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diff --git a/24975.txt b/24975.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4821584 --- /dev/null +++ b/24975.txt @@ -0,0 +1,683 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Gift Bearer, by Charles Louis Fontenay + +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: The Gift Bearer + +Author: Charles Louis Fontenay + +Release Date: April 2, 2008 [EBook #24975] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIFT BEARER *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + + + +_The Gift Bearer_ + +By CHARLES L. FONTENAY + + + _This could well have been Montcalm's greatest opportunity; + a chance to bring mankind priceless gifts from worlds beyond. + But Montcalm was a solid family man--and what about that nude + statue in the park?_ + + +It was one of those rare strokes of poetic something-or-other that the +whole business occurred the morning after the stormy meeting of the +Traskmore censorship board. + +Like the good general he was, Richard J. Montcalm had foreseen trouble +at this meeting, for it was the boldest invasion yet into the territory +of evil and laxity. His forces were marshaled. Several of the town's +ministers who had been with him on other issues had balked on this one, +but he had three of them present, as well as heads of several women's +clubs. + +As he had anticipated, the irresponsible liberals were present to do +battle, headed by red-haired Patrick Levitt. + +"This board," said Levitt in his strong, sarcastic voice, "has gone too +far. It was all right to get rid of the actual filth ... and everyone +will agree there was some. But when you banned the sale of some +magazines and books because they had racy covers or because the contents +were a little too sophisticated to suit the taste of members of this +board ... well, you can carry protection of our youth to the point of +insulting the intelligence of adults who have a right to read what they +want to." + +"You're talking about something that's already in the past, Mr. Levitt," +said Montcalm mildly. "Let's keep to the issue at hand. You won't deny +that children see this indecent statue every day?" + +"No, I won't deny it!" snapped Levitt. "Why shouldn't they see it? They +can see the plate of the original in the encyclopaedia. It's a fine copy +of a work of art." + +Montcalm waited for some rebuttal from his supporters, but none was +forthcoming. On this matter, they apparently were unwilling to go +farther than the moral backing of their presence. + +"I do not consider the statue of a naked woman art, even if it is called +'Dawn,'" he said bitingly. He looked at his two colleagues and received +their nods of acquiescence. He ruled: "The statue must be removed from +the park and from public view." + +Levitt had one parting shot. + +"Would it solve the board's problem if we put a brassiere and panties on +the statue?" he demanded. + +"Mr. Levitt's levity is not amusing. The board has ruled," said Montcalm +coldly, arising to signify the end of the meeting. + + * * * * * + +That night Montcalm slept the satisfied sleep of the just. + +He awoke shortly after dawn to find a strange, utterly beautiful naked +woman in his bedroom. For a bemused instant Montcalm thought the statue +of Dawn in the park had come to haunt him. His mouth fell open but he +was unable to speak. + +"Take me to your President," said the naked woman musically, with an +accent that could have been Martian. + +Mrs. Montcalm awoke. + +"What's that? What is it, Richard?" she asked sleepily. + +"Don't look, Millie!" exclaimed Montcalm, clapping a hand over her eyes. + +"Nonsense!" she snapped, pushing his hand aside and sitting up. She +gasped and her eyes went wide, and in an instinctive, unreasonable +reaction she clutched the covers up around her own nightgowned bosom. + +"Who are you, young woman?" demanded Montcalm indignantly. "How did you +get in here?" + +"I am a visitor from what you would call an alien planet," she said. "Of +course," she added thoughtfully, "it isn't alien to me." + +"The woman's mad," said Montcalm to his wife. A warning noise sounded in +the adjoining bedroom. Alarmed, he instructed: "Go and keep the children +out of here until I can get her to put on some clothes. They mustn't see +her like this." + +Mrs. Montcalm got out of bed, but she gave her husband a searching +glance. + +"Are you sure I can trust you in here with her?" she asked. + +"Millie!" exclaimed Montcalm sternly, shocked. She dropped her eyes and +left the room. When the door closed behind her, he turned to the strange +woman and said: + +"Now, look, young lady, I'll get you one of Millie's dresses. You'll +have to get some clothes on and leave." + +"Aren't you going to ask me my name?" asked the woman. "Of course, it's +unpronounceable to you, but I thought that was the first thing all Earth +people asked of visitors from other planets." + +"All right," he said in exasperation. "What's your name?" + +She said an unpronounceable word and added: "You may call me Liz." + + * * * * * + +Montcalm went to the closet and found one of Millie's house dresses. He +held it out to her beseechingly. + +As he did so, he was stricken with a sudden sharp feeling of regret that +she must don it. Her figure ... why Millie had never had a figure like +that! At once, he felt ashamed and disloyal and sterner than ever. + +Liz rejected the proffered garment. + +"I wouldn't think of adopting your alien custom of wearing clothing," +she said sweetly. + +"Now look," said Montcalm, "I don't know whether you're drunk or crazy, +but you're going to have to put something on and get out of here before +I call the police." + +"I anticipated doubt," said Liz. "I'm prepared to prove my identity." + +With the words, the two of them were no longer standing in the Montcalm +bedroom, but in a broad expanse of green fields and woodland, unmarred +by any habitation. Montcalm didn't recognize the spot, but it looked +vaguely like it might be somewhere in the northern part of the state. + +Montcalm was dismayed to find that he was as naked as his companion! + +"Oh, my Lord!" he exclaimed, trying to cover himself with a September +Morn pose. + +"Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Liz, and instantly Montcalm's pajamas were +lying at his feet. He got into them hurriedly. + +"How did we get here?" he asked, his astonished curiosity overcoming his +disapproval of this immodest woman. + +"By a mode of transportation common to my people in planetary +atmospheres," she answered. "It's one of the things I propose to teach +your people." + +She sat down cross-legged on the grass. Montcalm averted his eyes, like +the gentleman he was. + +"You see," said Liz, "the people of your world are on the verge of going +to space and joining the community of worlds. It's only natural the rest +of us should wish to help you. We have a good many things to give you, +to help you control the elements and natural conditions of your world. +The weather, for example ..." + +Suddenly, out of nowhere, a small cloud appeared above them and spread, +blocking out the early sun. It began to rain, hard. + +The rain stopped as suddenly as it had begun and the cloud dissipated. +Montcalm stood shivering in his soaked pajamas and Liz got to her feet, +her skin glistening with moisture. + +"You have a problem raising food for your population in some areas," she +said.... + +A small haw-apple tree near them suddenly began to grow at an amazing +rate of speed. It doubled its size in three minutes, put forth fruit +and dropped it to the ground. + +"These are only a few of the things I'll give to your planet," she said. + +At her words, they were back in the bedroom. This time she had been +thoughtful. Montcalm was still clad in wet pajamas. + +"I don't know what sort of hypnosis this is," he began aggressively, +"but you can't fool me, young lady, into believing ..." + + * * * * * + +Millie came into the room. She had donned a robe over her nightgown. + +"Richard, where have you been with this woman?" she demanded. + +"Why, my dear ..." + +"You've been roaming around the house somewhere with her. I came in here +a moment ago and you were gone. Now, Richard, I want you to do something +about her and stop fooling around. I can't keep the children in their +room all day." + +It hadn't been hypnosis then! Liz was for real. A vision rose before +Montcalm of mankind given wonders, powers, benefits representing +advances of thousands of years. The world could become a paradise with +the things she offered to teach. + +"Millie, this woman _is_ from another planet!" he exclaimed excitedly, +and turned to Liz. "Why did you choose me to contact on Earth?" + +"Why, I happened to land near your house," she answered. "I know how +your primitive social organization is set up, but isn't one human being +just as good as another to lead me to the proper authorities?" + +"Yes," he said joyfully, visualizing black headlines and his picture in +the papers. + +Millie stood to one side, puzzled and grim at once. Montcalm picked up +the house dress he had taken from the closet earlier. + +"Now, Miss," he said, "if you'll just put this on, I'll take you to the +mayor and he can get in touch with Washington at once." + +"I told you," said Liz, "I don't want to adopt your custom of wearing +clothing." + +"But you can't go out in public like that!" said the dismayed Montcalm. +"If you're going to move among Earth people, you must dress as we do." + +"My people wouldn't demand that Earth people disrobe to associate with +us," she countered reasonably. + +Millie had had enough. She went into action. + +"You can argue with this hussy all you like, Richard, but I'm going to +call the police," she said, and left the room with determination in her +eye. + +The next fifteen minutes were agonizing for Montcalm as he tried +futilely to get Liz to dress like a decent person. He was torn between +realization of what the things she offered would mean to the world and +his own sense of the fitness of things. His children, the children of +Traskmore, the children of the world ... what would be the effect on +their tender morals to realize that a sane adult was willing to walk +around in brazen nakedness? + +There was a pounding on the front door, and the voice of Millie inviting +the law into the house. + +"Now I'm afraid you're due to go to jail," said Montcalm mournfully. +"But when they get some clothes on you, I'll try to explain it and get +you an audience with the mayor." + +Two blue-clad policemen entered the room. + +One policeman took the house dress from Montcalm's lax fingers and +tossed it over Liz' head without further ado. + +Liz did not struggle. She looked at Montcalm with a quizzical +expression. + +"I'm sorry," she said. "My people made a mistake. If you Earth people +aren't tolerant enough to accept a difference in customs of dress, I'm +afraid you're too immature." + +With that, she was gone like a puff of air. The astonished policemen +held an empty dress. + +Montcalm didn't see the flying saucer that whizzed over Traskmore that +morning and disappeared into the sky, but he didn't doubt the reports. +He debated with himself for a long time whether he had taken the right +attitude, but decided he had. + +After all, there were the children to consider. + + +THE END + + + + +Transcriber's Note: + + This etext was produced from _Amazing Science Fiction Stories_ + September 1958. 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 Project Gutenberg's The Gift Bearer, by Charles Louis Fontenay + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIFT BEARER *** + +***** This file should be named 24975.txt or 24975.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/9/7/24975/ + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://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. 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