diff options
| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-05 06:14:32 -0800 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-05 06:14:32 -0800 |
| commit | 588410ff0fc3b2d6b7c315857a86b40a5e26c08d (patch) | |
| tree | 45b2541db81f7c0148e5d951ebc2ee57def53994 | |
| parent | 02b55ff39f30aea7fdcd363dbcd5b2f62d61ca18 (diff) | |
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50924-8.txt | 934 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50924-8.zip | bin | 17810 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50924-h.zip | bin | 273415 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50924-h/50924-h.htm | 1048 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50924-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 108189 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50924-h/images/illus.jpg | bin | 146473 -> 0 bytes |
9 files changed, 17 insertions, 1982 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..84b9e3d --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50924 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50924) diff --git a/old/50924-8.txt b/old/50924-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 40a47ce..0000000 --- a/old/50924-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,934 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sweet Tooth, by Robert F. Young - -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/license - - -Title: Sweet Tooth - -Author: Robert F. Young - -Release Date: January 14, 2016 [EBook #50924] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SWEET TOOTH *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - SWEET TOOTH - - By ROBERT F. YOUNG - - Illustrated by Nodel - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Magazine October 1963. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - -/ - - - The aliens were quite impressed by Earth's technical - marvels--they found them just delicious! - - -Sugardale three miles, the state highway sign said. Dexter Foote turned -into the side road that the arrow indicated. - -He had no way of knowing it at the time, but by his action he condemned -his new convertible to a fate worse than death. - -The side road meandered down a long slope into a wooded hollow where a -breeze born of cool bowers and shaded brooks made the July afternoon -heat less oppressive. A quantity of the pique that had been with him -ever since setting forth from the city departed. There were worse -assignments, after all, than writing up a fallen star. - -Abruptly he applied the brakes and brought the convertible to a -screeching halt. His blue eyes started from his boyish face. - -Well they might. The two Humpty Dumptyish creatures squatting in the -middle of the road were as big as heavy tanks and, judging from their -"skin tone," were constructed of similar material. They had arms like -jointed cranes and legs like articulated girders. Their scissors-like -mouths were slightly open, exposing maws the hue of an open hearth at -tapping time. Either they were all body and no head, or all head and no -body. Whichever was the case, they had both eyes and ears. The former -had something of the aspect of peek holes in a furnace door, while the -latter brought to mind lopsided Tv antennae. - -As Dexter watched, the foremost of the two metallic monsters advanced -upon the convertible and began licking the chrome off the grill with a -long, tong-like tongue. Meanwhile, its companion circled to the rear -and took a big bite out of the trunk. There was an awesome CRUNCH! and -the convertible gave a convulsive shudder. - -At this point, Dexter got out and ran. More accurately, he jumped -out and ran. A hundred feet down the road, he stopped and turned. He -was just in time to see monster No. 1 bite off the right headlight. -CRUNCH! Not to be outdone, monster No. 2 bit off the right taillight. -CRUNCH-CRUNCH! An acrid odor affronted Dexter's nostrils, and he -discerned a faint yellow haze hovering about the convertible. The -rear wheels went in two bites. The 250 H.P. motor required three. -CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH! The upholstery caught fire and began to burn. A -gout of flame shot up as the gas tank exploded. Far from discouraging -the two monsters, the resultant inferno merely served to whet their -appetites. CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH! - -Dexter's shoulders sagged, and the spot next to his heart that the -convertible had shared with his best girl gave a spasmodic twinge. -Removing his suitcoat and slinging it over his shoulder, he turned his -back on the grisly repast and set out sadly for Sugardale. - -He had not gone far before his stalled thought-processes got into gear -again. - - * * * * * - -The falling star he had been assigned by his editor to write up had -been an unusually brilliant one according to the report the paper -had received. Maybe its unusualness did not stop there. Maybe it was -something more than a mere meteorite. Certainly the two monsters could -not be classified as local woodland creatures. - -All of which was fine as far as copy was concerned. But it didn't bring -his convertible back. - -Presently he saw two sizable deposits of slag at the side of the road, -and approaching them more closely, he discovered that they were still -warm. Could they be the remains of a previously devoured automobile? he -wondered. What an ignominious fate indeed to overtake a car! He looked -at the two deposits once more before moving on. All he could think of -were two piles of elephant dung. - -A mile and half later, he emerged in a small valley that sported a -handful of houses, a scattering of business places, a church or two -and a goodly number of trees. A roadside sign informed him that he -had reached his destination, that its population was 350, and that -its speed limit was 20 mph. The population, however, was nowhere in -evidence, and the speed limit seemed silly in view of the absence of -cars. - -A scared-looking housewife, upon whose door he knocked, told him -he'd probably find the local minion of the law at the Sugardale Inn, -"sucking up beer the way he always is when he should be out earning -his money." The Inn turned out to be a sagging three-story structure -in desperate need of a paint-job. There was a model A sedan parked -in front of it, the first automobile Dexter had seen. Formerly the -establishment had provided a haven for weary travelers. Now it provided -a haven for contented cockroaches. Its _fin de siècle_ bar was a -collector's item, and standing at it, one foot propped on the brass -bar-rail, was a lone customer. He was tall and thin, and somewhere in -his sixties, and he was wearing blue denim trousers and a blue chambray -shirt. There was a lackluster badge pinned on the fading shirtfront, -and a beat-up sombrero sat atop the graying head. - -"Sheriff Jeremiah Smith at your service," he said calmly when Dexter -dashed up to him. He took a sip from the schooner of beer that sat on -the bar before him. "Got troubles, have you, young man?" - -"My car," Dexter said. "I was driving along the road and--" - -"Got ate up, did it? Well, it's not the first one to get ate up around -here." Jeremiah Smith faced the doorway that led to the lobby. "Mrs. -Creasy, get this young man a beer," he called. - -A plump middle-aged woman whose dark hair fell down over her eyes like -a thicket came into sight behind the bar. She flicked a cockroach off -the drain-board with an expert forefinger, drew Dexter a schooner and -set it before him. Jeremiah Smith paid for it. "Drink her down, young -man," he said. "I know how _I'd_ feel if _my_ car got ate up." - -Manfully, Dexter dispatched half the contents of the schooner, after -which he introduced himself and explained the nature of his mission -to Sugardale. "I never figured on anything like this, though," he -concluded. - -"You must have made it through just before the road-block was set up," -Jeremiah said. "You were lucky." - -Dexter started at him. "Lucky! I lost my _car_." - -"Pshaw. What's a car to a newspaper man when a Big Story's in the air? -Take this newspaper fellow I saw on TV Saturday night. He--" - -"Big Stories went out long ago," Dexter said. "Newspapermen work for a -living the same as anybody else. Get back to my car. Aren't you going -to do anything about it?" - -Jeremiah looked hurt. "I've already done everything I can do. The -minute I saw those tanks I knew it was a job for the army, and the -state police agreed with me. So we notified them, after which we -advised everybody to stay indoors and to keep their cars under lock and -key. All we can do now is wait." Jeremiah sighed. "Crazy, if you ask -me. Tanks eating automobiles!" - -"I imagine," Dexter said thoughtfully, "that our diet would give them -pause too. Where did this star of yours fall?" - -"In Ed Hallam's north timber lot. Take you there, if you like. There's -not much to see, though--just a big hole in the ground." - -Dexter finished his beer. "Come on," he said. - - * * * * * - -The Model A parked in front of the Inn turned out to be Jeremiah's. -They took off down the road at a brisk pace, wound through woods, -dales, pastures and fields. Dexter hadn't the remotest idea where he -was when at last Jeremiah pulled up beside a grove larger and darker -than the others. - -The old man squinted into the lengthening shadows. "Seems to me them -auto-eating tanks ought to make better reading than a common ordinary -falling star." - -Halfway out of the car, Dexter stared at him. "You mean to tell me you -don't see the connection?" - -"What connection?" - -Dexter got the rest of the way out. "Between the automobile-eaters and -the spaceship, of course." - -Jeremiah stared at _him_. "What spaceship?" - -"Oh, never mind," Dexter said. "Show me the fallen star." - -It was in a clearing deep in the woods. Or rather, the crater-like -hole it had made was. Peering down into the hole, Dexter saw the dark, -pitted surface of what could very well have been an ordinary, if -unusually large, meteorite. There was nothing that suggested an opening -of any kind, but the opposite wall of the crater did look as though -some heavy object had been dragged--or had dragged itself--up to the -level of the clearing. The underbrush showed signs of having been -badly trampled in the recent past. - -He pointed out the signs to Jeremiah. "See how those saplings are -flattened? No human being did that. I'll bet if we followed that trail, -we'd come to the remains of the first car they consumed. Whose car was -it, by the way?" - -"Mrs. Hopkins's new Buick. She'd just started out for the city on one -of her shopping trips. She was so scared when she came running back -into town her hair was standing straight out behind her head. Maybe, -though, it was because she was running so fast." Abruptly Jeremiah -leaned forward and squinted at the ground. "Looks almost like a big -footprint right there, don't it." He straightened. "But if the darn -thing is a spaceship like you say, how come it buried itself?" - -"Because whoever or whatever was piloting it didn't--or -couldn't--decelerate enough for an orthodox landing," Dexter explained. -"Lucky it hit the clearing. If it had hit the trees, you'd have had a -forest fire on your hands." - -Jeremiah looked worried. "Maybe we'd better be getting back to the -road. I feel kind of guilty leaving my model A sitting there all alone." - -Dexter followed him back through the woods and climbed into the front -seat beside him. The road took them to the main highway, and not -long thereafter Jeremiah turned off the highway into another road--a -familiar road heralded by a familiar sign that said, SUGARDALE THREE -MILES. Two slag deposits marked the spot where once Dexter's proud -convertible had stood. He gazed at them sadly as they passed. - - * * * * * - -Suddenly Jeremiah brought the model A to a screeching halt. The two -desecrators of the American Dream Incarnate were in the midst of -another repast. The victim this time, judging from the still-visible -star and the O.D. color scheme, was an army staff car. The grill and -the motor were already gone, and half of the roof was missing. Yellow -haze enshrouded the sorry scene, and the countryside was resounding to -a series of horrendous CRUNCHES. - -"Do you think if I sort of zoomed by, we could make it?" Jeremiah -asked. "I hate to go all the way around the other way." - -"I'm game if you are," Dexter said. - -ZOOOOOOMMMMMMM! - -The two monsters didn't even look up. - -"You'd think my model A wasn't good enough for them," Jeremiah said -peevishly. - -"Count your blessings. Look, there's someone up ahead." - -The "someone" turned out to be a two-star general, a chicken colonel -and an enlisted man. Jeremiah stopped, and the trio climbed into the -back seat. "Ate your staff car, did they, General?" he chuckled, taking -off again. "Well, that's the way it goes." - -"The name," said the general, whose middle-aged face had a greenish -cast, "is General Longcombe, and I was on my way to Sugardale to -reconnoiter the situation before committing any troops to the area. -This is my aide, Colonel Mortby, and my driver, Sergeant Wilkins." - -"Sheriff Smith at your service," said Jeremiah. "This here's Dexter -Foote, who came to Sugardale to do a Big Story on our falling star." - -"Tell me about these VEMs of yours, sheriff," General Longcombe said. - -Jeremiah twisted around. "VEMs?" - -"'Vehicle-Eating Monsters'," Colonel Mortby interposed. He was a small -man with a pleasant youthful face. "It's standard army operating -procedure to give an object a name before investigating it." - -"Oh." Jeremiah twisted back again, saved the model A from going into -the ditch with a Herculean yank on the wheel. "Well, Dexter here seems -to think that our falling star is a spaceship and that they landed in -it, and I'm inclined to believe he's right." - -"After seeing the VEMs in person, I'm inclined to believe he's right -myself," Colonel Mortby said. "I think that what we have to do with -here," he went on presently, when the general made no comment, "is a -form of metal-based life capable of generating an internal temperature -of at least three thousand degrees Fahrenheit. The acrid odor they give -off while 'feasting' probably arises from a substance analogous to our -gastric juices which their heat-resistant stomachs supply to accomplish -'digestion,' only in this case 'digestion' consists primarily in -melting down the metal they consume and in isolating its waste matter, -after which the pure metal is reprocessed into 'body tissue' and the -waste matter is thrown off in the form of slag. I think we might go so -far as to call them a couple of animate open hearths." - -Dexter had turned around in the front seat and was looking at the -colonel admiringly. "I think you've hit the nail right on the head, -sir," he said. - -General Longcombe was scowling. "We're here to survey the situation, -Colonel, not to jump to conclusions." He addressed the back of -Jeremiah's weather-beaten neck. "I trust we'll have no trouble finding -suitable accommodations in Sugardale, sheriff." - -"Mrs. Creasy'll be glad to put you up at the Inn, if that's what you -mean," Jeremiah said. - - * * * * * - -Mrs. Creasy was more than glad. Indeed, from the way she looked at the -two officers and the NCO through her thicket of hair, you would have -thought they were the first roomers she'd had in months, discounting -the cockroaches, of course. - -The general said petulantly, "Let's get down to business, Colonel. -I want an armored company brought up immediately, and I want the -fallen-star area put off limits at once. Have the sheriff show you -where it is." He turned to Sergeant Wilkins. "Sergeant, get on the -phone as soon as the colonel gets off it, and arrange for my personal -Cadillac to be delivered here first thing." - -After phoning his paper, Dexter headed for the dining room and sat down -beside General Longcombe. "Anything new on the VEMs, General?" he asked. - -General Longcombe sighed. There were shadows under his eyes, and his -cheeks showed signs of sagging. "They're still in circulation. Scared -the wits out of a couple of teenagers and ate their hot-rod. We've -got them under constant surveillance, of course, and what with all the -underbrush they trample it's easy enough to track them. But we can't -stop them. They eat our gas grenades and our fragmentation grenades, -and they're impervious to our tank killers and our antitank mines. A -small A-bomb would take care of them nicely, but even assuming there's -an area around here large enough and isolated enough to permit us to -use an A-bomb, there's no way of herding them into it." - -"It just so happens that there is such an area," Jeremiah Smith said. -"Tillson Valley--about ten miles south of here. You'd have to vacate -Old Man Tillson, of course, but he'd be glad to go if you made it worth -his while. He hasn't grown a thing but weeds anyway since he got his -pension. Just sits around all day and sucks up beer." - -"But there's still no way of getting the VEMs out there," General -Longcombe objected. - -"Tell me, general," Dexter said, "have they eaten any of your jeeps or -trucks or personnel carriers?" - -General Longcombe shook his head. "They've had plenty of opportunity -to, too." - -"I have a theory," Dexter said. - -The look that promptly settled on General Longcombe's face made no -bones about what he thought of presumptuous young reporters with -theories. Colonel Mortby, however, was considerably less biased. "It -won't do any harm to listen to what he's got to say, sir," he pointed -out, "and it may even do some good. It'll be at least a day before the -ship is excavated and even then we may not know any more about the sort -of life forms we're dealing with than we do now." - - * * * * * - -Dexter needed no further invitation. "I think it's pretty clear by -now," he began, "that our two visitors from Planet X aren't attracted -by metal in just any old form at all, but by metal in the form of new, -or nearly new, automobiles. This strongly suggests that their landing -was unpremeditated, because if it had been premeditated they would have -come down in a section of the country where such metallic concoctions -are in plentiful supply--near a city or a large town, or close to a -heavily traveled throughway. - -"But what is it about these new cars of ours that they find so -irresistible? Let's try an analogy. Suppose that one of us has gone -into a bakery to buy a birthday cake and that money is no object. -Which cake is he most likely to buy? The answer is obvious: the one -with the most visual appeal. To return to our visitors from Planet X. -Suppose that all their lives they've been eating metal in various but -uninspired ingot forms--the metallic equivalents, let's say, of beans -and bread and hominy grits. Now suppose they find their way to another -planet where visual appeal in metallic creation is a major occupation, -and suppose that shortly after disembarking from their spaceship they -come upon a new convertible. Wouldn't they react in the same way we -would react if all our lives our diet had been confined to beans and -bread and hominy grits and _we_ traveled to another planet, disembarked -and came upon a delicious birthday cake just begging to be eaten? -Wouldn't they make pigs of themselves and start looking for more cakes?" - -"But if it's the ornate nature of our late-model cars that attracts -them, why did they eat the staff car?" Colonel Mortby asked. "And why -did they eat the teenager's hot rod, and our gas and fragmentation -grenades?" - -"I suggest," Dexter said, "that they ate the staff car because at the -moment there weren't any other cars immediately available. As for the -teenager's hot rod, I imagine it was loaded down with enough chrome -accessories to sink a battleship. And as for the grenades--your men -threw them at them first, did they not?" - -Colonel Mortby nodded. "I see what you mean. Sort of like throwing -candy to a baby. I'll buy your theory, Mr. Foote." - -"And now, if I may," Dexter continued, "I'd like to propose a means of -getting rid of our unwanted visitors from Planet X." - -General Longcombe sighed. "Very well, Mr. Foote. Go on." - -"You mentioned earlier, sir, that there was no way of herding the VEMs -into an isolated area. However, I think there is a way. Suppose we were -to remove all of the automobiles from the vicinity with the exception -of one, and suppose we were to park that one in the middle of Tillson -Valley as bait, with a remote-controlled A-bomb underneath it?" - -"But how would they know that the bait was there?" - -"Through association," Dexter said. "All of the automobiles they've -consumed thus far were in operation shortly before they began to eat -them, so by now they must have established an unconscious relationship -between the sound of the motors and the taste of the metal. Therefore, -if we keep the bait idling and set up a P.A. system to amplify the -sound, eventually they'll hear it, their mouths will salivate and -they'll come running." - -General Longcombe offered no comment He appeared to be deep in thought. - -"My car is in West Virginia," Colonel Mortby said. - -"My car was eaten," Dexter said. - -General Longcombe opened his mouth. "My car--" he began. - -Sergeant Wilkins entered the room and saluted smartly. "The general's -Cadillac has just arrived, sir," he said. - - * * * * * - -Old man Tillson co-operated readily enough, once he was assured that -he would be indemnified not only for his ramshackle house but for the -young mountain of beer bottles that stood in his back yard, and the -command post was moved forthwith to the lip of the valley. Jeremiah -Smith was allowed to go along as an observer, and Dexter was accorded -a similar favor. By evening, everything was in place. The colonel's -Cadillac, parked in the valley's center, had something of the aspect of -a chrome-bedizened lamb resting on an altar of crab grass, buttercups -and mustard weeds. Surrounding it were half a dozen floodlights, -suspended over it was a microphone, standing next to it was a pole -supporting three P.A. speakers, and located several hundred feet away -was a TV camera. Beyond this impressive display, Old Man Tillson's -homestead could be discerned, and beyond the homestead rose his -mountainous collection of beer bottles. - -Colonel Mortby came out of the command-post tent and walked over to -where Dexter and Jeremiah were standing, looking down into the valley. -He handed each of them a pair of cobalt-blue glasses. "If you watch the -blast, make sure you wear these," he said, raising his voice above the -amplified purring of the Cadillac's motor. "You'll be glad to hear that -the two VEMs are already on their way, Mr. Foote--our walkie-talkie -squad just called in. However, the creatures move so slowly that they -probably won't be here before dawn." - -Dexter came out of a brown study. "One thing still bugs me," he said. -"Why should two members of a race of extraterrestrials technically -intelligent enough to build spaceships behave like a pair of gluttonous -savages the minute they land on another planet?" - -"But you explained that," Jeremiah pointed out. "They just can't resist -eating American automobiles." - -"I'm afraid I got carried away by my analogy. Civilized beings simply -don't go running across the countryside the minute they land, and start -grabbing up everything that strikes their eye. They make contact -with the authorities first, and _then_ they go running across the -countryside and start grabbing up everything that strikes their eye." - -Colonel Mortby grinned. "You've got a good point there, Mr. Foote. -Well, I'm going to see if I can't grab forty winks or so--it's been a -trying day." - -"Me too," Jeremiah said, heading for his model A. - -Left alone, Dexter wedged a flashlight in the fork of a little tree, -sat down in its dim radiance, got out pen and notebook, and began his -article. _The Solid Cheese Cadillac_, he wrote, _by Dexter Foote_.... - -Dawn found him dozing over page 16. "There they are!" someone shouted, -jerking him awake. "The filthy fiends!" - -The "someone" was General Longcombe. Joining him, Dexter saw the two -VEMs. They were moving relentlessly across the valley floor toward the -helpless Cadillac. Jeremiah came up, rubbing his eyes. Colonel Mortby -could be discerned through the entrance of the command-post tent, -leaning over a technician's shoulder. - -The two VEMs reached the Cadillac and began licking off the chrome with -their long, tong-like tongues. General Longcombe went wild. He waved -his arms. "Monsters!" he screamed, "I'll blow you to Kingdom Come -personally!" and stomped into the tent. - -Dexter and Jeremiah started to put on their cobalt-blue glasses. -Abruptly thunder sounded, and a shadow darkened the land. Looking -skyward, Dexter saw it-- - -The ship. The saucer. Whichever word you cared to apply to it. But -whichever noun you chose, you had to prefix it with the adjective -"gigantic," for the ventral hatch alone, which had just yawned open, -was large enough to accommodate the Sugardale Methodist Church. - -In the command-post tent, the general, as yet unaware of the UFO's -presence, was giving the countdown in an anguished voice. "Two--" - -In the valley, the two VEMs were trying vainly to extricate themselves -from a huge metallic net that had dropped over them. - -"One--" - -On the lip of the valley, Dexter Foote was grappling with an insight. - -"Zero--" - -Pfft!... - - * * * * * - -"It wasn't a dud after all," General Longcombe said. "They cancelled -out the chain-reaction with some kind of a ray. I wonder...." He shook -his head wistfully. "What a weapon, though." - -He and Colonel Mortby and the tech were standing by the chrome-stripped -carcass of the Cadillac. Dexter and Jeremiah had just come up. "My -theory turned out to be a little bit off-center," Dexter said. "You -see, I overlooked the possibility that our children aren't necessarily -the only galactic small fry who run away from home and get themselves -in Dutch. My birthday-cake analogy still holds true, but I would have -done better to have compared our late-model automobiles to appetizing -candy bars, or Easter baskets filled with jelly beans and chocolate -chickens." - -The general regarded him blankly. "I'm afraid I don't follow you at -all, Mr. Foote." - -"Did you ever turn a pair of hungry kids loose in a candy store, sir?" - -Understanding came into General Longcombe's eyes then, and he turned -and gazed sadly at his chromeless Cadillac. "I wonder if they have -castor oil on Planet X," he said. - -"I bet they have its equivalent," grinned Dexter Foote. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sweet Tooth, by Robert F. Young - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SWEET TOOTH *** - -***** This file should be named 50924-8.txt or 50924-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/2/50924/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan 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. 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 -http://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/license - -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 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 web page at http://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 -http://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 http://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 http://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 checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is 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: - - http://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. diff --git a/old/50924-8.zip b/old/50924-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a6947a9..0000000 --- a/old/50924-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50924-h.zip b/old/50924-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e9189dc..0000000 --- a/old/50924-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50924-h/50924-h.htm b/old/50924-h/50924-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 3d161f0..0000000 --- a/old/50924-h/50924-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1048 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Sweet Tooth, by Robert F. Young. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sweet Tooth, by Robert F. Young - -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/license - - -Title: Sweet Tooth - -Author: Robert F. Young - -Release Date: January 14, 2016 [EBook #50924] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SWEET TOOTH *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="373" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>SWEET TOOTH</h1> - -<p>By ROBERT F. YOUNG</p> - -<p>Illustrated by Nodel</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Magazine October 1963.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3"><i>The aliens were quite impressed by Earth's technical<br /> -marvels—they found them just delicious!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Sugardale three miles, the state highway sign said. Dexter Foote turned -into the side road that the arrow indicated.</p> - -<p>He had no way of knowing it at the time, but by his action he condemned -his new convertible to a fate worse than death.</p> - -<p>The side road meandered down a long slope into a wooded hollow where a -breeze born of cool bowers and shaded brooks made the July afternoon -heat less oppressive. A quantity of the pique that had been with him -ever since setting forth from the city departed. There were worse -assignments, after all, than writing up a fallen star.</p> - -<p>Abruptly he applied the brakes and brought the convertible to a -screeching halt. His blue eyes started from his boyish face.</p> - -<p>Well they might. The two Humpty Dumptyish creatures squatting in the -middle of the road were as big as heavy tanks and, judging from their -"skin tone," were constructed of similar material. They had arms like -jointed cranes and legs like articulated girders. Their scissors-like -mouths were slightly open, exposing maws the hue of an open hearth at -tapping time. Either they were all body and no head, or all head and no -body. Whichever was the case, they had both eyes and ears. The former -had something of the aspect of peek holes in a furnace door, while the -latter brought to mind lopsided Tv antennae.</p> - -<p>As Dexter watched, the foremost of the two metallic monsters advanced -upon the convertible and began licking the chrome off the grill with a -long, tong-like tongue. Meanwhile, its companion circled to the rear -and took a big bite out of the trunk. There was an awesome CRUNCH! and -the convertible gave a convulsive shudder.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="572" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>At this point, Dexter got out and ran. More accurately, he jumped -out and ran. A hundred feet down the road, he stopped and turned. He -was just in time to see monster No. 1 bite off the right headlight. -CRUNCH! Not to be outdone, monster No. 2 bit off the right taillight. -CRUNCH-CRUNCH! An acrid odor affronted Dexter's nostrils, and he -discerned a faint yellow haze hovering about the convertible. The -rear wheels went in two bites. The 250 H.P. motor required three. -CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH! The upholstery caught fire and began to burn. A -gout of flame shot up as the gas tank exploded. Far from discouraging -the two monsters, the resultant inferno merely served to whet their -appetites. CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH!</p> - -<p>Dexter's shoulders sagged, and the spot next to his heart that the -convertible had shared with his best girl gave a spasmodic twinge. -Removing his suitcoat and slinging it over his shoulder, he turned his -back on the grisly repast and set out sadly for Sugardale.</p> - -<p>He had not gone far before his stalled thought-processes got into gear -again.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The falling star he had been assigned by his editor to write up had -been an unusually brilliant one according to the report the paper -had received. Maybe its unusualness did not stop there. Maybe it was -something more than a mere meteorite. Certainly the two monsters could -not be classified as local woodland creatures.</p> - -<p>All of which was fine as far as copy was concerned. But it didn't bring -his convertible back.</p> - -<p>Presently he saw two sizable deposits of slag at the side of the road, -and approaching them more closely, he discovered that they were still -warm. Could they be the remains of a previously devoured automobile? he -wondered. What an ignominious fate indeed to overtake a car! He looked -at the two deposits once more before moving on. All he could think of -were two piles of elephant dung.</p> - -<p>A mile and half later, he emerged in a small valley that sported a -handful of houses, a scattering of business places, a church or two -and a goodly number of trees. A roadside sign informed him that he -had reached his destination, that its population was 350, and that -its speed limit was 20 mph. The population, however, was nowhere in -evidence, and the speed limit seemed silly in view of the absence of -cars.</p> - -<p>A scared-looking housewife, upon whose door he knocked, told him -he'd probably find the local minion of the law at the Sugardale Inn, -"sucking up beer the way he always is when he should be out earning -his money." The Inn turned out to be a sagging three-story structure -in desperate need of a paint-job. There was a model A sedan parked -in front of it, the first automobile Dexter had seen. Formerly the -establishment had provided a haven for weary travelers. Now it provided -a haven for contented cockroaches. Its <i>fin de siècle</i> bar was a -collector's item, and standing at it, one foot propped on the brass -bar-rail, was a lone customer. He was tall and thin, and somewhere in -his sixties, and he was wearing blue denim trousers and a blue chambray -shirt. There was a lackluster badge pinned on the fading shirtfront, -and a beat-up sombrero sat atop the graying head.</p> - -<p>"Sheriff Jeremiah Smith at your service," he said calmly when Dexter -dashed up to him. He took a sip from the schooner of beer that sat on -the bar before him. "Got troubles, have you, young man?"</p> - -<p>"My car," Dexter said. "I was driving along the road and—"</p> - -<p>"Got ate up, did it? Well, it's not the first one to get ate up around -here." Jeremiah Smith faced the doorway that led to the lobby. "Mrs. -Creasy, get this young man a beer," he called.</p> - -<p>A plump middle-aged woman whose dark hair fell down over her eyes like -a thicket came into sight behind the bar. She flicked a cockroach off -the drain-board with an expert forefinger, drew Dexter a schooner and -set it before him. Jeremiah Smith paid for it. "Drink her down, young -man," he said. "I know how <i>I'd</i> feel if <i>my</i> car got ate up."</p> - -<p>Manfully, Dexter dispatched half the contents of the schooner, after -which he introduced himself and explained the nature of his mission -to Sugardale. "I never figured on anything like this, though," he -concluded.</p> - -<p>"You must have made it through just before the road-block was set up," -Jeremiah said. "You were lucky."</p> - -<p>Dexter started at him. "Lucky! I lost my <i>car</i>."</p> - -<p>"Pshaw. What's a car to a newspaper man when a Big Story's in the air? -Take this newspaper fellow I saw on TV Saturday night. He—"</p> - -<p>"Big Stories went out long ago," Dexter said. "Newspapermen work for a -living the same as anybody else. Get back to my car. Aren't you going -to do anything about it?"</p> - -<p>Jeremiah looked hurt. "I've already done everything I can do. The -minute I saw those tanks I knew it was a job for the army, and the -state police agreed with me. So we notified them, after which we -advised everybody to stay indoors and to keep their cars under lock and -key. All we can do now is wait." Jeremiah sighed. "Crazy, if you ask -me. Tanks eating automobiles!"</p> - -<p>"I imagine," Dexter said thoughtfully, "that our diet would give them -pause too. Where did this star of yours fall?"</p> - -<p>"In Ed Hallam's north timber lot. Take you there, if you like. There's -not much to see, though—just a big hole in the ground."</p> - -<p>Dexter finished his beer. "Come on," he said.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Model A parked in front of the Inn turned out to be Jeremiah's. -They took off down the road at a brisk pace, wound through woods, -dales, pastures and fields. Dexter hadn't the remotest idea where he -was when at last Jeremiah pulled up beside a grove larger and darker -than the others.</p> - -<p>The old man squinted into the lengthening shadows. "Seems to me them -auto-eating tanks ought to make better reading than a common ordinary -falling star."</p> - -<p>Halfway out of the car, Dexter stared at him. "You mean to tell me you -don't see the connection?"</p> - -<p>"What connection?"</p> - -<p>Dexter got the rest of the way out. "Between the automobile-eaters and -the spaceship, of course."</p> - -<p>Jeremiah stared at <i>him</i>. "What spaceship?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, never mind," Dexter said. "Show me the fallen star."</p> - -<p>It was in a clearing deep in the woods. Or rather, the crater-like -hole it had made was. Peering down into the hole, Dexter saw the dark, -pitted surface of what could very well have been an ordinary, if -unusually large, meteorite. There was nothing that suggested an opening -of any kind, but the opposite wall of the crater did look as though -some heavy object had been dragged—or had dragged itself—up to the -level of the clearing. The underbrush showed signs of having been -badly trampled in the recent past.</p> - -<p>He pointed out the signs to Jeremiah. "See how those saplings are -flattened? No human being did that. I'll bet if we followed that trail, -we'd come to the remains of the first car they consumed. Whose car was -it, by the way?"</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Hopkins's new Buick. She'd just started out for the city on one -of her shopping trips. She was so scared when she came running back -into town her hair was standing straight out behind her head. Maybe, -though, it was because she was running so fast." Abruptly Jeremiah -leaned forward and squinted at the ground. "Looks almost like a big -footprint right there, don't it." He straightened. "But if the darn -thing is a spaceship like you say, how come it buried itself?"</p> - -<p>"Because whoever or whatever was piloting it didn't—or -couldn't—decelerate enough for an orthodox landing," Dexter explained. -"Lucky it hit the clearing. If it had hit the trees, you'd have had a -forest fire on your hands."</p> - -<p>Jeremiah looked worried. "Maybe we'd better be getting back to the -road. I feel kind of guilty leaving my model A sitting there all alone."</p> - -<p>Dexter followed him back through the woods and climbed into the front -seat beside him. The road took them to the main highway, and not -long thereafter Jeremiah turned off the highway into another road—a -familiar road heralded by a familiar sign that said, SUGARDALE THREE -MILES. Two slag deposits marked the spot where once Dexter's proud -convertible had stood. He gazed at them sadly as they passed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Suddenly Jeremiah brought the model A to a screeching halt. The two -desecrators of the American Dream Incarnate were in the midst of -another repast. The victim this time, judging from the still-visible -star and the O.D. color scheme, was an army staff car. The grill and -the motor were already gone, and half of the roof was missing. Yellow -haze enshrouded the sorry scene, and the countryside was resounding to -a series of horrendous CRUNCHES.</p> - -<p>"Do you think if I sort of zoomed by, we could make it?" Jeremiah -asked. "I hate to go all the way around the other way."</p> - -<p>"I'm game if you are," Dexter said.</p> - -<p>ZOOOOOOMMMMMMM!</p> - -<p>The two monsters didn't even look up.</p> - -<p>"You'd think my model A wasn't good enough for them," Jeremiah said -peevishly.</p> - -<p>"Count your blessings. Look, there's someone up ahead."</p> - -<p>The "someone" turned out to be a two-star general, a chicken colonel -and an enlisted man. Jeremiah stopped, and the trio climbed into the -back seat. "Ate your staff car, did they, General?" he chuckled, taking -off again. "Well, that's the way it goes."</p> - -<p>"The name," said the general, whose middle-aged face had a greenish -cast, "is General Longcombe, and I was on my way to Sugardale to -reconnoiter the situation before committing any troops to the area. -This is my aide, Colonel Mortby, and my driver, Sergeant Wilkins."</p> - -<p>"Sheriff Smith at your service," said Jeremiah. "This here's Dexter -Foote, who came to Sugardale to do a Big Story on our falling star."</p> - -<p>"Tell me about these VEMs of yours, sheriff," General Longcombe said.</p> - -<p>Jeremiah twisted around. "VEMs?"</p> - -<p>"'Vehicle-Eating Monsters'," Colonel Mortby interposed. He was a small -man with a pleasant youthful face. "It's standard army operating -procedure to give an object a name before investigating it."</p> - -<p>"Oh." Jeremiah twisted back again, saved the model A from going into -the ditch with a Herculean yank on the wheel. "Well, Dexter here seems -to think that our falling star is a spaceship and that they landed in -it, and I'm inclined to believe he's right."</p> - -<p>"After seeing the VEMs in person, I'm inclined to believe he's right -myself," Colonel Mortby said. "I think that what we have to do with -here," he went on presently, when the general made no comment, "is a -form of metal-based life capable of generating an internal temperature -of at least three thousand degrees Fahrenheit. The acrid odor they give -off while 'feasting' probably arises from a substance analogous to our -gastric juices which their heat-resistant stomachs supply to accomplish -'digestion,' only in this case 'digestion' consists primarily in -melting down the metal they consume and in isolating its waste matter, -after which the pure metal is reprocessed into 'body tissue' and the -waste matter is thrown off in the form of slag. I think we might go so -far as to call them a couple of animate open hearths."</p> - -<p>Dexter had turned around in the front seat and was looking at the -colonel admiringly. "I think you've hit the nail right on the head, -sir," he said.</p> - -<p>General Longcombe was scowling. "We're here to survey the situation, -Colonel, not to jump to conclusions." He addressed the back of -Jeremiah's weather-beaten neck. "I trust we'll have no trouble finding -suitable accommodations in Sugardale, sheriff."</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Creasy'll be glad to put you up at the Inn, if that's what you -mean," Jeremiah said.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mrs. Creasy was more than glad. Indeed, from the way she looked at the -two officers and the NCO through her thicket of hair, you would have -thought they were the first roomers she'd had in months, discounting -the cockroaches, of course.</p> - -<p>The general said petulantly, "Let's get down to business, Colonel. -I want an armored company brought up immediately, and I want the -fallen-star area put off limits at once. Have the sheriff show you -where it is." He turned to Sergeant Wilkins. "Sergeant, get on the -phone as soon as the colonel gets off it, and arrange for my personal -Cadillac to be delivered here first thing."</p> - -<p>After phoning his paper, Dexter headed for the dining room and sat down -beside General Longcombe. "Anything new on the VEMs, General?" he asked.</p> - -<p>General Longcombe sighed. There were shadows under his eyes, and his -cheeks showed signs of sagging. "They're still in circulation. Scared -the wits out of a couple of teenagers and ate their hot-rod. We've -got them under constant surveillance, of course, and what with all the -underbrush they trample it's easy enough to track them. But we can't -stop them. They eat our gas grenades and our fragmentation grenades, -and they're impervious to our tank killers and our antitank mines. A -small A-bomb would take care of them nicely, but even assuming there's -an area around here large enough and isolated enough to permit us to -use an A-bomb, there's no way of herding them into it."</p> - -<p>"It just so happens that there is such an area," Jeremiah Smith said. -"Tillson Valley—about ten miles south of here. You'd have to vacate -Old Man Tillson, of course, but he'd be glad to go if you made it worth -his while. He hasn't grown a thing but weeds anyway since he got his -pension. Just sits around all day and sucks up beer."</p> - -<p>"But there's still no way of getting the VEMs out there," General -Longcombe objected.</p> - -<p>"Tell me, general," Dexter said, "have they eaten any of your jeeps or -trucks or personnel carriers?"</p> - -<p>General Longcombe shook his head. "They've had plenty of opportunity -to, too."</p> - -<p>"I have a theory," Dexter said.</p> - -<p>The look that promptly settled on General Longcombe's face made no -bones about what he thought of presumptuous young reporters with -theories. Colonel Mortby, however, was considerably less biased. "It -won't do any harm to listen to what he's got to say, sir," he pointed -out, "and it may even do some good. It'll be at least a day before the -ship is excavated and even then we may not know any more about the sort -of life forms we're dealing with than we do now."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Dexter needed no further invitation. "I think it's pretty clear by -now," he began, "that our two visitors from Planet X aren't attracted -by metal in just any old form at all, but by metal in the form of new, -or nearly new, automobiles. This strongly suggests that their landing -was unpremeditated, because if it had been premeditated they would have -come down in a section of the country where such metallic concoctions -are in plentiful supply—near a city or a large town, or close to a -heavily traveled throughway.</p> - -<p>"But what is it about these new cars of ours that they find so -irresistible? Let's try an analogy. Suppose that one of us has gone -into a bakery to buy a birthday cake and that money is no object. -Which cake is he most likely to buy? The answer is obvious: the one -with the most visual appeal. To return to our visitors from Planet X. -Suppose that all their lives they've been eating metal in various but -uninspired ingot forms—the metallic equivalents, let's say, of beans -and bread and hominy grits. Now suppose they find their way to another -planet where visual appeal in metallic creation is a major occupation, -and suppose that shortly after disembarking from their spaceship they -come upon a new convertible. Wouldn't they react in the same way we -would react if all our lives our diet had been confined to beans and -bread and hominy grits and <i>we</i> traveled to another planet, disembarked -and came upon a delicious birthday cake just begging to be eaten? -Wouldn't they make pigs of themselves and start looking for more cakes?"</p> - -<p>"But if it's the ornate nature of our late-model cars that attracts -them, why did they eat the staff car?" Colonel Mortby asked. "And why -did they eat the teenager's hot rod, and our gas and fragmentation -grenades?"</p> - -<p>"I suggest," Dexter said, "that they ate the staff car because at the -moment there weren't any other cars immediately available. As for the -teenager's hot rod, I imagine it was loaded down with enough chrome -accessories to sink a battleship. And as for the grenades—your men -threw them at them first, did they not?"</p> - -<p>Colonel Mortby nodded. "I see what you mean. Sort of like throwing -candy to a baby. I'll buy your theory, Mr. Foote."</p> - -<p>"And now, if I may," Dexter continued, "I'd like to propose a means of -getting rid of our unwanted visitors from Planet X."</p> - -<p>General Longcombe sighed. "Very well, Mr. Foote. Go on."</p> - -<p>"You mentioned earlier, sir, that there was no way of herding the VEMs -into an isolated area. However, I think there is a way. Suppose we were -to remove all of the automobiles from the vicinity with the exception -of one, and suppose we were to park that one in the middle of Tillson -Valley as bait, with a remote-controlled A-bomb underneath it?"</p> - -<p>"But how would they know that the bait was there?"</p> - -<p>"Through association," Dexter said. "All of the automobiles they've -consumed thus far were in operation shortly before they began to eat -them, so by now they must have established an unconscious relationship -between the sound of the motors and the taste of the metal. Therefore, -if we keep the bait idling and set up a P.A. system to amplify the -sound, eventually they'll hear it, their mouths will salivate and -they'll come running."</p> - -<p>General Longcombe offered no comment He appeared to be deep in thought.</p> - -<p>"My car is in West Virginia," Colonel Mortby said.</p> - -<p>"My car was eaten," Dexter said.</p> - -<p>General Longcombe opened his mouth. "My car—" he began.</p> - -<p>Sergeant Wilkins entered the room and saluted smartly. "The general's -Cadillac has just arrived, sir," he said.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Old man Tillson co-operated readily enough, once he was assured that -he would be indemnified not only for his ramshackle house but for the -young mountain of beer bottles that stood in his back yard, and the -command post was moved forthwith to the lip of the valley. Jeremiah -Smith was allowed to go along as an observer, and Dexter was accorded -a similar favor. By evening, everything was in place. The colonel's -Cadillac, parked in the valley's center, had something of the aspect of -a chrome-bedizened lamb resting on an altar of crab grass, buttercups -and mustard weeds. Surrounding it were half a dozen floodlights, -suspended over it was a microphone, standing next to it was a pole -supporting three P.A. speakers, and located several hundred feet away -was a TV camera. Beyond this impressive display, Old Man Tillson's -homestead could be discerned, and beyond the homestead rose his -mountainous collection of beer bottles.</p> - -<p>Colonel Mortby came out of the command-post tent and walked over to -where Dexter and Jeremiah were standing, looking down into the valley. -He handed each of them a pair of cobalt-blue glasses. "If you watch the -blast, make sure you wear these," he said, raising his voice above the -amplified purring of the Cadillac's motor. "You'll be glad to hear that -the two VEMs are already on their way, Mr. Foote—our walkie-talkie -squad just called in. However, the creatures move so slowly that they -probably won't be here before dawn."</p> - -<p>Dexter came out of a brown study. "One thing still bugs me," he said. -"Why should two members of a race of extraterrestrials technically -intelligent enough to build spaceships behave like a pair of gluttonous -savages the minute they land on another planet?"</p> - -<p>"But you explained that," Jeremiah pointed out. "They just can't resist -eating American automobiles."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid I got carried away by my analogy. Civilized beings simply -don't go running across the countryside the minute they land, and start -grabbing up everything that strikes their eye. They make contact -with the authorities first, and <i>then</i> they go running across the -countryside and start grabbing up everything that strikes their eye."</p> - -<p>Colonel Mortby grinned. "You've got a good point there, Mr. Foote. -Well, I'm going to see if I can't grab forty winks or so—it's been a -trying day."</p> - -<p>"Me too," Jeremiah said, heading for his model A.</p> - -<p>Left alone, Dexter wedged a flashlight in the fork of a little tree, -sat down in its dim radiance, got out pen and notebook, and began his -article. <i>The Solid Cheese Cadillac</i>, he wrote, <i>by Dexter Foote</i>....</p> - -<p>Dawn found him dozing over page 16. "There they are!" someone shouted, -jerking him awake. "The filthy fiends!"</p> - -<p>The "someone" was General Longcombe. Joining him, Dexter saw the two -VEMs. They were moving relentlessly across the valley floor toward the -helpless Cadillac. Jeremiah came up, rubbing his eyes. Colonel Mortby -could be discerned through the entrance of the command-post tent, -leaning over a technician's shoulder.</p> - -<p>The two VEMs reached the Cadillac and began licking off the chrome with -their long, tong-like tongues. General Longcombe went wild. He waved -his arms. "Monsters!" he screamed, "I'll blow you to Kingdom Come -personally!" and stomped into the tent.</p> - -<p>Dexter and Jeremiah started to put on their cobalt-blue glasses. -Abruptly thunder sounded, and a shadow darkened the land. Looking -skyward, Dexter saw it—</p> - -<p>The ship. The saucer. Whichever word you cared to apply to it. But -whichever noun you chose, you had to prefix it with the adjective -"gigantic," for the ventral hatch alone, which had just yawned open, -was large enough to accommodate the Sugardale Methodist Church.</p> - -<p>In the command-post tent, the general, as yet unaware of the UFO's -presence, was giving the countdown in an anguished voice. "Two—"</p> - -<p>In the valley, the two VEMs were trying vainly to extricate themselves -from a huge metallic net that had dropped over them.</p> - -<p>"One—"</p> - -<p>On the lip of the valley, Dexter Foote was grappling with an insight.</p> - -<p>"Zero—"</p> - -<p>Pfft!...</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"It wasn't a dud after all," General Longcombe said. "They cancelled -out the chain-reaction with some kind of a ray. I wonder...." He shook -his head wistfully. "What a weapon, though."</p> - -<p>He and Colonel Mortby and the tech were standing by the chrome-stripped -carcass of the Cadillac. Dexter and Jeremiah had just come up. "My -theory turned out to be a little bit off-center," Dexter said. "You -see, I overlooked the possibility that our children aren't necessarily -the only galactic small fry who run away from home and get themselves -in Dutch. My birthday-cake analogy still holds true, but I would have -done better to have compared our late-model automobiles to appetizing -candy bars, or Easter baskets filled with jelly beans and chocolate -chickens."</p> - -<p>The general regarded him blankly. "I'm afraid I don't follow you at -all, Mr. Foote."</p> - -<p>"Did you ever turn a pair of hungry kids loose in a candy store, sir?"</p> - -<p>Understanding came into General Longcombe's eyes then, and he turned -and gazed sadly at his chromeless Cadillac. "I wonder if they have -castor oil on Planet X," he said.</p> - -<p>"I bet they have its equivalent," grinned Dexter Foote.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sweet Tooth, by Robert F. Young - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SWEET TOOTH *** - -***** This file should be named 50924-h.htm or 50924-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/2/50924/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan 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. 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 -http://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/license - -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 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 web page at http://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 -http://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 http://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 http://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 checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is 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: - - http://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. - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/50924-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/50924-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index af7e152..0000000 --- a/old/50924-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50924-h/images/illus.jpg b/old/50924-h/images/illus.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 15567cd..0000000 --- a/old/50924-h/images/illus.jpg +++ /dev/null |
