initial commit of ebook 26968HEADmain

1 files changed, 1093 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/26968.txt b/26968.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54825fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/26968.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,1093 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Summer Snow Storm, by Adam Chase
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Summer Snow Storm
+
+Author: Adam Chase
+
+Illustrator: Llewellyn
+
+Release Date: October 19, 2008 [EBook #26968]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SUMMER SNOW STORM ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ SUMMER
+     SNOW STORM
+
+ By ADAM CHASE
+
+
+    _Snow in summer is of course impossible. Any weather expert will
+    tell you so. Weather Bureau Chief Botts was certain no such
+    absurdity could occur. And he would have been right except for one
+    thing. It snowed that summer._
+
+
+It was, as the expression goes, raining cats and dogs. Since the Weather
+Bureau had predicted fair and warmer, the Weather Bureau was not
+particularly happy about the meteorological state of affairs. No one,
+however was shocked.
+
+Until it started to snow.
+
+This was on the twenty-fifth of July in the U.S.A....
+
+Half an hour before the fantastic meteorological turn of events, Bureau
+Chief Botts dangled the forecast sheet before Johnny Sloman's bloodshot
+eyes and barked, "It's all over the country by now, you dunderhead!"
+Then, as an afterthought: "Did you write this?"
+
+"Yes," said Sloman miserably.
+
+Slowly, Botts said, "Temperature, eighty degrees. Precipitation
+expected: snow. _Snow_, Sloman. Well, that's what it says."
+
+"It was a mistake, Chief. Just--heh-heh--a mistake."
+
+"The prediction should have been for fair and warmer!" Botts screamed.
+
+"But it's raining," Sloman pointed out.
+
+"We make mistakes," said Botts in a suddenly velvety voice. Then, as if
+_that_ had been a mistake, bellowed: "But not this kind of mistake,
+Sloman! Snow in July! We have a reputation to maintain! If not for
+accuracy, at least for credulity."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Johnny Sloman. One of the troubles was, he had a
+hangover. Although, actually, that was a consequence of the real
+trouble. The real trouble was his fiancee. Make that his ex-fiancee.
+Because last night Jo-Anne had left him. "You--you're just going no
+place at all, Johnny Sloman," she had said. "You're on a treadmill
+and--not even running very fast." She had given him back the
+quarter-carat ring tearfully, but Johnny hadn't argued. Jo-Anne had a
+stubborn streak and he knew when Jo-Anne's mind was made up. So Johnny
+had gone and gotten drunk for the first time since the night after
+college graduation, not too many years ago, and the result was a
+nationally-distributed forecast of snow.
+
+Chief Botts' first flush of anger had now been replaced by self-pity.
+His red, loose-jowled face was sagging and his eyes became watery as he
+said, "At least you could have double-checked it. As a member of this
+Bureau you only have to fill out the forecast once every ten days. Is
+that so hard? Is there any reason why you should predict snow for July
+25th?" His voice became silky soft as he added, "You realize, of course,
+Sloman, that if this was anything but a civil service job you'd be out
+on your ear for a stunt like this! Well, there are other ways. I can
+pass over you for promotion. I _intend_ to pass over you until the
+crack of doom. You'll be a GS-5 the rest of your working life. Are you
+satisfied, Sloman? Snow in July ..." Chief Botts' voice trailed off, the
+Chief following it.
+
+Johnny sat with his head in his hands until Harry Bettis, the GS-5
+weatherman who shared his small office with him, came in. Naturally,
+hangover or no, Johnny had reported for work first. Johnny was always
+first in the office, but it didn't seem to do any good. Now, Harry
+Bettis could come in an hour late and read the funnies half the day and
+flirt with the secretarial staff the other half and still be Chief
+Botts' odds-on favorite for the promotion that was opening next month.
+Harry Bettis was like that.
+
+He came in and gave Johnny the full treatment. First the slow spreading
+smile. Then the chuckle. Then the loud, roaring belly-laugh. "Gals
+outside told me!" he shouted, loud enough so the girls outside would
+know he knew they had told him. "Snow! Snow in July! Sloman, you kill
+me! You really do!"
+
+"Do you have to shout?" Johnny said.
+
+"Do I? We all ought to shout this. To the rooftops! Sloman, my foot.
+You have a new name, sonny. Snowman! Johnny Snowman."
+
+[Illustration: Thick mud held him while terror ravened at his heels.]
+
+Johnny groaned. Instinctively, he knew the name would stick.
+
+"Hear you had a little trouble with the gal-friend this past p.m.,"
+Harry Bettis clucked in a voice which managed to be both derisive and
+sympathetic.
+
+"How did you find out?" Johnny asked, but knew the answer at once.
+Jo-Anne was a roommate of one of the Bureau Secretaries. It was how
+Johnny had met her.
+
+"You know how I found out, Snowman. Well, that's tough luck, kiddo. But
+tell me, does that mean the field is wide open? I always thought your
+gal-friend--your _ex_-gal-friend--had the cutest pair of--"
+
+"I have nothing to do with whether the field is open or not open, I'm
+afraid."
+
+"Well, don't be. Afraid, I mean," Harry Bettis advised jovially. "If the
+gal could make you pull a boner like that, you're better off without
+her. But I forgot to ask Maxine: can I have little Jo-Anne's phone
+number? Huh, boy?"
+
+Before Johnny could answer, the three-girl staff of secretaries entered
+the small office. Entered--and stared.
+
+"That's all right, girls," Harry Bettis said. "You didn't have to follow
+me in here. I'd have been right out."
+
+But they weren't staring at Harry Bettis. They were staring at Johnny.
+Their mouths had flapped open, their eyes were big and round. Johnny
+didn't, but Harry Bettis knew that look on a girl's face. Without any
+trouble at all, Johnny could have made any of those girls, right there,
+right then, without even trying.
+
+They gawked and gawked. One of them pointed at the window. The others
+tried to, but their hands were trembling.
+
+The one who was pointing squawked: "Look!"
+
+The second one said, "Out the window!"
+
+The third one said, "Will you!"
+
+Outside the window on the twenty-fifth of July it was snowing.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was an hour later. Telephones were ringing. Long-distance calls from
+all over the country now that the ticker had gone out with the
+incredible fact that it was snowing in the Northeast in July. Most of
+the calls, though, were from Washington. Chief Botts disconnected the
+PBX and walked in a dazed, staggering fashion to Johnny, smiling weakly
+and saying:
+
+"Sloman, I misjudged you. Genius, right here, right now, in this office,
+and we never knew it. Sloman, I have to admit I was wrong about you. But
+how did you know? How did you ever know?"
+
+"Hell's bells," Harry Bettis said before Johnny could say it was all a
+mistake. "That's easy, Chief. Anyone knows that _all_ rain starts out as
+snow. It's got to. You see, the droplets of moisture in the cold upper
+regions of a cloud condense around dust particles because the air up
+there is too cold to hold them as vapor. Since it's below freezing, snow
+is formed--snow which warms up as it passes through hotter air en route
+to the ground, and--"
+
+"That will be quite enough, Bettis," Chief Botts said. "I am a
+weatherman too, you know. You don't have to tell me the most elementary
+of--"
+
+"In this case, Chief," Bettis persisted, "the biggest inversion layer
+you ever saw kept the surface air down and brought the cold upper air
+very close to the surface. Result: the snowflakes didn't have a chance
+to melt, not even to freezing rain. Result: snow!"
+
+"The chances of that happening," said Chief Botts coldly, "are about one
+in a billion. Aren't they, Sloman, dear fellow?"
+
+"One in two billion," Johnny said.
+
+"He _is_ modest," Chief Botts told the staff. "He seems so unconcerned."
+
+Just then Maxine came into the little office. The look of awe on her
+face had been replaced by one of sheer amazement. "Well, I checked it,
+Chief," she said. "Wait until I tell Jo-Anne!"
+
+"Won't you please tell us first?" Chief Botts asked.
+
+"Yes, sir," said Maxine, and read from the memo pad in her hand. "Since
+coming to work for the Bureau, Johnny Sloman has once every ten days
+made our official forecast. I have checked back on his forecast, Chief,
+as you directed. Johnny has made fifty-five forecasts. While only one of
+them--startlingly--has called for snow in July--every single one of them
+has been right."
+
+There was a shocked silence. "But--but the Weather Bureau average is
+only eighty-eight percent!" Harry Bettis gasped.
+
+"You mean," Chief Botts corrected him, "eighty-eight percent is the
+figure we try to foist on the unsuspecting public. Actually, the Weather
+Bureau averages a bare seventy-five percent, and you know it."
+
+"But Sloman's got a hundred percent accuracy--up to and including snow
+in July," Harry Bettis said in a shocked voice.
+
+"It was only an accident," Johnny said in a mild voice. "I didn't mean
+to write snow."
+
+"Accident, smaccident," said Harry Bettis. "It was no accident with a
+record like that. You have the uncanny ability to forecast weather with
+complete accuracy, Johnny-boy. You realize what that means, old pal?"
+
+"I'd better call Washington and tell them," Chief Botts said, but Harry
+Bettis held his arm while Johnny mused:
+
+"I guess I realize what it means, Harry. That is, if you're right. No
+more getting wet on picnics. Because I'd know. I'd know, Harry. No more
+going to ball games and having them rained out on you. No more being
+caught by a thunderstorm at the beach ..."
+
+"Johnny!" Harry Bettis said. "Think, pal. Think!"
+
+"I'm calling Washington," Chief Botts said. "This is too much for me."
+
+But Harry Bettis was still holding his arm. "Now, just a minute, bucko,"
+he said. "You're not calling anyone--not without his manager's
+permission."
+
+"Whose manager's permission?"
+
+"Why, Mr. Sloman's manager's permission, of course. In a word, me."
+
+"This is preposterous!" Chief Botts cried.
+
+"Is it?" Bettis asked. "Listen, Johnny, don't let anyone sell you a bill
+of goods--like the Civil Service Commission giving you a GS-8 rating and
+sending you to Washington. Because stick with me, kid, and there'll be
+great things in store for you, you'll see."
+
+"Such," said Maxine dubiously, "as what?"
+
+"Are you on our side?" Harry Bettis asked her suspiciously.
+
+"I'm on Jo-Anne's side. If old Johnny here has something she ought to
+have, I want to know it."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"You mean, if she ought to change her mind and marry him? I'll admit it
+even if I think Jo-Anne's a real cute trick: she'd be nuts if she
+didn't." Women, Harry Bettis did not add, never came between Harry
+Bettis and ten percent of a gold mine. But that's what he was thinking.
+He went on: "Just think of it, Johnny. Drought in the Midwest. They call
+Sloman. Sloman predicts rain. It rains. Have any idea what they'd pay
+for a stunt like that? Or swollen rivers in New England, or California.
+Looks like another big flood is on the way, but they call Sloman. Looks
+like rain, kiddo? That don't matter. Predict a dry spell and it won't
+rain. Do you know," Harry Bettis said in a devout whisper, "what a stunt
+like that would be worth? Millions."
+
+"Yeah, wise guy," said Maxine. "So what's in it for you?"
+
+Harry Bettis did not look at Maxine when he answered. He looked at
+Johnny and said, "I'll be frank, kiddo. You have the talent, but you
+don't have the salesmanship to promote it. Do you want a mediocre job
+while the weather boys exploit you for the rest of your life or--do you
+want greatness, riches, and Jo-Anne?"
+
+"Jo-Anne," Johnny said.
+
+Harry Bettis nodded. "My price is twenty-five percent."
+
+"Of Jo-Anne?" Maxine asked suspiciously.
+
+"Of everything Johnny makes as the world's first _real_ Weather Man. Not
+a forecaster--a commander. Because when my client forecasts the weather,
+it happens. Brothers and sisters, it happens." He turned abruptly to
+Johnny, said, "You have any money saved up?"
+
+"A few hundred dollars, but--"
+
+"An ad in the papers. Alongside the article telling how it snowed on
+July twenty-fifth. Saying that your services are for hire. We're a
+shoo-in, kid!"
+
+"Well, if you say so," Johnny said doubtfully.
+
+"So don't call D.C.," Bettis told Chief Botts.
+
+"But Sloman's an employee of this Bureau."
+
+"Was, you mean."
+
+"What did you say?"
+
+"Was an employee. He ain't an employee now. He's quitting--with his
+manager," said Harry Bettis, and walked out of the office, steering a
+dazed Johnny Sloman with him.
+
+"Wait until I call Jo-Anne," Maxine said.
+
+During the next six months, Johnny Sloman--known to the world as The
+Weather Man--made fifty million dollars. Since it had taken a whole
+lifetime for him to develop his remarkable talent, his lawyers were
+trying to have capital gains declared on the earnings rather than
+straight income tax. The odds seemed to be in their favor.
+
+How had Johnny made his fifty million dollars? By predicting the
+weather. He predicted:
+
+A flood in the Texas panhandle--in time to save the dry lands from going
+entirely arid.
+
+An end of the snowstorms in northern Canada--which had trapped the five
+hundred residents of a small uranium-mining town without food or
+adequate drinking water.
+
+The break-up of Hurricane Anita--which had threatened to be the most
+destructive ever to strike the Carolina Coast.
+
+No frost for Florida that winter--a prediction still to be ascertained,
+but a foregone conclusion.
+
+Every prediction had come true. In time, the world began to realize that
+his predictions were not predictions at all: they were sure things. That
+is, they predicted nothing--they _made_ things happen. Johnny was in
+demand everywhere and naturally could not fill all engagements. Harry
+Bettis hired a whole squad of corresponding secretaries, whose job it
+was to turn down, with regret, some ninety percent of the jobs
+requested. Johnny, in fact, was in such demand, that his engagement to
+Jo-Anne--which, of course, had been reinstated at her insistence--remained
+only an engagement. The nuptials were put off, and put off again.
+
+This suited Harry Bettis, who saw to it that Johnny kept putting off the
+marriage. Because, ultimately, Jo-Anne would reach the end of her
+proverbial tether and decide that Harry's twenty-five percent, if it
+could be shared as a wife, was better than Johnny's seventy-five
+percent, if it could not.
+
+Jo-Anne, though, was not that kind of girl. Harry Bettis, knowing no
+other kind of girl, never understood that.
+
+The scientists, meanwhile, had a field day with Johnny. His strange
+talent obeyed no natural law, they said, and at first attributed it to
+random chance. Soon, though, this became patently impossible. And so a
+new natural law was sought. All types of hair-brained theories were
+proposed, none of them accepted, until an osteopathic physician in
+Duluth, Minn., hit upon the theory that staggered the world with its
+simplicity and, eventually, was accepted as that which explained the
+strange phenomenon of Johnny Sloman.
+
+The osteopath, many of whose patients suffered from rheumatism which was
+aggravated by the bitter Minnesota winters, suggested that Johnny Sloman
+was a case of rheumatism in reverse. The weather, he pointed out, had an
+adverse effect upon the symptoms of his patients. Conversely, why
+couldn't some human being--a Johnny Sloman, for example--affect the
+weather in precisely the same way that the weather invariably affected
+his rheumatic patients?
+
+It was clear, simple, lucid. It was the only theory which could not be
+disproven by the weight of scientific knowledge. It thus became the
+accepted theory.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"The Under-Secretary of Defense to see you," Maxine said one day during
+the winter following Johnny's July snowfall.
+
+"Don't see him," Harry Bettis said. "You don't want to see him."
+
+"But why not?" Johnny asked.
+
+"Because they'll make you a dollar-a-year man and we're not in this to
+make any stinking dollar a year," Harry Bettis said.
+
+"Well, I think I ought to see him, anyway. At least see him." He turned
+to Jo-Anne, who was sitting at the next desk, writing up some reports.
+"What do you think, Jo?"
+
+"If the country needs you, Johnny," she said, "it's your duty to help."
+
+Johnny told Maxine, "Show the Under-Secretary in, please."
+
+He was a small man with a big brief case. He spoke slowly, earnestly,
+backing up his statements with reams of paper from the brief case. The
+Defense Department had not contacted Johnny right away, he said, because
+they wanted to compile all the facts. They had all the facts now.
+
+Johnny Sloman could be the biggest single factor for peace the world had
+ever known.
+
+Item. In the event of aggression, he could so bog down the aggressor's
+supply lines and troop movements with continuous rains and snowstorms
+that it would be all but impossible for the aggressor to maintain
+hostilities.
+
+Item. In the event that such tactical weather-war failed, he could cause
+a drought in the aggressor's food-producing regions, forcing the
+aggressor to surrender or face starvation.
+
+Item. He could always, conversely, see to it that the defensive force's
+supply lines were never hampered by the weather and that the
+precipitation over the defensive country's breadbasket was ideal.
+
+Item. He could render aggressor communication difficult with heavy fog
+and/or icy roads.
+
+Item. He could cover defensive troop movements with low, dense clouds.
+
+In short, concluded the Under-Secretary, Johnny Sloman could be a
+one-man world police-force practically guaranteeing peace. He stopped
+talking. He looked at Johnny. His eyes said, the call of duty is clear.
+
+Harry Bettis said, "Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Secretary.
+Naturally, we'll think about what you said."
+
+"Think about it!" gasped the Under-Secretary. "Think about it!"
+
+"My client is a busy man--the busiest man in his field," Harry Bettis
+said.
+
+The Under-Secretary smiled bleakly. "The only man in his field, you
+mean. That's why we need him."
+
+"We'll send you a report in a few weeks," Harry said indifferently,
+"after we've had an opportunity to study the situation."
+
+"But, Harry--" Johnny began.
+
+"Johnny," Harry said. He did not have to finish the statement. It had
+happened before--"Johnny, I've made you a tremendous success. I'm your
+manager, aren't I? Let's leave it that way."
+
+"If Johnny thinks he ought to help--" Jo-Anne said.
+
+"Now, Jo-Anne," Harry Bettis scolded, and led the Under-Secretary to the
+door.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Three days later, the assistant chief of the F.B.I. came to see them.
+"We regret this, Sloman," he said.
+
+"You regret what?" Harry Bettis asked.
+
+"Defense allowed a report on its findings out. That was unwise. We'll
+have to give you around-the-clock protection, Sloman."
+
+"Protection from what?" Johnny wanted to know.
+
+"Enemy agents. The enemy is desperate. At all costs, according to their
+intelligence reports, they're out to get you."
+
+"Get him?" said Harry Bettis. "You mean, kill him?"
+
+"I mean, get him. Get him on their side. Because everything Johnny could
+do for the forces of peace and democracy, he could be made to do for
+the forces of aggression. You see?"
+
+"Yes," said Johnny.
+
+"No," said Harry Bettis. "This sounds like a government trick--to make
+Johnny go to work. To make him think it's his patriotic duty--"
+
+"Well," said Jo-Anne sharply, "isn't it?"
+
+Harry Bettis smiled. "When he gets as big as Universal Motors, he can
+become patriotic."
+
+"Mr. Sloman," the assistant F.B.I. chief said, "they will either try to
+kidnap you outright, or work on you through someone you love. Therefore,
+our bodyguards--"
+
+"Well, let them keep their distance, that's all," Bettis said. "Bad for
+business. Nobody wants enemy agents hanging around."
+
+"That's your final decision?" the F.B.I. man asked.
+
+"Well--" began Johnny.
+
+"Yes, it's our final decision," said Harry Bettis, showing the F.B.I.
+man to the door.
+
+"I don't think you should have done that," Johnny said after he had
+gone.
+
+"You just make the weather, Johnny-boy. I'll take care of business."
+
+"Well--" said Johnny.
+
+"Johnny!" cried Jo-Anne. "Oh, Johnny! Why don't you act like a man?" And
+she ran from the room, slamming the door.
+
+After that, Johnny didn't see her again.
+
+She was gone.
+
+Really gone, for certain, not simply walking off in a huff.
+
+Two weeks later, Johnny got the letter--unofficial--from the Enemy.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The F.B.I. was sympathetic, but the Chief said, "You can understand, Mr.
+Sloman, how our hands are tied. It is not an official letter. We can't
+prove anything. We don't doubt it for a minute, of course. The cold war
+enemy has kidnapped your fiancee and taken her to their motherland.
+But--we can't prove it. Not being able to prove it, we can't do a thing
+about it. You're aware, of course, of how readily the rest of the world
+condemns our actions. Not that they wouldn't be on our side if we could
+prove that this kidnap letter was the real thing, but you realize we
+won't be able to prove it at all."
+
+"Oh," said Johnny. He went home. He saw Harry Bettis, who said he was
+shocked. The note read:
+
+    Mr. Johnny Sloman:
+
+    We have Miss Jo-Anne Davis here in the motherland. The only way she
+    can live a normal life here is if you join her and work for us. We
+    believe you know what the other kind of life is like here.
+
+Bettis said, "It stumps the hell out of me, Johnny."
+
+"I'm just waking up," said Johnny slowly. "In a way, it's your fault."
+
+"Now, don't be a jackass, Johnny."
+
+Jackass or no, Johnny hit him. His knuckles went crunch and Harry
+Bettis' nose went crunch and Bettis fell down. He lay there, his nose
+not looking so good.
+
+Now, when it was apparently too late, Johnny knew what his course of
+action should have been. Get rid of the money-grubbing Bettis. Go to
+work for the government unselfishly. Insure world peace.
+
+Too late ... too late ...
+
+Because unless he could somehow save Jo-Anne, he would never predict the
+weather again--for anyone.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"But what you ask is impossible!" the Secretary of Defense said a few
+days later.
+
+"If I come back, if I'm successful," Johnny said quietly, "I'm your
+man, for as long as you want me, without pay."
+
+"You mean that?" the Secretary asked slowly.
+
+"I mean it."
+
+The Secretary nodded grimly, touched a button on his desk. "Get me Air
+Force Chief of Staff Burns," he said, and, a moment later: "Bernie?
+Chuck here. We need a plane. A jet-transport to go you-know-where.
+Cargo? One man, in a parachute. Can you manage it? Immediately, if not
+sooner. Good boy, Bernie. No ... no, I'm sorry, I can't tell you a thing
+about it." The Secretary cut the connection, turned to Johnny:
+
+"You leave this afternoon, Sloman. You realize, of course, there isn't a
+thing we can do to get you out. Not a thing."
+
+"Yes," said Johnny.
+
+"You're a very brave man, or very much in love."
+
+Hours later, the jet transport took off with Johnny in it.
+
+He came down near what had been the border of the motherland and Poland.
+He began to walk. A farmer and his son spotted the parachute, came after
+him. The son was a Red Army man on leave. The son had a gun. He fired
+prematurely, and Johnny ran. It was hopeless, he decided. He would
+never make it. He would never even reach the capital alive, where they
+were holding Jo-Anne.
+
+He ran.
+
+He wished for rain. A blinding rainstorm. The clouds scudded in. The
+rain fell in buckets. The farmer and his son soon lost sight of Johnny.
+
+Just to make sure, Johnny ran and let it go on raining.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"Floods in their motherland," the Secretary of Defense told the
+President. "Naturally, their news broadcasts are trying to keep the
+reports to a minimum, but these are the biggest floods we've ever heard
+of over there."
+
+"Our man is there?" the President asked.
+
+"He was dropped by parachute, sir!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was snowing when Johnny reached the capital. He had been parachuted
+into the enemy's motherland, naturally, because propinquity alone
+assured the success of his strange talent.
+
+He was tired. His feet ached. He'd been the only one heading for the
+capital. Hundreds of thousands had been fleeing from the floods ...
+
+"There he is!" a voice cried in the enemy language. He didn't understand
+the language, but he understood the tone. His picture had been flashed
+across the length and breadth of the motherland. He had been spotted.
+
+He ran. Down an alley, across a muddy yard, floundering to his knees,
+then his thighs, in thick mud. They came floundering in pursuit. They
+fired a warning volley of shots. He stumbled and fell face down in the
+black, stinking mud.
+
+They took him ...
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Dark room. One light, on his face. A voice: "We can kill you."
+
+"Kill me," he said. "My last wish will be for rain. Rain, forever."
+
+"We can torture you."
+
+"And I will say, before you start, let it rain and go on raining. Let me
+be powerless to prevent it. Rain!"
+
+"We can kill the girl."
+
+"Your country will float away."
+
+A fist came at him out of the darkness. Hit him. It was tentative
+torture. He sobbed and thought: rain, harder. Rain, rain, rain ...
+
+Water seeped into the dungeon. This had never happened before. The fist
+went away.
+
+Outside it rained and rained.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"What does he want, comrade?"
+
+"We don't know, comrade."
+
+"Give it to him--whatever it is. He has disrupted our entire economy. We
+face economic disaster unless he--and his rain--leave us in peace."
+
+"Perhaps that is what he wants. Peace."
+
+"You fool! We are supposed to want peace. Shut up!"
+
+"Yes, sir. Comrade."
+
+"Better ask the party secretary."
+
+"Yes, comrade."
+
+The party secretary was asked. The party secretary sighed and nodded.
+
+Johnny saw the light of day. And Jo-Anne.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A month later, the Secretary of Defense told him. "Thanks to you, they
+agreed to a German settlement, stopped sending arms to their Red ally in
+Asia, withdrew their promise of aid to the Arab fanatics, and have
+freed all foreigners held in their motherland illegally."
+
+Johnny listened, smiling at Jo-Anne. They had been married two weeks.
+Naturally, the enemy had been only too glad to see them leave.
+
+"Just stay available, Sloman," the President beamed from alongside the
+Secretary of Defense. "As long as they know we can always send you over
+there again, they'll never try anything. Right?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said Johnny.
+
+They called him the Weather Man. They went on calling him the Weather
+Man, although he retired more or less--except during cases of dire
+emergency.
+
+The world called him that, the Weather Man. And, because he had retired
+to enjoy life with his new wife, they began to suspect, as could be
+expected, that he had been a fraud.
+
+But the enemy did not think so. Ever again.
+
+And that was enough for Johnny.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+    This etext was produced from _Amazing Stories_ October 1956.
+    Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
+    copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
+    typographical errors have been corrected without note.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Summer Snow Storm, by Adam Chase
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SUMMER SNOW STORM ***
+
+***** This file should be named 26968.txt or 26968.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/2/6/9/6/26968/
+
+Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.