Page 88 - Astounding Pulp V2

88 A STOUN DIN G SCIENCE-FICTION
scjen ce-fictio n leagues-the kind of boys to risk his life doing what he really shortstop. I'm alway:- lturti11g- that " .\ i11'1 ll(lt lii11' t11 :--t'L' ~l':: tht· lil.l--~
ihat t ho ught t he re was m ~re romanc_e wants to do .. , finger." hick:- it. .\ -. , 11t•11 :i:-- \\l' h11ild up c111111g'
in o n e issue of the E lectr1cal E x pen - ''All the same, I don't feel right about '·Get Pop into tile cabin ... ~lac nit :-pc~·cl to cua,t up t•• thl· \·l ,ll\!._!l' u \ L·r
m r ntl',. than in a ll the books Dumas ever it. H e's such a swell old duck.'' him hort ··and stra1) lti111 int,, hi:- ha111- (1011 . ( ·11 n10,·l· , ,n1. . Tl·II , till \\ 'tat .
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wrote. \\'e did n ·t wan t to be one of ''Then what d'yuh want to do with mock." 1 ·11 .,in: , ·1111 a :-kl'P.' pill. and tliL·t1 ",l l:
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Horatio A lger 's get-rich hcr<?es, either; him- send him back to Kansas City so "Aye, aye. skipper." ,·uu w ltl'II \\T l'l11 Lill' Jl'I--.
w e w anted to builcl spaceships. \ Vell, those old harpies can hut him up in a They taxied on the a11xiliary 111ut11r "~o !"
so m e of u s d id ." laughing academy till he dies of a broken out of the hangar, turned. and :-tarted " l fu ll?"
.. Gosh , Pop, you make it sound ex-
. . . heart?" out across the desert plain to fine.I elbow " l '11 stay :iw:il..:l' . .. , ..
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citing . . . . Th' l "N-110-0-0- not that." room for the take-off. ~k lntyrc saw .. T 11:-1 as you :--a Y, 1 up.
•'Jt w a s excn 1ng, Cha1·!1e. 1s ,as " Get out there, and make your set-up the deputy from his starboard co1111i11g :ltarlie io11ght hi:- way up to .1 hl· nu:-1..•
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b een a ,., 0 11 cie rf u l. romantic century, for for those test runs. I'll be along." port. He ,rn. staring cli:-co11solatcly of the s hip. and· liral·1..•d lt_im:-l'it nn th.:
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a ll o f its bad pornts. A n ~t_s grown aher them. rri111bab ui the pilot·::- cha1i-. :\ k lt1t) r ,
, o re w o nderful and m o re exc1tmg every
1 1 A W IDE-TIRED desert runabout rolled McIntyre fastened hi :;aiety belt. set- ~ucstio11ed hi111 " :ith hi~ c~ c~. .. . .. .
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year. ~ o. I <li~n t want to e n c 1 ; ~nto the ranch-yar_d gate the next morn- tled his corset, and spoke into the c11- " Ycalt. It ·s alt,·c all ng-ht. l hat 11~
jus t wanted to live long enough. to see m g and stopped m front o( the house. ginc-roo111 speaking Lube. '· /\11 set. told hi111. " but he·:- in bad ~hapc.
men rise u p to the stars, and, 1{ God A heavy-set man with a firm, but kindly, Charlie?" '·How bad~ ..
w as Q'ood to me, to go as far as the face climbed out and spoke to McIntyre, "All set, skipper. But you can't rai e " Couple of cracl..:t·cl ril>:-. :1ny~io,~ · ~
j\,1 oo1~ m yself.'' H e carefully deposited who approached to meet him. ship yet, Mac. Slie ai11 ·1 11a111f d(' don't know what tl:-c. l_ d o n l, kno~:
an inch of white a sh in a. saucer. " It "You J ames McIntyre ?'' '·No time for your superstit ions !'' whether he'll last o11t the tr_p. ::\lac. ~'-
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has been a good life. I haven't any com- -"What about it?" Harriman's thin voice reached thc111. heart was pou11cli11g :-;omcth1_11g a w fu~:
p la ints." "I'm the deputy F ederal marshal here- "Call her the L 1111atic. It's the only ap- " l-Ic'II last. hadic._ H e:-; tou_~h . . .
:tvJcTnty r e pushed back his chair. abouts. I got a warrant for your ar- ·'T o·lt ? H e:·:; clcltcatc a s a c.:a11a1}.
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" Come o n. Charlie, if you're ready." rest." propriate· name !'' " I do11 't mean that. r e - o ~ .
'•O. K ." McIntyre settled his head into the . ·d ·I ·c it count:-;.
"vVhat's the charge?" pads, punched two keys. then three 11101:e down ins, c- \\ ic1 .
T h ey a ll got u p. Harriman started "Conspiracy to violate the Space P re- " Just the s ame. you ·c1 better ·et ltct
to speak , then g r abbed at his chest, his cautionary Act." 111 rapid succession, and the L1111at1c -down awful easy if you wan t •~. grnu nd
face a dead g ray-white. raised ground. with a full complelllent .a board. .
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"Catch him. 1vfac !" Charlie joined the pair. "What's up, ''H ow are you, op . " I \\-ill. I'll make one f u l_l s wing
M ac?" Charlie searched the old man's face
"Vv' he re's his medicine ?" The deputy answered.· "You'd be around the :M oon and ease lte 1_ 1~1 o n a n
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~'In his vest p ocket." anxiously. Harriman licked his lips and . l te apJ)roach n ir,·c. c ,·e gor
Charles Cummings, I guess. Warrant managed to speak. "Doing fine, son. t!l\'O LI .,
They eased him over to a couch, broke enoug h fuc.l, I think.
here for you. Got one for a man named Couldn't be better.''
a s mall glass capsule in a handkerchief, Harriman, too, and a court order to put
all(l held it under his nose. The vola- seals on your spaceship." "The acceleration won't be so bad ' \ VnEN they co111111cnce d to coast in a -
tile relea sed hy the cap sule seemed to fron, here on. · I'll unstrap you so you . Cl ·l·e uns luno- the hammock
"We've no spaceship." can wiggle aroun~l a little. ~ ut I,,think free orbit, ia1 i b - d ll
bring a little color into his face. They d Ha rriman. ha rnmock a n a .
" What d'yuh keep in that big shed ?" You'd better stay in the hammock. . He and move . . d )
d id w hat little they could for him, then .d t l\fcintyre tut nc t ,c
" Strata yacht." tugged at buckles. Harriman partially
w aited for him to r egain consciousness. to . a ~-1 et ; o;r; nsverse ax is so that the
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Charlie broke the uneasy silence. "So? Well, I'll put seals on her unt1l repressed a groan. ta1 pom e ' . I .
. t cl toward the S un, t ien gave
" M ac, we ain 't going through with this." a spaceship comes along. VVbere's Har- ''What is it, Pop ?" a s 1 ·t blast on tv,•o tangen t1a Jets op-
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riman?" "Nothing. Nothing at all. 1 ust go
. d in coui)le to cause the s 11p t o sp m
"vV hy not?'' easy on that side." pose . • 1 . · l
" Right in there." Charlie obliged by slowly about her long1tud1_na 1 . axis, ~n c
''It's murder. He'll never stand up Charlie ran his fingers over the old
pointing, ignoring McIntyre's scowl. thereby create a slig ht art1fic1al g ravity.
u n d e r the initial acceleration." man's side with the sure, delicate touch
The deputy turned his head. Charlie of a mechanic. "You ain't foolin' me The initial weightlessness w hen coa s t-
" :l\1:aybe n ot. but it's vd1at he wants couldn't have missed the button by a . g commenced had knotted the old m a n
t o do. You h eard him." none, Pop. But there isn't much I can
fraction of an inch, for the deputy col- do until we ground.'' · ~~ith the characteristic nausea of f t'~e
' 'B u t we o ug htn 't to let him ." lapsed quietly to the ground. Charlie "Charlie-" flight. and the pilot ,,~ished t~ sa ~e his
" Why not ? It's neither your busi- stood over him, rubbing his knuckles "Y p op. pa Sse n1rer as much d1scom fo1 t a s pos-
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ness n o r the bu siness of this damn pa- and mourning. "Can't I move to a port? I want to sible. .
terna listic governmen t to tell a man not " That's the fing'er I broke playing watch he Earth.'' But Harriman was not concerned \n th