diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/68313-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/68313-0.txt | 1544 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 1544 deletions
diff --git a/old/68313-0.txt b/old/68313-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 86301e7..0000000 --- a/old/68313-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1544 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Meddler's Moon, by George O. Smith - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Meddler's Moon - -Author: George O. Smith - -Release Date: June 14, 2022 [eBook #68313] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEDDLER'S MOON *** - - - - - - MEDDLER'S MOON - - BY GEORGE O. SMITH - - Illustrated by Napoli - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Astounding Science-Fiction, September 1947. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Peter Hedgerly heard the door open and close and he smiled at his -reflection in the mirror. He turned partly and called out through the -semi-closed bedroom door. - -"Sit down, honey. I'll be right out." - -Joan Willson was early, he thought, but it made no matter. It merely -gave them more time togeth-- - -"I'll sit down," came a deep, pleasant masculine rumble, "but I'm not -your honey!" - -Peter hit the door and skidded into the living room, his loose -shirttail flying out behind him. "Who're you?" he demanded sharply. - -"Please do not be disturbed. Finish dressing," said the stranger. Peter -measured him. A few pounds heavier than Peter's one hundred and sixty; -an inch taller than Peter's five feet eleven. About the same sandy -blond complexion. The face was wreathed in a beatific smile that in no -way matched Peter's exasperation. - -"I'm expecting a guest," snapped Peter. "The door was open for ... the -guest. Not for stray strangers seeking company or whatever." - -"I know. My presence will make no difference." - -"No difference?" exploded Peter angrily. "Look, sport, three's a crowd. -Technically, you're trespassing. Shall I prove it by calling the -police?" - -"You may if you wish," replied the stranger. "But I happen to know for -certain that you will not." - -"No?" snapped Peter. He headed toward the telephone with all of the -determination in the world. The stranger watched him tolerantly. Peter -reached the table beside the door and reached for the phone. As his -hand touched it, the door opened and Joan Willson came in. She gulped -at Peter and said: "Oh!" - -Peter became aware of the fact that his nether raiment consisted of -shoes, socks, paisley-print shorts and a curtailed-shirttailed WPB -model shirt. - -He echoed Joan's "Oh!" - -His ejaculation died like the diminishing wail of a retreating fire -siren. That was because the duration of the monosyllabic diphthong -exceeded the time necessary for Peter to gain the security of the -bedroom where he donned his trousers and wished there were something -he could do to cover the blush of embarrassment on his face. His ears -especially. - - * * * * * - -Through the door he heard the stranger say: "Please come in, Miss -Willson. Peter's condition is but temporary." - -"But why ... what ... and who are you?" - -"That's a long story," replied the stranger. He turned and called out -to Peter. "I told you you'd not call the police!" - -"Police!" exclaimed Joan. "Peter, is ... is--?" - -"Not at all," said the stranger, interrupting her and intercepting the -words which had been intended for Peter. "I've had too little time to -make explanation. I'm Joseph Hedgerly." - -"Relative of his?" asked Joan. - -"Quite. And quite close." - -Peter called: "Never heard of you." - -"You will," replied Hedgerly. "You see, Peter, I'm here to help you." - -"And if I need no help?" - -"You do." - -"Let me be judge, huh?" snapped Peter. - -"You're in poor position to judge. That's why this help is thrust upon -you, so to speak. After a bit you'll understand." - -"Thanks," said Peter. Slowly he came into the living room again and -faced Joan, still flushed. - -"Honest, Joan," he started, but the girl shrugged. "Don't apologize for -a sheer accident," she said. - -"It was no accident," said Hedgerly. - -Peter whirled. "Look, chaperone, who invited you in? As for any -relation of mine? Are you?" - -Hedgerly arose carefully. "I am Joseph Hedgerly, your grandson." - -Joan looked at Peter and laughed heartily. "Peter Faust Hedgerly. -Having a thirty-odd year grandson is quite a record for such as you," -she told him. "You will only be thirty-two next birthday." - -Peter turned to the other angrily. "Can it," he snapped. "Grandson my -ankle!" - -"I am your grandson." - -"Yeah ... sure. Shall I call the cops now?" - -"You could, but you will not." - -"Oh spinach!" Peter headed for the phone again but the stranger said, -quietly, "Might listen to me, Peter." - -Peter stopped, turned, and said: "Explain--and explain fast!" - -"You are a physicist with the Abstract Laboratory at Chicago. You -also tinker in your study here. Your son--my father--will take up -home-tinkering also, and your son's son--myself--will eventually -discover the secret of time travel. I've done this. I am now here to -see that things evolve with a minimum of effort." - -Peter shrugged. "You could have saved your time," he said. "If you'd -not interfered, I'd have asked Miss Willson to marry me." - -"That's the point," smiled Hedgerly. "You see, Peter, my grandmother's -name was not Willson, nor Joan. Peter Hedgerly--according to the family -history--married a girl by the name of Marie Baker." - -"Never heard of her," grunted Peter. - -"You will," smiled Hedgerly. He turned to Joan. "I'm sorry," he told -her. "I have nothing against you: in fact you appear to be of the -finest. You will naturally understand there is nothing personal in any -of this. It is merely a matter of historic fact that Peter will marry -Marie Baker." - -"Mr. Hedgerly," she said, "I dislike you thoroughly. Furthermore, I'm -not too certain that history is as solid as you think. Until further -notice, then, I hereby accept Peter's sidelong proposal of a moment -ago." - -"Joan!" cried Peter running forward and folding the girl in his arms. - -"Very fetching," observed Hedgerly with the air of a man observing the -antics of a couple of goldfish in the proverbial bowl. "Considerable -boundless and mutual enthusiasm, but both terribly and unhappily -misdirected. In other words a sheer waste of time and energy." - -Joan and Peter unclinched and faced Hedgerly. "We like it," they said -in chorus. - -Hedgerly nodded understandingly. "But Marie Baker wouldn't." - -"Let's go out, Peter," pleaded the girl earnestly. "This unwelcome bird -makes me feel like a female homewrecker!" - -Hedgerly beamed. "Do go," he said. "And enjoy yourselves until I can -locate Peter's future wife--my grandmother." - - * * * * * - -The big machine should have been quiet according to theory. It had no -moving mechanical parts to hum or gears to clash nor levers to chatter. -It had for its moving-member a magnetic field that varied on a pure -sine wave of intensity from a terrific flux-density in one direction, -through zero, and thence to an equally terrific flux-density in the -opposite polarity. At one newspaper interview as the machine was being -built some reporter had erroneously noted that the magnetic field -strength at maximum was strong enough to affect the iron in your blood. -This was intended for sheer hyperbole, but the fact remained that the -magnetic field between the big pole pieces was strong enough to warp -the path of light. Well, the shift _could_ be measured with the most -delicate of optical instruments. - -Theoretically, a varying magnetic field should not make a sound. - -Actually, it did. The field at maximum was strong enough to cause deep -magnetostriction of the magnetic metals of the machine. They vibrated -in sympathy with the varying field: their dimensions changing enough to -set up sound waves in the air of the room. - -So the theoretically silent machine actually made a clear humming roar -that shattered the eardrums and seemed to press offensively on the -skulls of those working within the chamber. - -Even Peter Hedgerly found it oppressing after an hour or two, and he of -all men should have been used to it. - -He removed his eye from the observing telescope and blinked to relieve -the strain. He looked up at Joan, nodded affably, and his right hand -snapped the main switch. - -The terrible humming roar died. "Hello," he said brightly. "What brings -you here?" - -Joan Willson laughed sourly. She handed Peter a newspaper. Peter bent -his head to read: - - Personal! Marie Baker, Age 27, weight 114, brunette, brown eyes, - minute scar on left thigh. Social Security Number 340-01-6077 - please contact-- - -"I don't want her!" stormed Peter. - -"The advertisement says you do," cooed Joan. - -"Now look, Joan--" - -She laughed and laid a cool hand on his cheek affectionately. "I know -you don't. But I did want to point out that your--grandson--is wasting -no time." - -Another voice interrupted. "Naturally not," interjected Hedgerly. -"After all, I'm here to see that things do go according to history." - -"History be damned," snapped Peter. "I--" - -"Really have very little to say about it," smiled Hedgerly. "You'll do -exactly as ... as you did!" - -"Then," blazed Peter, "why not let nature take its course? If I'm to -meet and commit matrimony with this Baker dame, I'll do it!" - -For the first time, Hedgerly looked less than the complete master -of everything he surveyed. "It is also historic fact," he said in a -sepulchral tone, "that I add my efforts to make history satisfy itself. -You see," he said, brightening, "how it all comes out!" He dug into -an inside pocket and came up with a wallet. From it he extracted a -newspaper clipping yellow and brittle with age. "Here is the original. -I just copied it for the advertisement." - -Peter took the aged clipping and read it. His hands shook and the -clipping fell apart. - -"No matter," smiled Hedgerly. "Its job is done." - -"Is done?" demanded Peter. - -"Of course. Marie Baker will be at your apartment this evening." - -"I'll scratch her bald-headed," threatened Joan. - -Hedgerly shook his head. "No, you won't," he said positively. Then he -looked down at Peter and his eyes ran over the experimental setup. -"It won't work," he said to Peter. "You're on the wrong track. It is -impossible to accelerate and focus and direct the neutron. The neutron, -possessing no charge, is therefore unaffected by either magnetic or -electrostatic fields." - -Peter looked up quietly. "I've evidence to the contrary," he said. -"We believe that the neutron does possess a charge: that it is -theoretically impossible for anything to exist without some charge, -though the charge may be exceedingly minute. We believe the neutron to -be possessed of a charge of plus or minus--depending upon the moment of -intrinsic angular momentum--ten to the minus fifteenth electrostatic -units less than that of the electron. Therefore--" - -"You will find that the experimental evidence you get is impure," said -Hedgerly. "You'll save time if you abandon this project." - -"Indeed? And what should I take up?" - -"You'll do history a better turn if you take to investigating the -magnetic properties of mass." - -"Is that a matter of history, too?" - -Hedgerly shrugged. "If I told you all I know about it," he said in a -superior tone that made Peter want to commit homicide, "then you'd -have too much time to sit around and feel frustrated because fate is a -written book." - -"Spinach," snorted Peter. His hand hit the main switch again and the -humming roar leaped out at them from all sides. Peter grinned as he -noted the wrist watch on Hedgerly's arm. Unless the character had a one -thousand per cent nonmagnetic movement, the insides by now would be -keeping the Devil's Own Time. - - * * * * * - -It was nine o'clock. For the eleventh time since dinner, Peter leaned -out of his study and called: "Now?" - -Hedgerly shook his head. "Not yet," he said. - -"Well," said Peter this time. "Come in here. I'm on the trail of -something." - -"I know," replied Hedgerly. "You've discovered the Hedgerly Effect." - -"The what?" stumbled Peter. - -"Named after its discoverer. You're quite famous in the future, you -know," replied Hedgerly. - -"What is this Hedgerly Effect?" - -"The one you've just discovered," replied Hedgerly. - -Joan Willson, present because of sheer curiosity pertaining to this -Marie Baker creature whom she was prepared to dislike on sight, looked -up from her book and drawled: "Oh brilliant repartee. You sound like -that Cyril Smith routine that goes 'Who's he? Who's who? Him, the man -in the picture. What picture?' And so forth for about an hour." - -Peter smiled. "I suppose," he said. "But it's his fault, not mine. This -effect is a sort of artificial generation of gravitic force." - -Hedgerly nodded. "The first historic discovery that proves the -relationship between magnetic phenomena and gravitic force. Now we're -on the right trail," he concluded. Hedgerly walked over to the small -barrette and mixed himself a drink. He lounged back against the bar and -lifted his glass. "To my grandfather," he said, "The discoverer of the -Hedgerly Effect!" - -Peter looked at Joan weakly. "It's fratricide to kill a brother, -patricide to kill a father, homicide to kill just anybody, infanticide -to kill your son, but what is it to kill a grandson?" - -Joan looked Hedgerly up and down and her lip curled in derision. -"Insecticide," she snapped. "Ignore him. Maybe he'll go away. But -Peter, what does this gravitic effect mean?" - -"I'm not too certain," replied Peter wrinkling his brow. "Of course, -since gravitic fields do act upon mass without charge, we can now -filter out, accelerate, and focus the neutron--or we will be able to -as soon as we get this effect refined. And if we can generate gravitic -fields at will, we can nullify the gravitic mass or gravitic attraction -of masses. That means a complete revision of all the mass-ratio tables -pertaining to space rockets. In fact, it may do away with rockets -entirely. And the following is conjecture but may be possible: - -"The reason that the limiting velocity is the speed of light is due to -the fact that the mass approaches infinity as the speed of light is -reached. That means that no possible energetic principle can be used to -attain the speed of light since this increase of mass is a statement of -the mass-energy put into the article accelerated. In other words, Joan, -to increase the velocity of anything to the speed of light requires -that you pack into it the equivalent energy required to raise its mass -to infinity. Meaning of course, infinite energy. - -"However, if this local generation of a gravitic field can be used to -nullify mass, we can make a space-ship that need not increase in mass -as its velocity increases. - -"Providing that my reasoning is any good. This is just conjecture and -guess. I don't know yet how much this gravitic generator will cover." - -"You've done a fair job so far," said Hedgerly, mixing another drink. -"Of course, you'll let it drop there." - -"Let it drop?" yelled Peter. "With a thing like this at my doorstep? -With the twinkle of a slide rule I can become the Originator of -Interstellar Travel, and you expect me to let it slip?" - -Hedgerly smiled tolerantly. "The discoverer of the Hedgerly Effect does -not become involved with space travel," he pointed out with a knowing -air. "He does become the layer of the cornerstone for Time Travel, -which we believe is as important." - -Peter looked glumly at Joan. "Methinks of suicide," he groaned. "I -invent Time Travel and for the next million years my invention becomes -the curse of mankind. Pandora's Box never let out any trouble-scorpion -as bad as people like my temporally-gadding grandson!" - -"Now, grandpop, don't be bitter," laughed Hedgerly. - -"Grandpop?" yelled Peter. "I'll--" - -The doorbell rang, interrupting a string of threats. Hedgerly stepped -springily to the door, opened it, and said: "Please come in, Miss -Baker. We're expecting you." - -Peter whistled. - -Joan hissed. - -The room became three degrees warmer. - -Miss Marie Baker was curvaceous. Miss Marie Baker was dressed to prove -it. Miss Marie Baker knew it. The Petty-Girl calendar on Peter's living -room wall took on a drab and lumpy appearance and on the table beside -the divan, a magazine cover became blank as the model headed for the -powder room. - -Marie Baker spoke, and Arthur Sullivan moved in his grave because the -sound of her voice was that reminiscent of that great Lost Chord of -music. "I'm quite mystified," she said. - -Hedgerly took her slender hand. "Please come in," he said. "And we'll -try to explain. You've come, Marie, to be introduced to your future -husband!" - -The door behind Marie filled again--and filled is the proper term. He -stood six feet four, the floor creaked under his two hundred and twelve -pounds of sheer muscle, and the litheness of his step carried him with -pantherine grace. "May I point out," he said in a voice that reeked of -Harvard, Cambridge, and a complete disregard of the letter 'R,' "that -Miss Baker may be already acquainted with her future husband?" - -Hedgerly faced the giant. "Please," he said in a pained voice. "I'm -having enough trouble now without your unwelcome aid. Any relationship -between you and Marie Baker must shortly become, at best, platonic." - -A small brass figurine of Rodin's Discobolus took a sidelong look and -made the brazen observation that being platonic with such as Miss Baker -was an idea never suggested by his friend Plato. Plato had too much -sense. - -"Just how do you figure in this?" demanded the giant. - -"Have we met?" asked Hedgerly. - -"I'm Anthony Graydon. And my query goes still." - -"Pleased to know you, Mr. Graydon. I trust your intentions toward Miss -Baker are simple?" - -"Miss Baker happens to be wearing my engagement ring," returned -Graydon. Hedgerly looked, and saw a bit of glitter about the size of a -small pigeon's egg on her left hand. - -Hedgerly shook his head sadly. "May I introduce Miss Willson?" he -suggested. "Miss Willson, will you meet Mr. Graydon? Perhaps, Mr. -Graydon, the no-longer-needed engagement ring will fit Miss Willson." - -Anthony Graydon looked down on the time-traveling man with grand -contempt. "You have all the sheer, cockeyed assurance of an egomaniac," -he said. "Is Marie supposed to marry you?" - -"Oh no," explained Hedgerly. "She'll marry him. Miss Baker, may I -present Mr. Hedgerly. Marie, this is Peter." - -He took Anthony by one arm and Joan Willson by the other and steered -them towards the door. "Let us leave them alone," he said. "They must -become acquainted." - -"Look," snapped Anthony, "this has gone far enough--" - -"Please," interrupted Hedgerly, "this is serious. Miss Willson will -tell you that what I say is true, however unwilling she is to face the -bitter truth. It is only a matter of time before Miss Baker becomes -Mrs. Peter Hedgerly." - - * * * * * - -The door closed softly behind the three of them before Tony Graydon -turned to Hedgerly and said: "What kind of high-octane are you using in -your crystal ball these days, Swami?" - -"Swami? But please, this is not the work of a charlatan. This is -historic fact." - -"Sure. So is my girl marrying that bird, huh?" - -"They will marry," replied Hedgerly. - -"Yeah? That's not very complimentary to me," snapped Graydon. "I've -been number One man with Marie for quite some time now. I hardly -think--" - -"Give them time," replied Hedgerly succinctly. "In a short period, the -propinquity in which they are thrust--" - -Graydon whirled Hedgerly around by grabbing both lapels of the coat -in one large, well manicured hand. "Propinquity!" exploded Graydon in -full volume, which was enough to cause endless echoes up and down the -corridor. Then even the echoes had echoes for a full minute. - -Joan Willson backed out of the way. The hand that enclosed both lapels -of Hedgerly's coat looked well manicured and in excellent care, but -she had a firm hunch that _well-tended_ included the matter of keeping -it firm, hard, and dangerous. Graydon was no cream puff, and of a size -where even a cream puff is respected. - -But Graydon did not dust his knuckles off against Hedgerly's nose. -Breeding came to the fore, and Graydon let the other man relax. -"Propinquity," he said in a level voice that sounded very firm, -"presupposes that you and I and possibly Miss Willson are going to -spend some time in hurling my fiancee and that character together." - -"Of course we are," replied Hedgerly, with all of the assurance in the -world. - -"We--are--not!" - -"Oh, but we are," said Hedgerly. "And I'll tell you why." - -Graydon smiled bitterly. "This," he said to Joan, "is going to be -good." He looked at Hedgerly. "It had better be!" - - * * * * * - -Marie Baker shrugged her shapely shoulders and looked very puzzled. "I -don't understand," she said. - -"Miss Baker, please let me explain," pleaded Peter. She nodded, and -Peter plunged into the explanation as completely as he could. Then-- - -"Peter," she said quietly and very sincerely, "I'd hate to hurt your -feelings, but I'm afraid that ... that--" her magnificent voice trailed -off weakly as she fumbled with the pint-sized diamond on her left hand. - -Peter patted her shoulder. "I am glad you are a sensible woman," he -told her. "I'm rather taken up with Joan, you know." - -"Then what can we do?" cried Marie. - -"I don't know," grumbled Peter. "This is the way I see it; he's ... -uh ... our grandson, and--" he looked at her curiously. "Uh ... what's -the matter?" he asked suspiciously. - -Her laughter came bubbling up from below the surface and it tinkled -across the apartment like the sound and fragrance of a bubbling -fountain. It was a genuine laugh deep and hearty and just long enough -to be enjoyed. Then she explained: "I'm sorry--not really sorry about -laughing, I mean, but look, Peter, have you ever considered that you -and I have been formally introduced by our grandson?" - -"It sounds slightly indecent to me," grumbled Peter. - -Marie shook her head. "If anything," she said quietly and sincerely, -"is _fait-accompli_ it is the very definite person of--our grandson." - -"I'd been psychopathically avoiding that," he said. "Trying to ignore -it." - -"It looks," she began in a trapped voice, "as though we're stuck. If -that bird is really our grandson, we might as well give in. Come here, -Peter, and hold my hand." - -He took her hand gingerly. - -"You may kiss me, Peter." - -"Thanks," he said dryly, "I'll keep your offer open until a more -propitious date. Meanwhile, Miss Baker, I'll continue to feel slightly -angry at being told what to do; when to do it; and with whom. Even -though the Book of Acts is complete down to the final decimal." - -Marie laughed cheerfully again. - -He looked at her curiously. She stopped laughing. She leaned forward -gracefully and offered him her right hand again. "Shake," she said. - -He shook. - -"Now," she said seriously, "let's at least be friends. I'm not inclined -to take to being hurled at any man's head. I might add 'either.' But -if this Book of Acts is the complete thing it seems to be, we'll find -it out soon enough. But," she said leaning back against the divan, "I -won't marry any man I do not love. And I happen to love Tony." - -Peter nodded. "I happen to love Joan Willson," he said. "Until I -change, we'll let it continue that way." - -"O.K.," chuckled Marie Baker. "Gin Rummy!" - -"Right," said Peter reaching for a deck of cards. - - * * * * * - -Graydon looked at Hedgerly across the top of his glass. "If you're from -the future," he said, "you could do some real chipper things." - -Hedgerly nodded. "I know what you're thinking," he said. "You believe -that I have the advance dope on the stock market and other items for -speculation." - -"Well?" - -"I have. Of course, my time happens to be some sixty years after now, -understand?" - -"Perhaps, what are you driving at?" - -"I'm trying to tell you," said Hedgerly, "that if I help you amass a -fortune on speculation, this will be known fact by my time." - -"So?" - -"So," said Hedgerly, "the only thing I've done--the only thing that is -historic fact--is that which I'm going to do for proof. Just one thing." - -"Go on." - -"I'm going to write something on this envelope. Then I'm--Wait. We'll -do it. I came prepared." - -He wrote a sentence on the flap of the envelope and handed it to Joan. -"Keep it carefully," he told her. - -"Now," he said to Graydon, "There will be a big nine-event day at Bay -Meadows tomorrow. I have here a listing of nine horses. You will put a -sum of money on these nags and you will become famous as the first man -ever to win a complete nine-horse parlay." - -"Interesting if true," said Graydon, looking over the list. "We'll know -tomorrow." - -"We'll go out to the track tomorrow," said Hedgerly. - -"What about Marie and Peter?" asked Joan. - -Hedgerly smiled. "True love," he said, "never runs smooth. Peter and -Marie are busy playing Gin Rummy now, and both of them agreeing that -they'll have none of this. But propinquity--" - -The low growl in Graydon's throat stopped him cold. Perhaps his -history told him to stop. - - * * * * * - -The roaring hum of the generator made speech difficult but not -impossible. Marie, with pencil in hand, was interestedly recording -the data that Peter was calling to her. His lips brushed her ear -occasionally because it was necessary to get the figures across through -the din. The brush of lip against ear was not unnoticed; under the -circumstances it was hard to ignore anything, even the least minute of -personalities. Finally he snapped the switch and the roar died. - -"That's it!" he said exultantly. - -"It's beyond me," said Marie, looking dazedly at the solid bank of -figures she'd written down. - -"That's because you've never been exposed to the stuff before. Come -on--I'll show you." - -He snapped the safety switch and watched the last dying flicker of the -radiation counter above the control panel. Then he pressed a button -and a huge door creaked open. He led Marie along a zigzag hallway, -explaining, "Radiation products, like all Chinese Devils, travel only -in straight lines." - -Then, inside of the shielding, she saw the generator. - -"This made that terrible racket?" she asked. - -He nodded. - -"I'd hate to be inside here when it's running," she said nervously. - -"Me, too," he grinned. "But I daresay the radiation would kill you long -before the noise did." - -"Oh!" she gasped, getting the implication of the dangers of nuclear -physics in one gulp. - -"This," he said, "is brand new. In the center is a small, thin-walled -brass container filled with radon gas, and suspending a cloud of finely -divided beryllium. This produces neutrons. Very slow neutrons not -worthy of mention compared to most nuclear reactions. However this is -but a source instead of a complete deal. - -"The neutrons emerge from the container in all directions, but are -urged into motion by a swift increasing pulse of gravitic force. It -used to be magnetic, but it is now gravitic. We've changed it over -according to my findings of recent work. Then with the neutrons moving -in a cloud, we alternate the gravitic field, varying it from attraction -to repulsion. Just like a cyclotron uses radio frequency energy in the -Dee Plates, we use gravitic energy to accelerate neutrons. - -"Probably doesn't mean too much to you," he said with a smile. "But for -the first time in history we can hurl a beam of neutrons of any desired -range of energies at a target in any desired cross-section." - -"It must be important," smiled Marie. "It is so complicated." - -"Sophistry," he grinned. "Remember those 'nonsense engines' that were -full of spools, levers, gears and stuff: all working furiously but -producing nothing?" - - "'A tale told by an idiot, - Full of sound and fury, - Signifying nothing,'" - -quoted Marie. - - -"Sort of like our friend Hedgerly," grinned Peter. - - * * * * * - -"Speaking of the devil," came a voice. Hedgerly came in through the -winding passageway, followed by Graydon and Joan Willson who came -last. Joan passed through the group until she could take Peter's arm. -"Peter," she said. "I'm wealthy." - -"So?" he said. - -"Hedgerly produced a nine-horse parlay at Bay Meadows. Mr. Graydon ... -Tony, that is ... put down a ten dollar bill on it in my name. I'm now -possessed of about sixty-three thousand dollars." - -Ignoring the statement, Peter squinted at Joan and asked: "It's 'Tony, -that is' now?" - -Graydon scowled faintly. "Let's all be stuffy," he said. - -"Sorry, Graydon," said Peter. Graydon nodded. He thought he understood. -He tried to, anyway. As irking as the situation was to him--having this -character Hedgerly blithely hurling his fiancee at Peter's head and -callously telling everybody else that they might as well give up trying -to change Fate--he believed that Peter and Marie both were more than -irked at being hurled together. Peter was not a boor, nor even stuffy. - -Joan filled the silence. "That isn't all," she said. "Last night -Hedgerly wrote this in an envelope before he gave Tony the horses to -pick. It says: 'Graydon will place ten dollars on the parlay in Joan -Willson's name and she will win sixty-three thousand, four hundred -seven dollars and sixty cents.' That's what happened, Peter." - -"Um," said Peter. - -"Trapped," said Marie. - -"Gypped," growled Graydon. - -"Bought," muttered Joan. - -"I've told you again and again," said Hedgerly, "that no matter what -you do, you're doing just what history says--note the past tense--you -did! Even to producing a means of controlling neutrons, Peter. Now, -of course, you'll continue here, though this being the Theoretical -Physics Laboratory, you'll let this information disperse. The other -boys will pick it up and develop it while you continue to delve into -the relationship between magnetism and gravitics." - -"And suppose I do not?" - -"Oh, but you did." - -"Not," growled Peter, his voice reaching a crescendo, "if I go nuts -first!" - -Hedgerly spoke quietly to Marie. "You take care of him," he told her. -"There's nothing like it for cementing a fond relationship." - -"Must I give up my life work?" exploded Peter angrily. "I'd rather work -on this gadgetry than eat! I've got me a lead that may end up by making -me as famous as Faraday or Einstein and if I follow it, I'll end up so -far behind the eight-ball that it'll look like a split pea." - -Marie leaned back against the frame of the generator and smiled at him. -"This," she said in a voice dripping with phony tones, "is a shock to -me. Men usually brave fire and flood to touch the hem of my skirt. But -you'd rather give up being historically famous than--" - -"Shaddup," snapped Peter. "And let me think!" - -"Think?" muttered the girl helplessly. "I think we're licked." - -Peter nodded. "Licked, drawn, and quartered. Y'know, Marie, I've tried -to resent you. I can't. Probably because I know you're in the same boat -as I am." - -She nodded. "Whatever he does, whatever we do, he's got the answer and -he gives it one hundred per cent. No man in his right mind would ever -have stood up to Tony and told him to reduce his feeling toward me to -platonic friendship. Not unless he knew beforehand that Tony wouldn't -half-kill him. But I am beginning to understand. Even though what he -says is odious, I must admit that it does come to pass." - -Peter looked unhappy. "This is a fine mess," he said. "It wouldn't -be half bad if Hedgerly and his confounded history were capable of -changing our feelings as well as our lives. But he blithely ignores -the fact that you and I are expected to marry--with both of us feeling -that we'd rather marry someone else, and know who. Then to top that, -not only is it going to be emotionally difficult in the first place, -but think of the emotional wrench we'll get when Tony and Joan--" -Peter stopped, swallowed hard, and then added: "I'm not speaking too -selfishly, Marie. I've not mentioned how they will feel. The whole -thing is a trumped-up mess." - -Marie put her hand on Peter's arm. "I don't exactly love you," she -said with a shy smile, "but you are a very nice guy, Peter." - -"Huh?" - -"You're sensitive and gentle and thoughtful of other people's feelings. -I have a hunch that you could also be very hard and rough if the need -arose." - -Peter smiled a little crooked smile and said: "All of which gets us -nowhere, does it?" - -"No," admitted Marie. "But if I'm going to have myself hurled into an -'arranged' marriage, I'd rather it be with someone I respect." - - * * * * * - -Hedgerly leaned over the back of the divan in Peter's living room and -looked from Joan to Tony, one on each side of him. "What's so wrong -with it?" he asked. "People have been happy in prearranged marriages -for centuries. Sometimes the participants never meet until they are -introduced by the minister." - -Tony looked up sourly. "Hedgerly," he said, "you may have traveled back -into time. But mister, you didn't come THAT far back!" - -Hedgerly shook his head impatiently. "I fail to see why people -rant against their fate. It is written that Peter and Marie get -married. It is also written that they celebrate their golden wedding -anniversary--shucks, I was there as a kid and I know. They were very -happy together." - -"So?" demanded Joan. - -"So you might as well give up," said Hedgerly. "As I told Peter when I -arrived a few days ago, I've come to help him. The chances are that -things would have gone off all right if I'd not come. Peter and Marie -would have met, regardless. As for you and Tony, Joan, I might tell you -that you were very happy together, too. So you might as well give up -completely and accept the dictates of fate." - -"I hate to go through the motions of a play for nothing," grunted Tony. - -Hedgerly winked at Joan. "You'll find some of the motions are fun," he -said. - -The door opened and the other couple came in. Hedgerly looked at them -and smiled genially. "Have fun?" he asked. His tone was that of an -indulgent father. - -Peter looked vague. "We've been sitting and talking." - -"No better way of becoming acquainted," smiled Hedgerly. He leaned back -over the divan. "Let's go out and leave them alone," he said in a low, -quiet voice. - -Tony shook his head. "I live in strict bachelor quarters," he said. -"And Joan couldn't have a visitor at this time of night. And I'll not -go out and sit on a park bench so that some bird can make time in a -comfortable living room with my fiancee." - -Hedgerly shrugged. "This, then, is one time when four's company but -five's a crowd." He said goodnight all around and then left, knowing -that the two couples would talk for hours, and each word would bring -better understanding. - -For this was it. - -Hedgerly went to his hotel and called a private airport. "I want two -planes ready to be hired for a quick trip to Yuma," he said. There was -answer. "No, I'm not hiring both. I'm just telling you that there will -be another party inquiring. You'll see that they're satisfied. Let me -know when they do. I'm going in the second plane." - -Then, because he knew he'd be up most of the night and early morning, -Hedgerly went to bed. - - * * * * * - -Back in Peter's living room, there was not a quiet discussion. It was -an armed rally. - -"I'll speak plainly if I can," said Peter, striding up and down. "And -when I miss a point, someone can call me on it." - -"I don't know what you're after," said Tony, who was holding Marie's -hand in a manner that should have disturbed Hedgerly's sleep. "But I'm -for it." - -Peter smiled. "Hedgerly is supposed to be my grandson," he said. "I'm -to marry Marie. We are to celebrate a golden wedding. Fine and dandy. -Now look: The one weak point in Hedgerly's wild story is the question -of why he came back?" - -"Because it is so written," suggested Joan. - -"Fine," grinned Peter. "Now leaving all personalities out of this for -the moment, Marie, if you were introduced to me at a party, would you -be interested in me?" - -"Perhaps," she said. "On the other hand, Peter, you're not a -spectacular chap. One must really know you before one can see what -makes you tick. Then they're not certain. I wouldn't know, really." - -"But how do you feel now?" - -"Resentful! As much as I know and admit that you are a fine man, Peter, -I feel as though I were being forced into a duty that offered little -compensation." - -Tony nodded and then said: "Look. I can sum this all up, I think. -Peter, you are welcome to enter my home at any time. You can even be -known and recognized as my wife's best friend." - -"Just so," interjected Joan, "he doesn't get too friendly." - -Peter grinned. "We're a long way off of the track," he said. "This is -as much a time-cliché as the fiction about the man who stabbed his -father. The joker is, what do we do about it?" - -"What can we do?" asked Joan helplessly. - -"All we have to do is to foul him up just once," said Peter. "If he -doesn't come back to annoy us, then Marie and I may never meet." - -"In other words," said Tony, "the pattern is complete only when -Hedgerly comes back and interferes." - -Peter nodded. "Either we live by accident and die by accident or we -live by plan and die by plan. If our lives are written in the Book -of Acts, then no effort is worth the candle. For there will be those -who will eternally strive to be good and yet shall fail. There will -be others who care not nor strive not and yet will thrive. Why? Only -because it is so written. And by whom? By the omnipotent God. Who, -my friends, has then written into our lives both the good and the -evil that we do ourselves! He moves us as pawns, directs us to strive -against odds yet knows that we must fail because he planned it that -way. For those, then, that fail there is everlasting hell. - -"So," said Peter harshly, "I plan that this goldfish shall try to live -in air." He plunged his hand into the aquarium and dropped a flipping -fish onto the table. "I direct that this goldfish shall try to live. -See, it strives hard to live in an unfriendly medium. It fails--of -course, because the goldfish is incapable of following my dictate." - -Peter's face took on an angry expression. "It has failed to obey me," -he thundered. "Ergo it must be punished!" - -He lifted a heavy letter opener and chopped down, cutting off the head -of the still-gasping fish. - -"And that," he said bitterly, "is predestiny!" - -"All of which proves--?" asked Marie. - -"Hedgerly exists," said Peter. "But suppose Hedgerly exists only as -a probability. A probability that he himself has made high. You see, -there is always the probability that any man will meet any woman. -Suppose the outcome of this probability was strong enough for the -outcome--Hedgerly--to invent time travel, and then come back here to -insure the probability?" - -"I think I see," said Joan with a twinge of doubt. - -"Well, all we have to do is to be darned sure that his own particular -probability does not occur. Then he won't occur, and all of this will -not occur, and we--" - -"Look," said Tony excitedly, "it may be grasping at straws, but it -seems to me that anything that is as certain as your friend ... your, -ah, grandson ... Hedgerly claims shouldn't require a lot of outside -aid." - -Marie brightened, and then looked glum. "There's one thing that we all -forget," she said unhappily. "We're speaking of predestiny as though -we were a bunch of people going through the lines of a play. That may -or may not be so. Let's face it, predestiny means that we may or may -not know what our next move may be. We do not know, and there seems to -be no way of finding out. Therefore whether or not our acts are all -written need not take any of the fun out of life." - -Tony faced her in surprise, "Just what are you advocating?" he -demanded. - -She reached up and took his hand. "Tony, never doubt that I love you. -Yet Peter is a nice fellow, and had I met him first I'm reasonably sure -that we could have been happy together." - -"All right," nodded Tony. "Granted that love is a matter of -coincidence, of the desirable factors of personality, propinquity, and -propitiousness, so what?" - -Marie looked unhappy. "He ... Hedgerly ... did win a nine-horse parlay, -didn't he?" - -"Yeah." - -"He is here." - -"Indubitably--and damnably!" - -"Well," concluded Marie, "it is distasteful, but it seems ordained. -And when--like going to the dentist--you're faced with something -distasteful, there's little point in fuming over it. Do it--and forget -it!" - -Joan jumped to her feet. Then she sat down dejected. "Beating my head -against the wall," she said. "All right. I give up." - -Peter thought for a moment. "Look," he said brightly, "sometimes people -must take chances. Sometimes people gotta ride close to the edge in -order to gain safety. I suggest that we all elope to Yuma and have a -double wedding!" - -Tony advanced upon Peter with fire in his eye. "You're going to let -that character get away with this?" he demanded. "I'll kill him first." - -"No," said Peter shaking his head. "That won't remove the truth of his -birth. What must be done is to prevent it in the first place!" - -"By going through with it?" snorted Tony. - -"We can all hope for a last-minute reprieve," said Peter. "And until -we're shotgunned into it, we can always have a double wedding with the -cross-couples getting married. Y'see, Hedgerly claimed there hadn't -been either a divorce nor a death-and-remarriage in the family for -generations. Now the thing we gotta do is to get married to whom we -want, and the only way we can even come close is to get close enough to -a preacher to have him do the job. All at once and no one first. Finis, -conclusion." - -Tony nodded slowly. "Me, I've been half-psychopathically afraid of any -Gentleman of the Cloth ever since Hedgerly turned up," he said. "So we -can all go and be certain that the other is irreparably and thoroughly -committing nonretractable matrimony. Then pooh for Grandson Hedgerly!" - -Peter went to the telephone and dialed the number of the private -airport. Ten minutes later they were on their way to the port, and when -they arrived they looked carefully, but did not see the odious one. -They paid no attention to the other plane idling in the background. - - * * * * * - -Hedgerly arrived as they took off into the blue. His plane was waiting -and he leaped in quickly and told the pilot to follow the other plane. - -"What's the hurry?" grinned the pilot. - -Hedgerly smiled a sly smile. "It's a very long tale," he said. "But -the summation of it all is that there are two couples in that ship who -intend to get married." - -"Double wedding, huh?" - -"Right. That's what they intend." - -"And are you the irate father, the angry brother, or the jilted lover?" -grinned the pilot. He gunned the engine, and the plane roared down the -tarmac and lofted. The pilot wasted no time in following the other -plane. When the roar of the engine diminished for flying speed, the -pilot turned to Hedgerly, who was obviously waiting for a semblance of -silence before he spoke. - -"I'm none of those," he said with a smile. "I'm merely a very -interested character whose future depends upon seeing the right thing -done." - -"Such as?" - -"Well, Party A wants to marry Party B while Party X wants to marry -Party Y. This must not be. However, it must be that Party A marries Y -whilst Party B marries X." - -"Clear as a Raymond A. Chandler plot," grinned the pilot. - -"Well, they've been trying to outwit me for quite some time," remarked -Hedgerly. "Right at the present time, they're heading for this double -wedding. The trouble is that they're so befuddled and worried about -doing the wrong thing that that they'll pay no attention to what the -preacher is saying?" - -"Who does?" laughed the pilot. - -"It would be better for their little plot if they did," said Hedgerly -with a sly grin. "For, you see, I'm going to see that the preacher -marries the proper parties." - -"How?" - -"I know how. You see, I've known about this plan of theirs for quite -some time. And I know how it will come out. There will be a lot of -confusion once this double ceremony is over and they think they're -safe. While this confusion is going on, the preacher-man will be -filling out the wedding certificates. He will, of course, have -forgotten the correct names of the married ones. He will look up--and -he will see me. I will tell him that I arrived a little late for the -festive event, but can I be of help? Let's not annoy the happy people -with details. You're confused? Then permit me to supply the details." - -"Yeah?" said the pilot, interested. - -"Then I'll supply the necessary details to make certain that the -marriage certificate handed to Tony Graydon will state that he is -solidly wedded to Joan Willson: conversely, the certificate handed to -Peter Hedgerly will irrevocably state that he is to have and to hold -until death do him part from Marie Baker. _Quod Erat Demonstrandum!_" - -"Think there's a good probability of your getting away with it?" - -"An excellent probability," stated Hedgerly. "This, chum, is it!" - - * * * * * - -Hedgerly arrived as the festivities came to a close. Quietly he slipped -into the back door of the cottage and walked through the house until -he came to the parson's study. There he waited until the gentleman -arrived, and then he said: - -"I am a relative of one of the fellows involved, sir. I seem to have -been late for the big occasion, and I'd rather not interfere right at -the present." - -The parson looked up and nodded genially, "Not even to kiss the brides?" - -"Later," grinned Hedgerly. "Doubtless the brides are being very well -kissed right now?" - -"Thoroughly. I see your point." - -"Yeah," drawled Hedgerly with a smile. "I've often thought it was a -strange way to start a fidelitous wedlock--for the bride to go around -bestowing kisses on all and sundry males." - -"My point exactly. The man to kiss the bride is her new husband and -none other. You are a discerning man, sir. I don't know--" - -"Hedgerly. A not-too-distant relative of Peter Hedgerly." - -"Then you know the names of all of them?" - -"Known then for years." - -"Fine. Then you can help me with their names. Mind?" - -"Not at all," smiled Hedgerly. "They are Peter Hedgerly, Marie Baker, -Anthony Graydon, and Joan Willson." - -The parson put the names down and then turned to his desk. He picked -up a rather heavy script-pen and started to write the names in on the -dotted lines in a heavy ornate script. Finished, he arose and said: -"Come on, Mr. Hedgerly." He waved the certificates, saying: "I like to -write these things in with a heavy flourish. It seems to give them more -color or taste or whatever than merely scrawling the names in common -handwriting." - -Hedgerly followed at a little distance. He wanted to see Peter's face -when the young man read the certificate and found out who he was really -married to. Furthermore, Hedgerly wanted to be there to point out who -was wedded to whom and why. - -Peter accepted the certificate and put his arm around Joan with a -fatuous expression. Tony kissed Marie. They all started for the door. - -Hedgerly ran forward, but the parson stopped him. "Hedgerly," he said, -"you made one mistake. Never, never, never, try to hurl any woman -at any man's head. They both resent it. And never, never, count on -anything as being certain. And always, when you're trying to juggle the -future, be certain of the true ancestry of those who have a definite -part of it. I'll offer you a lift, Hedgerly, for I'm going your way, -but not as far." - -"But ... but--" - -Parson Hedgerly smiled. "Two couples," he said, "happily married to the -right people--by their own son! Yeah, Hedgerly, you're not the only one -who has a good probability of being. But your probability is slipping -from decimal point to decimal point right now--and I doubt that you are -even a shadow of your present self by the time we finish this trip back -home." - - - THE END. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEDDLER'S MOON *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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 an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. 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 -www.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 unprotected by copyright law 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 other than 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 in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (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 website -(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 the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager 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 -works not protected by U.S. copyright law 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 1.F.3. 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 MERCHANTABILITY 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 are 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 information page at -www.gutenberg.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. 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 business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread 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 www.gutenberg.org/donate - -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 checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.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 forty 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 not protected by copyright 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 website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website 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. |