Part 55 (2/2)

”My daughter will not speak to you, now or ever-”

Lazarus said quickly, ”Does she know that I asked to speak to her?”

”Shut up! Certainly she knows. She asked me to deliver that message. Or I would not have spoken to you myself. Now I too have a message for you-and don't interrupt. My daughter is a respectable married woman whose husband has answered his country's call. So don't bang around her. Don't come here or you'll be met with a shotgun. Don't telephone. Don't go to her church. Maybe you think I can't make this stick. Let me remind you that this is Kansas City. Two broken arms cost twenty-five dollars; for twice that they'll kill you. But for a combined deal-break your arms first and Certainly she knows. She asked me to deliver that message. Or I would not have spoken to you myself. Now I too have a message for you-and don't interrupt. My daughter is a respectable married woman whose husband has answered his country's call. So don't bang around her. Don't come here or you'll be met with a shotgun. Don't telephone. Don't go to her church. Maybe you think I can't make this stick. Let me remind you that this is Kansas City. Two broken arms cost twenty-five dollars; for twice that they'll kill you. But for a combined deal-break your arms first and then then kill you-there's a discount. I can afford sixty-two fifty if you make it necessary. Understand me?” kill you-there's a discount. I can afford sixty-two fifty if you make it necessary. Understand me?”

”Yes.”

”So twenty-three skidoo!”

”Hold it! Mr. Johnson, I do not believe that you would hire a man to kill another man-”

”You had better not risk it.”

”-because I think you would kill him yourself.”

There was a pause. Then the old man chuckled slightly. ”You may be right.” He hung up on Lazarus.

Lazarus cranked his car and drove away. Presently he found that he was driving west on Linwood Boulevard, noticed it because he pa.s.sed his family's church. Where he had first seen Maureen- Where he would never see her again.

Not ever! ever! Not even if he came back again and tried to avoid the mistakes he had made-there were no paradoxes. Those mistakes were unalterably part of the fabric of s.p.a.ce-time, and all of the subtleties of Andy's mathematics, all of the powers built into the Not even if he came back again and tried to avoid the mistakes he had made-there were no paradoxes. Those mistakes were unalterably part of the fabric of s.p.a.ce-time, and all of the subtleties of Andy's mathematics, all of the powers built into the Dora, Dora, could not erase them. could not erase them.

At Linwood Plaza, he parked short of Brooklyn Avenue and considered what to do next.

Drive to the station and catch the next Santa Fe train west. If either of those calls for help lasted through the centuries, then he would be picked up on Monday morning-and this war and all its troubles would again be something that happened a long time ago-and ”Ted Bronson” would be someone Gramp and Maureen had known briefly and would forget.

Too bad he had not had time to get those messages etched; nevertheless, one of them might last. If not-then make rendezvous for pickup in 1926. Or if none none of them got through -always a possibility since he was attempting to use Delay Mail before it was properly set up-then wait for 1929 and carry out rendezvous as originally planned. No problem about that; the twins and Dora were ready to keep of them got through -always a possibility since he was attempting to use Delay Mail before it was properly set up-then wait for 1929 and carry out rendezvous as originally planned. No problem about that; the twins and Dora were ready to keep that that one, no matter what. one, no matter what.

Then why did he feel so bad?

This wasn't his his war. war.

Time enough and Gramp would know that the prediction he had blurted out was simple truth. In time Gramp would learn what French ”grat.i.tude” amounted to-when ”Lafayette, we are here!” was forgotten and the refrain was ”Pas un sou a l'Amerique!” ”Pas un sou a l'Amerique!” Or British ”grat.i.tude” for that matter. There was Or British ”grat.i.tude” for that matter. There was no no grat.i.tude between nations, never had been, never would be. ”Pro-German”? h.e.l.l, no, Gramp! There is something rotten at the very heart of German culture, and this war is going to lead to another with German atrocities a thousand times more terrible than any they are accused of today. Gas chambers and a stink of burning flesh in planned viciousness-A stench that lasted through the centuries- grat.i.tude between nations, never had been, never would be. ”Pro-German”? h.e.l.l, no, Gramp! There is something rotten at the very heart of German culture, and this war is going to lead to another with German atrocities a thousand times more terrible than any they are accused of today. Gas chambers and a stink of burning flesh in planned viciousness-A stench that lasted through the centuries- But there was no way to tell Gramp and Maureen any of this. Nor should he try. The best thing about the future was that it was unknown. Ca.s.sandra's one good quality was that she was never believed.

So why should it matter that two people who could not possibly know what he knew misunderstood why why he thought this war was useless? he thought this war was useless?

But the fact was that it did did matter-it mattered terribly. matter-it mattered terribly.

He felt the slight bulge against his left ribs. A defense for his goid-gold he did not give a d.a.m.n about. But a ”termination option” switch, too.

Snap out of it, you silly fool! You don't want to be dead; you simply want the approval of Gramp and Maureen.-of Maureen.

The recruiting station was under the main post office, far downtown. Late as it was, it was still open, with a queue outside. Lazarus paid an old Negro a dollar to sit in his car, warned him that there was a grip in the back, promised him another dollar when he got back-and did not mention the money vest and pistol, both now in the grip. But Lazarus did not worry about car or money-might be simpler if both were stolen. He joined the queue.

”Name?”

”Bronson, Theodore.”

”Previous military experience?”

”None.”

”Age? No, date of birth-and it had better be before April 5, 1899.”

”November 11, 1890.”

”You don't look that old, but okay. Take this paper and through that door. You'll find sacks or pillow cases. Take your clothes off, put 'em in one, keep 'em with you. Hand this to one of the docs and do what he tells you.”

”Thank you, Sergeant.”

”Get moving. Next.”

A doctor in uniform was a.s.sisted by six more in civilian clothes. Lazarus read the Snellen Card correctly, but the doctor did not seem to be listening; this seemed to be a ”warm body” examination. Lazarus saw only one man rejected, one who was (in Lazarus' horseback judgment) in the terminal stages of consumption.

Only one physician seemed at all anxious to find defects. He had Lazarus bend over and pull his b.u.t.tock cheeks apart, felt for hernias and made him cough, then palpated his belly. ”What's this hard ma.s.s on the right side?”

”I don't know, sir.”

”Have you had your appendix out? Yes, I see the scar. Feel the ridge, rather; the scar hardly shows. You had a good surgeon; I wish I could do one that neat. Probably just a ma.s.s of fecal matter there; take a dose of calomel and you'll be rid of it by morning.

”Thank you, Doctor.”

”Don't mention it, Son. Next.”

”Hold up your right hands and repeat after me. . . . . . . . ”

”Hang onto these slips of paper. Be at the station before seven tomorrow morning, show your slip to a sergeant at the information desk; he'll tell you where to board. If you lose your slip of paper, be there anyhow anyhow-or Uncle Sam will come looking for you. That's all, men, you're in the Army now! Out through that door.”

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His car was still there; the old Negro got out. ”Eve'ything's fine, Cap'm!”

”It surely is,” Lazarus agreed heartily while getting out a dollar bill. ”But it's 'Private,' not 'Captain.' ”

”They took you? In that that case, I cain't hahdly take youah dollah.” case, I cain't hahdly take youah dollah.”

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