? What was her goal?
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 1: She wasn't doing all this for a lousy commission. The
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 1: stakes were bigger than that. In a way, it was
• 1:27:34
  Speaker 1: too bad. She was going to have to settle for
• 1:27:36
  Speaker 1: less than she bargained for. If her seven clients hadn't
• 1:27:40
  Speaker 1: been so phony, she might have gotten away with it.
• 1:27:44
  Speaker 1: But why was it necessary for them to be phony?
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 1: Why should a girl as shrewd as Paula send seven
• 1:27:52
  Speaker 1: men in disguise to see disguise? Somehow that word threw
• 1:27:58
  Speaker 1: a different light on the matter. The men had all
• 1:28:01
  Speaker 1: been disguised in places where hare should grow.
• 1:28:05
  Speaker 2: They were not bald.
• 1:28:07
  Speaker 1: There was something abnormal about them, and Harry was ninety
• 1:28:11
  Speaker 1: percent certain what it was. The answer was incredible. There
• 1:28:16
  Speaker 1: was still a ten percent margin for error. For Miss
• 1:28:20
  Speaker 1: Paula Ralston's sake, he hoped he was wrong. End of
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 1: The Observers, Part one, Story four, Part two of four
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 1: science fiction stories by G. L. Vandenburgh. This LibriVox recording
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 1: is in the public domain. The Observers Part two. Frank
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 1: Barnes's message was waiting for him at the switchboard in
• 1:28:57
  Speaker 1: the lobby. The word urgent was written on it. He
• 1:29:01
  Speaker 1: raced upstairs and picked up the phone. Frank answered on
• 1:29:05
  Speaker 1: the first ring. He sounded like a man with a
• 1:29:08
  Speaker 1: gun at his back. Harry, What the hell kind of
• 1:29:11
  Speaker 1: mess have you gotten yourself into? Why something go wrong?
• 1:29:16
  Speaker 1: You bet your sweet life? An hour after you called
• 1:29:20
  Speaker 1: me to check on that Ralston dame, a guy came
• 1:29:24
  Speaker 1: into the office and told me to lay off. Harry
• 1:29:27
  Speaker 1: was silent and scared. His answer looked better all the time.
• 1:29:32
  Speaker 1: What did the guy look like? He looked important, Harry,
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 1: and he meant business. He had a big bulge in
• 1:29:39
  Speaker 1: his pocket, and he made it very clear I'd be
• 1:29:42
  Speaker 1: up to my funny bone and hot lead if I
• 1:29:45
  Speaker 1: relayed any information about this girl to you, Frank. Was
• 1:29:49
  Speaker 1: the guy wearing a tupey? A what a tupey? A
• 1:29:52
  Speaker 1: hair piece? How the hell should I know? I wasn't
• 1:29:56
  Speaker 1: interested in his coiffure. He was wearing a black overcoat.
• 1:30:00
  Speaker 1: He kept his hand on that bulge that he didn't
• 1:30:03
  Speaker 1: care much for smiling, Harry, you in trouble with this dame?
• 1:30:07
  Speaker 1: What did you find out about her? Frank? Between the
• 1:30:10
  Speaker 1: time you called me in the time the guy strolled
• 1:30:13
  Speaker 1: into the office, I found out she's only had this
• 1:30:16
  Speaker 1: personnel consultant racket for about three months. You didn't learn
• 1:30:21
  Speaker 1: anything else. After I got warned, I decided to wait
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 1: till I talk to you. Harry was silent again. His
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 1: mind was working. Frank, what causes baldness? Boldness? Jeez, Harry,
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 1: you're in a fat mess of trouble and you're worrying
• 1:30:38
  Speaker 1: about losing your hair. It's important, Frank, I must find
• 1:30:43
  Speaker 1: out what causes total loss of all hair. The detective grunted, Well,
• 1:30:50
  Speaker 1: let's see. There are three or four diseases I know of.
• 1:30:53
  Speaker 1: Some people claim it's hereditary, sometimes a deficiency in the jeans. Okay, Frank,
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 1: that's enough. What do you want me to do about
• 1:31:01
  Speaker 1: the girl?
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 3: Just as the man.
• 1:31:03
  Speaker 1: Told you, lay off. I'll call you tomorrow and let
• 1:31:07
  Speaker 1: you know what this thing is all about. He hung
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 1: up the phone and paced in front of his sofa
• 1:31:11
  Speaker 1: for several minutes. It was inconceivable that the seven men
• 1:31:16
  Speaker 1: all had the same disease, the same gene deficiency, are
• 1:31:20
  Speaker 1: the same hereditary shortcomings, So his own answer must be
• 1:31:25
  Speaker 1: closer to the truth. He'd have to wait until morning
• 1:31:28
  Speaker 1: to put it to a test. If he was right,
• 1:31:31
  Speaker 1: he would call Colonel Waters and dump the whole bazaar
• 1:31:34
  Speaker 1: set up right into the army's lap where it belonged again.
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 1: He found himself hoping he was not right, and more important,
• 1:31:43
  Speaker 1: that Paula Ralston wasn't what he was beginning to think
• 1:31:46
  Speaker 1: she was. Miss Conway was already in when Harry arrived
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 1: at the office. He managed to half smile for her.
• 1:31:54
  Speaker 1: Miss Conway. Two of the seven men are coming back
• 1:31:57
  Speaker 1: this morning, end, and mister Bowles is the one who's
• 1:31:59
  Speaker 1: getting the job. Who called you this time? He asked,
• 1:32:03
  Speaker 1: with exasperation, Colonel Waters. Harry's stomach muscles contracted, Colonel Waters.
• 1:32:11
  Speaker 3: That's right.
• 1:32:12
  Speaker 1: When you were gone yesterday, the Colonel dropped in to
• 1:32:14
  Speaker 1: see you. He asked me if you were working on
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 1: the replacement for George Fisher. I told him you were
• 1:32:20
  Speaker 1: right on the job, and I showed him the information
• 1:32:23
  Speaker 1: sheets you had on all seven men. You did what
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 1: and Colonel Waters like the man named Bulls best of all.
• 1:32:32
  Speaker 1: So I guess when mister Bowles comes in you can
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 1: tell him the job is his. You knit whit, he bellowed,
• 1:32:39
  Speaker 1: you brainless, knuckle headed.
• 1:32:42
  Speaker 2: He stomped into his office.
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 1: And slammed the door. It was difficult for him to
• 1:32:48
  Speaker 1: think clearly. He knew we had to make a move
• 1:32:51
  Speaker 1: and fast. He stood by the window and gazed at
• 1:32:55
  Speaker 1: the Weapons Development Center across the parade ground. The low
• 1:32:58
  Speaker 1: gray buildings had a quiet, peaceful aura about them. If
• 1:33:03
  Speaker 1: it weren't for the guards marching in front of the
• 1:33:05
  Speaker 1: great wire fences, anyone might think the place was used
• 1:33:08
  Speaker 1: for manufacturing can openers, automobile parts, or any one of
• 1:33:12
  Speaker 1: a thousand harmless products.
• 1:33:15
  Speaker 2: But it wasn't.
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 1: Weapons development represented a vital link in the country's defense program.
• 1:33:22
  Speaker 1: He no longer figured they were developing a weapon to
• 1:33:25
  Speaker 1: counteract Soviet aggression. They were working on something far more important.
• 1:33:30
  Speaker 1: He was just ninety percent sure of that. Mister Bowles
• 1:33:36
  Speaker 1: was the first to arrive. He sat in an easy chair,
• 1:33:40
  Speaker 1: which Harry had moved close to his desk in order
• 1:33:43
  Speaker 1: to better observe the man. Mister Bowles, my secretary tells me,
• 1:33:47
  Speaker 1: Colonel Waters was looking at your qualifications yesterday and was
• 1:33:52
  Speaker 1: very impressed. I gather from that that the job is yours.
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 3: Thank you, sir.
• 1:33:59
  Speaker 1: Harry shoved his chair closer to him. The twopey was intact,
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 1: so was the mustache. Now it'll take the government about
• 1:34:08
  Speaker 1: two weeks to complete a security checkup. He could see
• 1:34:11
  Speaker 1: plainly now that the man was also wearing false eyebrows
• 1:34:16
  Speaker 1: and had no beard. That did it, I understand, Sir
• 1:34:20
  Speaker 1: Bowles replied. So all I can tell you at the
• 1:34:24
  Speaker 1: moment is that you'll be hearing from us as soon
• 1:34:27
  Speaker 1: as possible. Harry got up, thinking the interview is over.
• 1:34:31
  Speaker 1: Mister Bowles remained seated. Miss Ralston would like to see you,
• 1:34:36
  Speaker 1: mister Payne. Oh yes, Harry chuckled. I'm going to see
• 1:34:41
  Speaker 1: her this evening. She wants to see you.
• 1:34:44
  Speaker 4: Now.
• 1:34:45
  Speaker 1: Afraid I can't make it right now. I have a
• 1:34:47
  Speaker 1: pile of work to do. Besides, I'm expecting another client
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 1: of hers. Have to let him know he didn't get
• 1:34:53
  Speaker 1: the job. Mister Chase is waiting for us downstairs in
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 1: the car. You will come with me, mister Payne. The
• 1:35:01
  Speaker 1: ardor was clear and firm. Harry didn't like it. I
• 1:35:06
  Speaker 1: don't get it. What's so important that Miss Ralston has
• 1:35:10
  Speaker 1: to see me? He stopped at the sight of the
• 1:35:13
  Speaker 1: gun leveled at his chest. When we pass your secretary's desk,
• 1:35:18
  Speaker 1: you will tell her you are taking an early lunch.
• 1:35:22
  Speaker 1: I will return you in an hour if you co operate.
• 1:35:26
  Speaker 1: Harry Payne knew better than to argue. Mister Chase was
• 1:35:31
  Speaker 1: seated behind the wheel of a blue Sedan, Bowles and
• 1:35:35
  Speaker 1: Harry climbed into the back seat. They drove away from
• 1:35:39
  Speaker 1: Fort Dixon to the city. The two men remained silent
• 1:35:43
  Speaker 1: during the trip. Harry had plenty of time to think
• 1:35:47
  Speaker 1: why this sudden move of Paula's. He must have done
• 1:35:51
  Speaker 1: something to motivate it. But what The only person he
• 1:35:55
  Speaker 1: had talked to was Frank Barnes, and he hadn't divulged
• 1:35:58
  Speaker 1: anything to him. She couldn't be sore because he had
• 1:36:01
  Speaker 1: asked Frank to check up on her. Routine investigation was
• 1:36:04
  Speaker 1: part of his job. She knew that he failed to
• 1:36:08
  Speaker 1: come up with an answer. He was worried. He knew
• 1:36:11
  Speaker 1: who the seven men were, but he didn't know where
• 1:36:15
  Speaker 1: they came from. It could have been any one of
• 1:36:18
  Speaker 1: a million different places. Heaven only knew what kind of
• 1:36:21
  Speaker 1: people they were. The shades were drawn in Paula's apartment.
• 1:36:25
  Speaker 1: There was no sign of her, but as soon as
• 1:36:28
  Speaker 1: Harry entered the room, he forgot about her. Anyway, His
• 1:36:32
  Speaker 1: gaze rested upon the small, roundish man sitting in the
• 1:36:35
  Speaker 1: contour chair, the ball man with no eyebrows and no beard,
• 1:36:41
  Speaker 1: Please be seated, mister Payne. The man's tone was soft
• 1:36:44
  Speaker 1: and courteous. Which one are you, Harry asked. The man
• 1:36:48
  Speaker 1: was amused. I am mister Thompson. Oh yeah, said Harry.
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 1: You're the one who kept patting your skull. Couldn't you
• 1:36:57
  Speaker 1: find one that fits you? Nobody was amused. Bowles and
• 1:37:02
  Speaker 1: Chase took positions on either side of Thompson. Their faces
• 1:37:06
  Speaker 1: were drawn and sober. They resembled two bankrupt morticians. Where
• 1:37:12
  Speaker 1: is the body beautiful, Harry asked? Or is she no
• 1:37:15
  Speaker 1: longer the body beautiful? Take a look for yourself. It
• 1:37:20
  Speaker 1: was Paula's voice. The familiar sultriness was missing. Harry swung
• 1:37:25
  Speaker 1: around to see her emerge from the bedroom. Well, well, well,
• 1:37:30
  Speaker 1: if it isn't miss lonely Heart's mind. If I ask
• 1:37:33
  Speaker 1: why I'm here, I mean the gun and all. He
• 1:37:36
  Speaker 1: had to be flippant. It was the only way he
• 1:37:38
  Speaker 1: knew to conceal the terror he felt in their presence.
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 1: She sat down beside him on the sofa. Harry, you've
• 1:37:46
  Speaker 1: disappointed me. You haven't been playing the game fair and square.
• 1:37:51
  Speaker 1: If you're referring to the private eye I put on you,
• 1:37:54
  Speaker 1: I'm not Harry. You put him on. We took him off.
• 1:37:59
  Speaker 1: Those things themselves out. Harry shrugged.
• 1:38:02
  Speaker 2: Okay, I give up.
• 1:38:04
  Speaker 1: What did I do wrong? Show him, mister Thompson. She
• 1:38:08
  Speaker 1: lit a cigarette and folded her legs under her. Mister
• 1:38:12
  Speaker 1: Thompson reached into his pocket and produced a small object.
• 1:38:16
  Speaker 1: He tossed it into Harry's lap. Harry examined it. Do
• 1:38:21
  Speaker 1: you recognize it? Mister Thompson asked, it's a microphone. Harry replied,
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 1: that's just what it is. Paula savagely flung her cigarette
• 1:38:31
  Speaker 1: to the floor. Her own disguise, the one concealing her true,
• 1:38:35
  Speaker 1: ruthless self, was gone. Her voice was cold and harsh.
• 1:38:40
  Speaker 1: How much do you know, Harry? How much? Harry folded
• 1:38:45
  Speaker 1: his hands, rested his full weight on the arm of
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 1: the sofa, and crossed his legs. How much is it
• 1:38:51
  Speaker 1: worth to you? Paula's hand struck with fury across his face.
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 1: His cheek went numb. Blood ran from an uneven gash
• 1:39:01
  Speaker 1: left by the diamond in her ring. He took out
• 1:39:03
  Speaker 1: his handkerchief and dabbed at the wound. You're a real
• 1:39:06
  Speaker 1: high class, aren't you, Paula. They don't make traitors as
• 1:39:10
  Speaker 1: high class as you any more. She raised her hand
• 1:39:14
  Speaker 1: and aimed for the other cheek. Thompson bolted out of
• 1:39:17
  Speaker 1: his chair and grabbed her. I suggest you have a drink,
• 1:39:21
  Speaker 1: Miss Ralston. Let us handle the rest.
• 1:39:24
  Speaker 2: Paula was furious.
• 1:39:26
  Speaker 1: He's not going to tell you any more. We'll handle
• 1:39:30
  Speaker 1: the rest. Thompson didn't raise his voice, but there was
• 1:39:34
  Speaker 1: a firmness, a deadly conviction in his inflection. Paula went
• 1:39:39
  Speaker 1: for a drink. Harry didn't like that. Paula had a temper.
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 1: He could deal with her. But the others, they displayed
• 1:39:48
  Speaker 1: very little emotion. He had no idea how to handle them.
• 1:39:53
  Speaker 1: Thompson sat down again, facing Harry. The fact is, he
• 1:39:58
  Speaker 1: began gracefully. We discovered this microphone and for others like
• 1:40:04
  Speaker 1: it here in Miss Ralston's apartment, one in each room. Now,
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 1: we are very cautious people, mister Payne. We are quite
• 1:40:12
  Speaker 1: certain no one knows our whereabouts. It is logical then
• 1:40:17
  Speaker 1: that the microphones have not been here long. Miss Ralston's
• 1:40:21
  Speaker 1: only visitors are ourselves and you. You have known her
• 1:40:25
  Speaker 1: two days, so you are the only person who knows
• 1:40:30
  Speaker 1: this apartment well enough to have planted these tell tale
• 1:40:33
  Speaker 1: devices in a hurry. Why should I want to plant them?
• 1:40:38
  Speaker 1: You took the trouble to have miss Ralston investigated, but
• 1:40:42
  Speaker 1: more than one means of investigation produces better results. The
• 1:40:46
  Speaker 1: microphones were wired to a small radio, which we located
• 1:40:51
  Speaker 1: in the basement of this building. We have assumed that
• 1:40:54
  Speaker 1: everything spoken into them was transmitted over the radio and
• 1:40:58
  Speaker 1: recorded at your inn. And that makes sense, doesn't it.
• 1:41:02
  Speaker 1: Harry was confused.
• 1:41:04
  Speaker 4: So far, so good.
• 1:41:06
  Speaker 1: We want those recordings, mister Payne. They seemed to be
• 1:41:11
  Speaker 1: convinced the microphones were his only Harry knew it wasn't true,
• 1:41:16
  Speaker 1: but to admit it might mean he wouldn't leave Paula's
• 1:41:20
  Speaker 1: place alive. He derived no comfort from the knowledge that
• 1:41:24
  Speaker 1: someone else was interested in Paula's activities. That wasn't helping
• 1:41:28
  Speaker 1: him with his problem of the moment. He could see
• 1:41:31
  Speaker 1: no clear way out. He had to keep stalling, and
• 1:41:35
  Speaker 1: as long as they were so sure of themselves, it
• 1:41:38
  Speaker 1: might even be to his advantage to maintain a certain arrogance.
• 1:41:43
  Speaker 1: I might as well tell you, Thompson I have no
• 1:41:46
  Speaker 1: intention of cooperating until I know a few facts about
• 1:41:51
  Speaker 1: you and your friends, like who you are, where you're from,
• 1:41:55
  Speaker 1: what you're after. It is not necessary in order to
• 1:41:59
  Speaker 1: tell us where the recordings are. Smiled mister Thompson. That
• 1:42:03
  Speaker 1: you know anything more about us, it is necessary, said Harry,
• 1:42:08
  Speaker 1: But I want to know. Chase started to voice an objection,
• 1:42:12
  Speaker 1: but Harry broke in and don't tell me. You have
• 1:42:15
  Speaker 1: more persuasive ways of making me talk. You can use force,
• 1:42:20
  Speaker 1: but it'll take time. Your time is valuable, or you
• 1:42:24
  Speaker 1: wouldn't have hustled me over here as fast as you did,
• 1:42:28
  Speaker 1: so let's not waste your time. You tell me, then
• 1:42:32
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you. Thompson glanced at his two compatriots. Their
• 1:42:38
  Speaker 1: faces registered dissatisfaction. Their silence said that Harry was right.
• 1:42:44
  Speaker 1: Time was valuable. They would follow the path of least resistance.
• 1:42:50
  Speaker 1: Our point of origin, mister Thompson began, is Coriella, roughly
• 1:42:56
  Speaker 1: seven eighth the size of Earth in the sembric galaxy.
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 1: It is approximately, in your figures, seventy five trillion miles distant.
• 1:43:07
  Speaker 1: Must be quite a trip. Harry tried to be placid.
• 1:43:11
  Speaker 1: Mister Thompson was momentarily amused. Travel through time and space
• 1:43:16
  Speaker 1: is something we take for granted. The farthest corners of
• 1:43:20
  Speaker 1: the universe are ours for the reaching That is the
• 1:43:23
  Speaker 1: foremost reason for our visit to your Earth. You might
• 1:43:27
  Speaker 1: call us galactic observers. You see, we already control the
• 1:43:32
  Speaker 1: twelve inhabited planets in our own galaxy, and at this
• 1:43:36
  Speaker 1: time we have no desire to take on any more
• 1:43:39
  Speaker 1: responsibility than that. But neither do we want interference from
• 1:43:45
  Speaker 1: another galaxy such as this one. Harry was surprised your
• 1:43:52
  Speaker 1: giving this world a lot of credit. We barely moved
• 1:43:56
  Speaker 1: off the Earth. What makes you think we could cause
• 1:43:58
  Speaker 1: your people in any trouble? By merely projecting yourselves into space,
• 1:44:04
  Speaker 1: you have eliminated the major obstacle to space travel. Remember
• 1:44:09
  Speaker 1: it took thousands of years for someone on your Earth
• 1:44:12
  Speaker 1: to discover electricity, but observe the wonders you have accomplished
• 1:44:17
  Speaker 1: with it in the relatively few years since it was discovered.
• 1:44:21
  Speaker 1: The same principle applies to your conquest of space. We
• 1:44:26
  Speaker 1: are not here to do you harm, mister pain. It
• 1:44:28
  Speaker 1: is merely our intention to warn you when the time comes,
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: of the dangers you face should you decide to venture
• 1:44:35
  Speaker 1: two four For people who intend no harm, I'd say
• 1:44:41
  Speaker 1: you and your friends are putting on quite an unconvincing show.
• 1:44:46
  Speaker 1: I assure you, mister Paine, our visit to Earth was
• 1:44:49
  Speaker 1: intended purely for observational purposes.
• 1:44:53
  Speaker 4: What do you mean was.
• 1:44:56
  Speaker 1: Thompson's face was grim. The easy chair that had accommodated
• 1:45:01
  Speaker 1: his small, roundish frame so perfectly now appeared to be
• 1:45:06
  Speaker 1: uncomfortable for him. A redness crept into his cheeks and
• 1:45:10
  Speaker 1: spread over his smooth, tight scalp. The fact is that
• 1:45:14
  Speaker 1: your government has known about us for six months. Our
• 1:45:18
  Speaker 1: exact whereabouts has been a well guarded secret. But they
• 1:45:23
  Speaker 1: were informed of our presence here on Earth. Informed But
• 1:45:28
  Speaker 1: who could tell them? Chase broke in impatiently. We are
• 1:45:32
  Speaker 1: wasting time. We must get those recordings. The interruption was
• 1:45:36
  Speaker 1: dismissed with a wave of Thompson's hand. Your government was
• 1:45:40
  Speaker 1: informed by George Fisher. George Fisher, Harry golped You see,
• 1:45:47
  Speaker 1: mister Fisher, that wasn't really his name, you understand, was
• 1:45:51
  Speaker 1: one of us, a member of our observation team after
• 1:45:56
  Speaker 1: we arrived here. Well, you might say he did effected
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 1: gave your government the benefit of his somewhat limited knowledge,
• 1:46:05
  Speaker 1: Harry whistled, and because of him, your mission is no
• 1:46:09
  Speaker 1: longer observational. That remains to be seen. Harry leaned forward
• 1:46:15
  Speaker 1: on the sofa. You have any ideas, mister Thompson, about
• 1:46:19
  Speaker 1: why he defected. I'm curious to know why a man
• 1:46:23
  Speaker 1: is unhappy enough with his own lot to run away
• 1:46:26
  Speaker 1: and put himself in the hands of a civilization that
• 1:46:29
  Speaker 1: is in every way alien to him. Thompson's answer was
• 1:46:33
  Speaker 1: brief and deliberately ambiguous. Mister Fisher was a traitor. What
• 1:46:40
  Speaker 1: more can be said of him? So he didn't commit suicide?
• 1:46:45
  Speaker 1: Harry muttered, that's right, mister Payne. I take it you're
• 1:46:50
  Speaker 1: not sure of how much Fisher told the government before
• 1:46:52
  Speaker 1: you got to him. Mister Fisher's limitation were familiar to us.
• 1:46:58
  Speaker 1: It is the potential of your own scientists now that
• 1:47:01
  Speaker 1: they have his information, that we are most concerned with.
• 1:47:05
  Speaker 1: Keep starling, Harry reminded himself. Keep speculating, guessing, theorizing anything
• 1:47:12
  Speaker 1: for time. So you know the project that weapons development
• 1:47:17
  Speaker 1: is working on, but you don't know how much progress
• 1:47:20
  Speaker 1: has been made, and you want to place one of
• 1:47:23
  Speaker 1: your own people in there to find out. Thanks to you,
• 1:47:27
  Speaker 1: we have succeeded in doing just that. Thompson smiled with satisfaction,
• 1:47:33
  Speaker 1: having kept his part of a bargain. Now about those recordings,
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 1: I'm not through asking questions, but I'm through answering them,
• 1:47:42
  Speaker 1: mister Payne, tell us where the recordings are. Harry studied
• 1:47:49
  Speaker 1: the clean, smooth surface of Thompson's face. There was a
• 1:47:53
  Speaker 1: gentleness in his large, round eyes. There was also an unfriendliness.
• 1:47:58
  Speaker 1: Harry had to keep stalking. He knew any answer he
• 1:48:02
  Speaker 1: gave them would shorten his life expectancy by about thirty
• 1:48:06
  Speaker 1: five years. You've gotten me into a mess of trouble,
• 1:48:10
  Speaker 1: mister Thompson. I think you owe me a little more.
• 1:48:14
  Speaker 1: My memory might prove clearer if I knew what was
• 1:48:18
  Speaker 1: going on at weapons development. Thompson glanced at his two companions.
• 1:48:24
  Speaker 1: They showed no sign of dissent. Very well, mister Payne.
• 1:48:29
  Speaker 1: For some years now, our people have been working on
• 1:48:32
  Speaker 1: a method of reversing the polarity of the atom. We
• 1:48:35
  Speaker 1: have tried to create an electromagnetic field which would repel
• 1:48:40
  Speaker 1: rather than attract. Once we are able to accomplish this,
• 1:48:44
  Speaker 1: we can develop an instrument capable of disturbing the molecular
• 1:48:48
  Speaker 1: structure of any object in the universe. In other words,
• 1:48:54
  Speaker 1: Harry frowned him a weapon capable of disintegration precisely. Harry
• 1:49:02
  Speaker 1: sat there, stunned. A few moments seemed hardly enough to
• 1:49:06
  Speaker 1: digest the knowledge that weapon's development was working on the
• 1:49:10
  Speaker 1: most incredibly advanced weapon of all time, and mister Thompson
• 1:49:15
  Speaker 1: and company were out to sabotage it. Their people could
• 1:49:20
  Speaker 1: not afford to allow another world to beat them to
• 1:49:23
  Speaker 1: the punch. Who controlled this weapon controlled the universe. Stalling
• 1:49:29
  Speaker 1: the Aliens was more important than ever now. He couldn't
• 1:49:33
  Speaker 1: heighten the danger to his own life. It wasn't worth
• 1:49:36
  Speaker 1: a lead nickel anyway. If it had been, Thompson wouldn't
• 1:49:39
  Speaker 1: have consented to tell him this much. Someone had wired
• 1:49:44
  Speaker 1: Paula's apartment. It was reasonable to assume it was someone
• 1:49:48
  Speaker 1: on his side. The recardings, please, Bowls was becoming very impatient.
• 1:49:55
  Speaker 1: Harry looked up and found a gun at his head.
• 1:49:59
  Speaker 1: The recardings at my office, he lied. Thompson walked to
• 1:50:03
  Speaker 1: the telephone table and brought the instrument to him. You
• 1:50:07
  Speaker 1: will call your secretary, he said, and tell her you
• 1:50:12
  Speaker 1: have been detained at lunch. You are sending mister Chase
• 1:50:15
  Speaker 1: to pick up the recordings. Harry glanced around the room.
• 1:50:21
  Speaker 1: Paula was sulking at the bar near the door, drowning
• 1:50:24
  Speaker 1: her conscience. He thought they must have paid her a
• 1:50:28
  Speaker 1: fortune to sell out her own people. Bowles and Chase
• 1:50:32
  Speaker 1: both had their guns poised. Thompson picked up the receiver
• 1:50:36
  Speaker 1: and extended it to him. There was no way out,
• 1:50:40
  Speaker 1: no stalling them any longer. To make a break for
• 1:50:43
  Speaker 1: it would be suicidal. In the state of confusion his
• 1:50:46
  Speaker 1: mind was in he could think of only one thing
• 1:50:49
  Speaker 1: to do. When he reached Miss Conway, he would have
• 1:50:52
  Speaker 1: to warn her somehow, a few desperate words, and pray
• 1:50:57
  Speaker 1: that she would be alert enough to realize he was
• 1:50:59
  Speaker 1: in trouble and get the information to the authorities. He
• 1:51:03
  Speaker 1: took the phone and dialed. He gave the Fort Dixon
• 1:51:06
  Speaker 1: operator his office extension.
• 1:51:08
  Speaker 2: He waited.
• 1:51:09
  Speaker 1: The phone rang, It rang again, then three more times.
• 1:51:15
  Speaker 1: Damn that girl, her coffee breaks for extended vacations. Finally
• 1:51:21
  Speaker 1: the phone was picked up, but the voice that answered
• 1:51:24
  Speaker 1: was Mail. Who is this, Harry demanded. The voice replied,
• 1:51:29
  Speaker 1: Colonel Waters, this is Harry. I'm at Paula Ralston's apartment emergency.
• 1:51:35
  Speaker 1: The three men were on top of him. Chase smashed
• 1:51:38
  Speaker 1: the butt of his gun across Harry's knuckles. The receiver
• 1:51:42
  Speaker 1: fell to the floor. Harry let out a pained groan
• 1:51:45
  Speaker 1: as Boyle's gun butt struck him on the temple. Thompson
• 1:51:49
  Speaker 1: replaced the receiver. Harry was on the floor. He put
• 1:51:54
  Speaker 1: his hands to his head for protection as Chase savagely
• 1:51:58
  Speaker 1: kicked at him. His vision blurred, but he managed to
• 1:52:01
  Speaker 1: see that Paula was still at the bar, sipping a drink,
• 1:52:05
  Speaker 1: sadistically enjoying the whole show. He's no longer of any
• 1:52:11
  Speaker 1: use to us, Thompson declared, you may do your job.
• 1:52:15
  Speaker 3: Harry shook his.
• 1:52:15
  Speaker 1: Head, fighting to stay conscious. His vision cleared long enough
• 1:52:19
  Speaker 1: to see Chase and Bulls standing over him, their guns
• 1:52:23
  Speaker 1: pointed at either side.
• 1:52:24
  Speaker 3: Of his head.
• 1:52:25
  Speaker 1: There was a volley of deafening shots. There was smoke, voices,
• 1:52:30
  Speaker 1: people running in every direction, more gunfire, glass shattering, furniture
• 1:52:35
  Speaker 1: knocked over, but Harry felt no pain. When he looked again,
• 1:52:40
  Speaker 1: Chase and Bowls were no longer to be seen. He
• 1:52:43
  Speaker 1: caught a glimpse of Thompson running for another position of cover.
• 1:52:47
  Speaker 1: A final gunshot brought him to the floor. Harry struggled
• 1:52:51
  Speaker 1: to a sitting position. Then he saw Chase and Bowls
• 1:52:56
  Speaker 1: dead on the floor. Beyond the sofa, half a dozen
• 1:52:59
  Speaker 1: soldiers were in the process of subduing a swearing, cloying
• 1:53:03
  Speaker 1: Paula Ralston, and in the doorway he saw miss Conway.
• 1:53:09
  Speaker 1: She looked incongruous as hell. With a smoldering revolver in
• 1:53:14
  Speaker 1: her hand. She crossed the room and knelt beside him.
• 1:53:18
  Speaker 1: She pulled him around to let his head rest on
• 1:53:20
  Speaker 1: the sofa. Harry, Harry, she whispered, brushing his hair back.
• 1:53:24
  Speaker 1: Are you hurt badly? What did they do to you?
• 1:53:27
  Speaker 1: He tried to get up. You stay right where you are, Honnie.
• 1:53:31
  Speaker 1: Her voice was soothing and gentle. There was a soft,
• 1:53:34
  Speaker 1: compassionate light in her eyes. No longer that dumb stare.
• 1:53:39
  Speaker 1: She leaned over and kissed him. There, you're going to
• 1:53:43
  Speaker 1: be all right. What the hell are you doing here,
• 1:53:47
  Speaker 1: Harry bellowed, Now you just sit back and relax. I'm
• 1:53:50
  Speaker 1: just doing my job. You're a low, steady wail rolled
• 1:53:56
  Speaker 1: off his lips. Oh no, hey, it is so Tell
• 1:54:02
  Speaker 1: me I'm really dead. I know I deserve to be.
• 1:54:06
  Speaker 1: I may be the world's lousiest secretary, but I'm considered
• 1:54:10
  Speaker 1: not bad in the counterintelligence department. Harry repeated the whale
• 1:54:16
  Speaker 1: we were afraid from the time George Fisher turned himself
• 1:54:19
  Speaker 1: over to the government. She continued that his days were numbered,
• 1:54:24
  Speaker 1: but the longer he remained alive, the more apprehensive his
• 1:54:27
  Speaker 1: people would become. We figured one day they'd make a
• 1:54:31
  Speaker 1: wrong move and that would be their big mistake. Well,
• 1:54:36
  Speaker 1: their move was to kill George Fisher and try to
• 1:54:39
  Speaker 1: get one of their own agents into weapons development. That
• 1:54:43
  Speaker 1: meant exposing themselves. It also meant you had to be watched,
• 1:54:47
  Speaker 1: among others. That's where I came in and playing it
• 1:54:51
  Speaker 1: about as dumb as I've ever seen, she laughed. Sounds
• 1:54:55
  Speaker 1: like I played the part a little too convincingly. She
• 1:54:58
  Speaker 1: stood up and helped him to a s feet. You're
• 1:55:01
  Speaker 1: coming with me?
• 1:55:02
  Speaker 4: Where to?
• 1:55:03
  Speaker 1: Hey?
• 1:55:03
  Speaker 4: What are you doing?
• 1:55:05
  Speaker 1: There's something about this place that I don't like. I'm
• 1:55:09
  Speaker 1: no sultry brunette, but I'm not a dumb blonde either.
• 1:55:13
  Speaker 1: She kissed him, then took a last look at Paula's
• 1:55:16
  Speaker 1: place and let him out the door. End of the Observers.
• 1:55:24
  Speaker 1: End of four science fiction stories by G. L. Vandenbergh.
• 1:55:29
  Speaker 1: These stories recorded by Phil Schinever in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
• 1:55:34
  Speaker 1: May of twenty thirteen,