diff options
| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-05 09:20:51 -0800 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-05 09:20:51 -0800 |
| commit | 2b8614722b2e10eb621c818e8c397c716959ab36 (patch) | |
| tree | 26c5439f414d1816b93df94da1d6d4dd1fb01413 | |
| parent | d8f360b3ec5f4c5b22a1880c3a2ad3354a7dcfdd (diff) | |
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51286-h.zip | bin | 249357 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51286-h/51286-h.htm | 1217 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51286-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 92094 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51286-h/images/illus1.jpg | bin | 68059 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51286-h/images/illus2.jpg | bin | 68895 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51286.txt | 1091 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51286.zip | bin | 19470 -> 0 bytes |
10 files changed, 17 insertions, 2308 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..6d1ff53 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51286 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51286) diff --git a/old/51286-h.zip b/old/51286-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 80d77c6..0000000 --- a/old/51286-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51286-h/51286-h.htm b/old/51286-h/51286-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 774a757..0000000 --- a/old/51286-h/51286-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1217 +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 Pen Pal, by Milton Lesser. - </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; } - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pen Pal, by Milton Lesser - -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: Pen Pal - -Author: Milton Lesser - -Release Date: February 23, 2016 [EBook #51286] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEN PAL *** - - - - -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="362" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>PEN PAL</h1> - -<p>Illustrated by DON SIBLEY</p> - -<p>By MILTON LESSER</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Science Fiction July 1951.<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">All she wanted was a mate and she had the gumption<br /> -to go out and hunt one down. But that meant<br /> -poaching in a strictly forbidden territory!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The best that could be said for Matilda Penshaws was that she was -something of a paradox. She was thirty-three years old, certainly not -aged when you consider the fact that the female life expectancy is now -up in the sixties, but the lines were beginning to etch their permanent -paths across her face and now she needed certain remedial undergarments -at which she would have scoffed ten or even five years ago. Matilda was -also looking for a husband.</p> - -<p>This, in itself, was not unusual—but Matilda was so completely -wrapped up in the romantic fallacy of her day that she sought a prince -charming, a faithful Don Juan, a man who had been everywhere and tasted -of every worldly pleasure and who now wanted to sit on a porch and -talk about it all to Matilda.</p> - -<p>The fact that in all probability such a man did not exist disturbed -Matilda not in the least. She had been known to say that there are over -a billion men in the world, a goodly percentage of whom are eligible -bachelors, and that the right one would come along simply because she -had been waiting for him.</p> - -<p>Matilda, you see, had patience.</p> - -<p>She also had a fetish. Matilda had received her A.B. from exclusive -Ursula Johns College and Radcliff had yielded her Masters degree, yet -Matilda was an avid follower of the pen pal columns. She would read -them carefully and then read them again, looking for the masculine -names which, through a system known only to Matilda, had an affinity -to her own. To the gentlemen upon whom these names were affixed, -Matilda would write, and she often told her mother, the widow Penshaws, -that it was in this way she would find her husband. The widow Penshaws -impatiently told her to go out and get dates.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>That particular night, Matilda pulled her battered old sedan into the -garage and walked up the walk to the porch. The widow Penshaws was -rocking on the glider and Matilda said hello.</p> - -<p>The first thing the widow Penshaws did was to take Matilda's left hand -in her own and examine the next-to-the-last finger.</p> - -<p>"I thought so," she said. "I knew this was coming when I saw that look -in your eye at dinner. Where is Herman's engagement ring?"</p> - -<p>Matilda smiled. "It wouldn't have worked out, Ma. He was too darned -stuffy. I gave him his ring and said thanks anyway and he smiled -politely and said he wished I had told him sooner because his fifteenth -college reunion was this weekend and he had already turned down the -invitation."</p> - -<p>The widow Penshaws nodded regretfully. "That was thoughtful of Herman -to hide his feelings."</p> - -<p>"Hogwash!" said her daughter. "He has no true feelings. He's sorry that -he had to miss his college reunion. That's all he has to hide. A stuffy -Victorian prude and even less of a man than the others."</p> - -<p>"But, Matilda, that's your fifth broken engagement in three years. It -ain't that you ain't popular, but you just don't want to cooperate. -You don't <i>fall</i> in love, Matilda—no one does. Love osmoses into you -slowly, without you even knowing, and it keeps growing all the time."</p> - -<p>Matilda admired her mother's use of the word osmosis, but she found -nothing which was not objectionable about being unaware of the impact -of love. She said good-night and went upstairs, climbed out of her -light summer dress and took a cold shower.</p> - -<p>She began to hum to herself. She had not yet seen the pen pal section -of the current <i>Literary Review</i>, and because the subject matter of -that magazine was somewhat highbrow and cosmopolitan, she could expect -a gratifying selection of pen pals.</p> - -<p>She shut off the shower, brushed her teeth, gargled, patted herself -dry with a towel, and jumped into bed, careful to lock the door of her -bedroom. She dared not let the widow Penshaws know that she slept in -the nude; the widow Penshaws would object to a girl sleeping in the -nude, even if the nearest neighbor was three hundred yards away.</p> - -<p>Matilda switched her bed lamp on and dabbed some citronella on each -ear lobe and a little droplet on her chin (how she hated insects!). -Then she propped up her pillows—two pillows partially stopped her -post-nasal drip; and took the latest issue of the <i>Literary Review</i> -off the night table.</p> - -<p>She flipped through the pages and came to personals. Someone in -Nebraska wanted to trade match books; someone in New York needed a -midwestern pen pal, but it was a woman; an elderly man interested in -ornithology wanted a young chick correspondent interested in the same -subject; a young, personable man wanted an editorial position because -he thought he had something to offer the editorial world; and—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Matilda read the next one twice. Then she held it close to the light -and read it again. The <i>Literary Review</i> was one of the few magazines -which printed the name of the advertiser rather than a box number, and -Matilda even liked the sound of the name. But mostly, she had to admit -to herself, it was the flavor of the wording. This very well could be -<i>it</i>. Or, that is, <i>him</i>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>Intelligent, somewhat egotistical male who's really been around, whose -universal experience can make the average cosmopolite look like a -provincial hick, is in need of several female correspondents: must be -intelligent, have gumption, be capable of listening to male who has a -lot to say and wants to say it. All others need not apply. Wonderful -opportunity cultural experience ... Haron Gorka, Cedar Falls, Ill.</p></div> - -<p>The man was egotistical, all right; Matilda could see that. But she had -never minded an egotistical man, at least not when he had something -about which he had a genuine reason to be egotistical. The man sounded -as though he would have reason indeed. He only wanted the best because -he was the best. Like calls to like.</p> - -<p>The name—Haron Gorka: its oddness was somehow beautiful to Matilda. -Haron Gorka—the nationality could be anything. And that was it. He had -no nationality for all intents and purposes; he was an international -man, a figure among figures, a paragon....</p> - -<p>Matilda sighed happily as she put out the light. The moon shone in -through the window brightly, and at such times Matilda generally would -get up, go to the cupboard, pull out a towel, take two hairpins from -her powder drawer, pin the towel to the screen of her window, and hence -keep the disturbing moonlight from her eyes. But this time it did not -disturb her, and she would let it shine. Cedar Falls was a small town -not fifty miles from her home, and she'd get there a hop, skip, and -jump ahead of her competitors, simply by arriving in person instead of -writing a letter.</p> - -<p>Matilda was not yet that far gone in years or appearance. Dressed -properly, she could hope to make a favorable impression in person, and -she felt it was important to beat the influx of mail to Cedar Falls.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Matilda got out of bed at seven, tiptoed into the bathroom, showered -with a merest wary trickle of water, tiptoed back into her bedroom, -dressed in her very best cotton over the finest of uplifting and -figure-moulding underthings, made sure her stocking seams were -perfectly straight, brushed her suede shoes, admired herself in the -mirror, read the ad again, wished for a moment she were a bit younger, -and tiptoed downstairs.</p> - -<p>The widow Penshaws met her at the bottom of the stairwell.</p> - -<p>"Mother," gasped Matilda. Matilda always gasped when she saw something -unexpected. "What on earth are you doing up?"</p> - -<p>The widow Penshaws smiled somewhat toothlessly, having neglected to put -in both her uppers and lowers this early in the morning. "I'm fixing -breakfast, of course...."</p> - -<p>Then the widow Penshaws told Matilda that she could never hope to sneak -about the house without her mother knowing about it, and that even -if she were going out in response to one of those foolish ads in the -magazines, she would still need a good breakfast to start with like -only mother could cook. Matilda moodily thanked the widow Penshaws.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Driving the fifty miles to Cedar Falls in a little less than an hour, -Matilda hummed Mendelssohn's Wedding March all the way. It was her -favorite piece of music. Once, she told herself: Matilda Penshaws, you -are being premature about the whole thing. But she laughed and thought -that if she was, she was, and, meanwhile, she could only get to Cedar -Falls and find out.</p> - -<p>And so she got there.</p> - -<p>The man in the wire cage at the Cedar Falls post office was a -stereotype. Matilda always liked to think in terms of stereotypes. This -man was small, roundish, florid of face, with a pair of eyeglasses -which hung too far down on his nose. Matilda knew he would peer over -his glasses and answer questions grudgingly.</p> - -<p>"Hello," said Matilda.</p> - -<p>The stereotype grunted and peered at her over his glasses. Matilda -asked him where she could find Haron Gorka.</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"I said, where can I find Haron Gorka?"</p> - -<p>"Is that in the United States?"</p> - -<p>"It's not a that; it's a he. Where can I find him? Where does he live? -What's the quickest way to get there?"</p> - -<p>The stereotype pushed up his glasses and looked at her squarely. "Now -take it easy, ma'am. First place, I don't know any Haron Gorka—"</p> - -<p>Matilda kept the alarm from creeping into her voice. She muttered an -<i>oh</i> under her breath and took out the ad. This she showed to the -stereotype, and he scratched his bald head. Then he told Matilda almost -happily that he was sorry he couldn't help her. He grudgingly suggested -that if it really were important, she might check with the police.</p> - -<p>Matilda did, only they didn't know any Haron Gorka, either. It turned -out that no one did: Matilda tried the general store, the fire -department, the city hall, the high school, all three Cedar Falls gas -stations, the livery stable, and half a dozen private dwellings at -random. As far us the gentry of Cedar Falls was concerned, Haron Gorka -did not exist.</p> - -<p>Matilda felt bad, but she had no intention of returning home this -early. If she could not find Haron Gorka, that was one thing; but she -knew that she'd rather not return home and face the widow Penshaws, at -least not for a while yet. The widow Penshaws meant well, but she liked -to analyze other people's mistakes, especially Matilda's.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, Matilda trudged wearily toward Cedar Falls' small and -unimposing library. She could release some of her pent-up aggression by -browsing through the dusty slacks.</p> - -<p>This she did, but it was unrewarding. Cedar Falls had what might be -called a microscopic library, and Matilda thought that if this small -building were filled with microfilm rather than books, the library -still would be lacking. Hence she retraced her steps and nodded to the -old librarian as she passed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then Matilda frowned. Twenty years from now, this could be Matilda -Penshaws—complete with plain gray dress, rimless spectacles, gray -hair, suspicious eyes, and a broom-stick figure....</p> - -<p>On the other hand—why not? Why couldn't the librarian help her? Why -hadn't she thought of it before? Certainly a man as well-educated as -Haron Gorka would be an avid reader, and unless he had a permanent -residence here in Cedar Palls, one couldn't expect that he'd have his -own library with him. This being the case, a third-rate collection -of books was far better than no collection at all, and perhaps the -librarian would know Mr. Haron Gorka.</p> - -<p>Matilda cleared her throat. "Pardon me," she began. "I'm looking for—"</p> - -<p>"Haron Gorka." The librarian nodded.</p> - -<p>"How on earth did you know?"</p> - -<p>"That's easy. You're the sixth young woman who came here inquiring -about that man today. Six of you—five others in the morning, and now -you in the afternoon. I never did trust this Mr. Gorka...."</p> - -<p>Matilda jumped as if she had been struck strategically from the rear. -"You know him? You know Haron Gorka?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. Of course I know him. He's our steadiest reader here at -the library. Not a week goes by that he doesn't take out three, four -books. Scholarly gentleman, but not without charm. If I were twenty -years younger—"</p> - -<p>Matilda thought a little flattery might be effective. "Only ten," she -assured the librarian. "Ten years would be more than sufficient, I'm -sure."</p> - -<p>"Are you? Well. Well, well." The librarian did something with the back -of her hair, but it looked the same as before. "Maybe you're right. -Maybe you're right at that." Then she sighed. "But I guess a miss is as -good as a mile."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"I mean anyone would like to correspond with Haron Gorka. Or to know -him well. To be considered his friend. Haron Gorka...."</p> - -<p>The librarian seemed about to soar off into the air someplace, and if -five women had been here first, Matilda was now definitely in a hurry.</p> - -<p>"Um, where can I find Mr. Gorka?"</p> - -<p>"I'm not supposed to do this, you know. We're not permitted to give the -addresses of any of our people. Against regulations, my dear."</p> - -<p>"What about the other five women?"</p> - -<p>"They convinced me that I ought to give them his address."</p> - -<p>Matilda reached into her pocket-book and withdrew a five dollar bill. -"Was this the way?" she demanded. Matilda was not very good at this -sort of thing.</p> - -<p>The librarian shook her head.</p> - -<p>Matilda nodded shrewdly and added a twin brother to the bill in her -hand. "Then is this better?"</p> - -<p>"That's worse. I wouldn't take your money—"</p> - -<p>"Sorry. What then?"</p> - -<p>"If I can't enjoy an association with Haron Gorka directly, I still -could get the vicarious pleasure of your contact with him. Report to me -faithfully and you'll get his address. That's what the other five will -do, and with half a dozen of you, I'll get an overall picture. Each one -of you will tell me about Haron Gorka, sparing no details. You each -have a distinct personality, of course, and it will color each picture -considerably. But with six of you reporting, I should receive my share -of vicarious enjoyment. Is it—ah—a deal?"</p> - -<p>Matilda assured her that it was, and, breathlessly, she wrote down the -address. She thanked the librarian and then she went out to her car, -whistling to herself.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Haron Gorka lived in what could have been an agrarian estate, except -that the land no longer was being tilled. The house itself had fallen -to ruin. This surprised Matilda, but she did not let it keep her -spirits in check. Haron Gorka, the man, was what counted, and the -librarian's account of him certainly had been glowing enough. Perhaps -he was too busy with his cultural pursuits to pay any real attention to -his dwelling. That was it, of course: the conspicuous show of wealth or -personal industry meant nothing at all to Haron Gorka. Matilda liked -him all the more for it.</p> - -<p>There were five cars parked in the long driveway, and now Matilda's -made the sixth. In spite of herself, she smiled. She had not been the -only one with the idea to visit Haron Gorka in person. With half a -dozen of them there, the laggards who resorted to posting letters would -be left far behind. Matilda congratulated herself for what she thought -had been her ingenuity, and which now turned out to be something which -she had in common with five other women. You live and learn, thought -Matilda. And then, quite annoyedly, she berated herself for not having -been the first. Perhaps the other five all were satisfactory; perhaps -she wouldn't be needed; perhaps she was too late....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As it turned out, she wasn't. Not only that, she was welcomed with open -arms. Not by Haron Gorka; that she really might have liked. Instead, -someone she could only regard as a menial met her, and when he asked -had she come in response to the advertisement, she nodded eagerly. -He told her that was fine and he ushered her straight into a room -which evidently was to be her living quarters. It contained a small -undersized bed, a table, and a chair, and, near a little slot in the -wall, there was a button.</p> - -<p>"You want any food or drink," the servant told her, "and you just press -that button. The results will surprise you."</p> - -<p>"What about Mr. Gorka?"</p> - -<p>"When he wants you, he will send for you. Meanwhile, make yourself to -home, lady, and I will tell him you are here."</p> - -<p>A little doubtful now, Matilda thanked him and watched him leave. He -closed the door softly behind his retreating feet, but Matilda's ears -had not missed the ominous click. She ran to the door and tried to open -it, but it would not budge. It was locked—from the outside.</p> - -<p>It must be said to Matilda's favor that she sobbed only once. After -that she realized that what is done is done and here, past thirty, -she wasn't going to be girlishly timid about it. Besides, it was not -her fault if, in his unconcern, Haron Gorka had unwittingly hired a -neurotic servant.</p> - -<p>For a time Matilda paced back and forth in her room, and of what was -going on outside she could hear nothing. In that case, she would -pretend that there was nothing outside the little room, and presently -she lay down on the bed to take a nap. This didn't last long, however: -she had a nightmare in which Haron Gorka appeared as a giant with two -heads, but, upon awaking with a start, she immediately ascribed that to -her overwrought nerves.</p> - -<p>At that point she remembered what the servant had said about food and -she thought at once of the supreme justice she could do to a juicy -beefsteak. Well, maybe they didn't have a beefsteak. In that case, she -would take what they had, and, accordingly, she walked to the little -slot in the wall and pressed the button.</p> - -<p>She heard the whir of machinery. A moment later there was a soft -sliding sound. Through the slot first came a delicious aroma, followed -almost instantly by a tray. On the tray were a bowl of turtle soup, -mashed potatoes, green peas, bread, a strange cocktail, root-beer, a -parfait—and a thick tenderloin sizzling in hot butter sauce.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="365" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Matilda gasped once and felt about to gasp again—but by then her -salivary glands were working overtime, and she ate her meal. The fact -that it was precisely what she would have wanted could, of course, be -attributed to coincidence, and the further fact that everything was -extremely palatable made her forget all about Haron Gorka's neurotic -servant.</p> - -<p>When she finished her meal a pleasant lethargy possessed her, and in a -little while Matilda was asleep again. This time she did not dream at -all. It was a deep sleep and a restful one, and when she awoke it was -with the wonderful feeling that everything was all right.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The feeling did not last long. Standing over her was Haron Gorka's -servant, and he said, "Mr. Gorka will see you now."</p> - -<p>"Now?"</p> - -<p>"Now. That's what you're here for, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>He had a point there, but Matilda hardly even had time to fix her hair. -She told the servant so.</p> - -<p>"Miss," he replied, "I assure you it will not matter in the least to -Haron Gorka. You are here and he is ready to see you and that is all -that matters."</p> - -<p>"You sure?" Matilda wanted to take no chances.</p> - -<p>"Yes. Come."</p> - -<p>She followed him out of the little room and across what should have -been a spacious dining area, except that everything seemed covered with -dust. Of the other women Matilda could see nothing, and she suddenly -realized that each of them probably had a cubicle of a room like her -own, and that each in her turn had already had her first visit with -Haron Gorka. Well, then, she must see to it that she impressed him -better than did all the rest, and, later, when she returned to tell the -old librarian of her adventures, she could perhaps draw her out and -compare notes.</p> - -<p>She would not admit even to herself that she was disappointed with -Haron Gorka. It was not that he was homely and unimpressive; it was -just that he was so <i>ordinary</i>-looking. She almost would have preferred -the monster of her dreams.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He wore a white linen suit and he had mousy hair, drab eyes, an -almost-Roman nose, a petulant mouth with the slight arch of the egotist -at each corner.</p> - -<p>He said, "Greetings. You have come—"</p> - -<p>"In response to your ad. How do you do, Mr. Gorka?"</p> - -<p>She hoped she wasn't being too formal. But, then, there was no sense in -assuming that he would like informality. She could only wait and see -and adjust her own actions to suit him. Meanwhile, it would be best to -keep on the middle of the road.</p> - -<p>"I am fine. Are you ready?"</p> - -<p>"Ready?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. You came in response to my ad. You want to hear me talk, do -you not?"</p> - -<p>"I—do." Matilda had had visions of her prince charming sitting back -and relaxing with her, telling her of the many things he had done and -seen. But first she certainly would have liked to get to <i>know</i> the -man. Well, Haron Gorka obviously had more experience along these lines -than she did. He waited, however, as if wondering what to say, and -Matilda, accustomed to social chatter, gave him a gambit.</p> - -<p>"I must admit I was surprised when I got exactly what I wanted for -dinner," she told him brightly.</p> - -<p>"Eh? What say? Oh, yes, naturally. A combination of telepathy and -teleportation. The synthetic cookery is attuned to your mind when you -press the buzzer, and the strength of your psychic impulses determines -how closely the meal will adjust to your desires. The fact that the -adjustment here was near perfect is commendable. It means either that -you have a high psi-quotient, or that you were very hungry."</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Matilda vaguely. Perhaps it might be better, after all, if -Haron Gorka were to talk to her as he saw fit.</p> - -<p>"Ready?"</p> - -<p>"Uh—ready."</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>"Well, what, Mr. Gorka?"</p> - -<p>"What would you like me to talk about?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, anything."</p> - -<p>"Please. As the ad read, my universal experience—is universal. -Literally. You'll have to be more specific."</p> - -<p>"Well, why don't you tell me about some of your far travels? -Unfortunately, while I've done a lot of reading, I haven't been to all -the places I would have liked—"</p> - -<p>"Good enough. You know, of course, how frigid Deneb VII is?"</p> - -<p>Matilda said, "Beg pardon?"</p> - -<p>"Well, there was the time our crew—before I had retired, of -course—made a crash landing there. We could survive in the vac-suits, -of course, but the <i>thlomots</i> were after us almost at once. They go -mad over plastic. They will eat absolutely any sort of plastic. Our -vac-suits—"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="600" height="446" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"—were made of plastic," Matilda suggested. She did not understand a -thing he was talking about, but she felt she had better act bright.</p> - -<p>"No, no. Must you interrupt? The air-hose and the water feed, these -were plastic. Not the rest of the suit. The point is that half of us -were destroyed before the rescue ship could come, and the remainder -were near death. I owe my life to the mimicry of a <i>flaak</i> from Capella -III. It assumed the properties of plastic and led the <i>thlomots</i> a -merry chase across the frozen surface of D VII. You travel in the Deneb -system now and Interstellar Ordinance makes it mandatory to carry -<i>flaaks</i> with you. Excellent idea, really excellent."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Almost at once, Matilda's educational background should have told her -that Haron Gorka was mouthing gibberish. But on the other hand she -<i>wanted</i> to believe in him and the result was that it took until now -for her to realize it.</p> - -<p>"Stop making fun of me," she said.</p> - -<p>"So, naturally, you'll see <i>flaaks</i> all over that system—"</p> - -<p>"Stop!"</p> - -<p>"What's that? Making fun of you?" Haron Gorka's voice had been so -eager as he spoke, high-pitched, almost like a child's, and now he -seemed disappointed. He smiled, but it was a sad smile, a smile of -resignation, and he said, "Very well. I'm wrong again. You are the -sixth, and you're no better than the other five. Perhaps you are even -more outspoken. When you see my wife, tell her to come back. Again she -is right and I am wrong...."</p> - -<p>Haron Gorka turned his back.</p> - -<p>Matilda could do nothing but leave the room, walk back through the -house, go outside and get into her car. She noticed not without -surprise that the other five cars were now gone. She was the last of -Haron Gorka's guests to depart.</p> - -<p>As she shifted into reverse and pulled out of the driveway, she saw -the servant leaving, too. Far down the road, he was walking slowly. -Then Haron Gorka had severed that relationship, too, and now he was all -alone.</p> - -<p>As she drove back to town, the disappointment melted slowly away. There -were, of course, two alternatives. Either Haron Gorka was an eccentric -who enjoyed this sort of outlandish tomfoolery, or else he was plainly -insane. She could still picture him ranting on aimlessly to no one in -particular about places which had no existence outside of his mind, his -voice high-pitched and eager.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was not until she had passed the small library building that she -remembered what she had promised the librarian. In her own way, the -aging woman would be as disappointed as Matilda, but a promise was a -promise, and Matilda turned the car in a wide U-turn and parked it -outside the library.</p> - -<p>The woman sat at her desk as Matilda had remembered her, gray, -broom-stick figure, rigid. But now when she saw Matilda she perked up -visibly.</p> - -<p>"Hello, my dear," she said.</p> - -<p>"Hi."</p> - -<p>"You're back a bit sooner than I expected. But, then, the other five -have returned, too, and I imagine your story will be similar."</p> - -<p>"I don't know what they told you," Matilda said. "But this is what -happened to me."</p> - -<p>She quickly then related everything which had happened, completely and -in detail. She did this first because it was a promise, and second -because she knew it would make her feel better.</p> - -<p>"So," she finished, "Haron Gorka is either extremely eccentric or -insane. I'm sorry."</p> - -<p>"He's neither," the librarian contradicted. "Perhaps he is slightly -eccentric by your standards, but really, my dear, he is neither."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Did he leave a message for his wife?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes. Yes, he did. But how did you know? Oh, I suppose he told the -five."</p> - -<p>"No. He didn't. But you were the last and I thought he would give you a -message for his wife—"</p> - -<p>Matilda didn't understand. She didn't understand at all, but she told -the little librarian what the message was. "He wanted her to return," -she said.</p> - -<p>The librarian nodded, a happy smile on her lips. "You wouldn't believe -me if I told you something."</p> - -<p>"What's that?"</p> - -<p>"I am Mrs. Gorka."</p> - -<p>The librarian stood up and came around the desk. She opened a drawer -and took out her hat and perched it jauntily atop her gray hair. "You -see, my dear, Haron expects too much. He expects entirely too much."</p> - -<p>Matilda did not say a word. One madman a day would be quite enough for -anybody, but here she found herself confronted with two.</p> - -<p>"We've been tripping for centuries, visiting every habitable star -system from our home near Canopus. But Haron is too demanding. He -says I am a finicky traveler, that he could do much better alone, the -accommodations have to be just right for me, and so forth. When he -loses his temper, he tries to convince me that any number of females of -the particular planet would be more than thrilled if they were given -the opportunity just to listen to him.</p> - -<p>"But he's wrong. It's a hard life for a woman. Someday—five thousand, -ten thousand years from now—I will convince him. And then we will -settle down on Canopus XIV and cultivate <i>torgas</i>. That would be so -nice—"</p> - -<p>"I'm sure."</p> - -<p>"Well, if Haron wants me back, then I have to go. Have a care, my dear. -If you marry, choose a home-body. I've had the experience and you've -seen my Haron for yourself."</p> - -<p>And then the woman was gone. Numbly, Matilda walked to the doorway and -watched her angular figure disappear down the road. Of all the crazy -things....</p> - -<p>Deneb and Capella and Canopus, these were stars. Add a number and you -might have a planet revolving about each star. Of all the insane—</p> - -<p>They were mad, all right, and now Matilda wondered if, actually, -they were husband and wife. It could readily be; maybe the madness -was catching. Maybe if you thought too much about such things, such -travels, you could get that way. Of course, Herman represented the -other extreme, and Herman was even worse in his own way—but hereafter -Matilda would seek the happy medium.</p> - -<p>And, above all else, she had had enough of her pen pal columns. They -were, she realized, for kids.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>She ate dinner in Cedar Falls and then she went out to her car again, -preparing for the journey back home. The sun had set and it was a clear -night, and overhead the great broad sweep of the Milky Way was a pale -rainbow bridge in the sky.</p> - -<p>Matilda paused. Off in the distance there was a glow on the horizon, -and that was the direction of Haron Gorka's place.</p> - -<p>The glow increased; soon it was a bright red pulse pounding on the -horizon. It flickered. It flickered again, and finally it was gone.</p> - -<p>The stars were white and brilliant in the clear country air. That was -why Matilda liked the country better than the city, particularly on a -clear summer night when you could see the span of the Milky Way.</p> - -<p>But abruptly the stars and the Milky Way were paled by the brightest -shooting star Matilda had ever seen. It flashed suddenly and it -remained in view for a full second, searing a bright orange path across -the night sky.</p> - -<p>Matilda gasped and ran into her car. She started the gears and pressed -the accelerator to the floor, keeping it there all the way home.</p> - -<p>It was the first time she had ever seen a shooting star going <i>up</i>.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Pen Pal, by Milton Lesser - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEN PAL *** - -***** This file should be named 51286-h.htm or 51286-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/2/8/51286/ - -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/51286-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/51286-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6212fc6..0000000 --- a/old/51286-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51286-h/images/illus1.jpg b/old/51286-h/images/illus1.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5397a79..0000000 --- a/old/51286-h/images/illus1.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51286-h/images/illus2.jpg b/old/51286-h/images/illus2.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f94bfa9..0000000 --- a/old/51286-h/images/illus2.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51286.txt b/old/51286.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ccfb938..0000000 --- a/old/51286.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1091 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pen Pal, by Milton Lesser - -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: Pen Pal - -Author: Milton Lesser - -Release Date: February 23, 2016 [EBook #51286] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEN PAL *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - PEN PAL - - Illustrated by DON SIBLEY - - By MILTON LESSER - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Science Fiction July 1951. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - All she wanted was a mate and she had the gumption - to go out and hunt one down. But that meant - poaching in a strictly forbidden territory! - - -The best that could be said for Matilda Penshaws was that she was -something of a paradox. She was thirty-three years old, certainly not -aged when you consider the fact that the female life expectancy is now -up in the sixties, but the lines were beginning to etch their permanent -paths across her face and now she needed certain remedial undergarments -at which she would have scoffed ten or even five years ago. Matilda was -also looking for a husband. - -This, in itself, was not unusual--but Matilda was so completely -wrapped up in the romantic fallacy of her day that she sought a prince -charming, a faithful Don Juan, a man who had been everywhere and tasted -of every worldly pleasure and who now wanted to sit on a porch and -talk about it all to Matilda. - -The fact that in all probability such a man did not exist disturbed -Matilda not in the least. She had been known to say that there are over -a billion men in the world, a goodly percentage of whom are eligible -bachelors, and that the right one would come along simply because she -had been waiting for him. - -Matilda, you see, had patience. - -She also had a fetish. Matilda had received her A.B. from exclusive -Ursula Johns College and Radcliff had yielded her Masters degree, yet -Matilda was an avid follower of the pen pal columns. She would read -them carefully and then read them again, looking for the masculine -names which, through a system known only to Matilda, had an affinity -to her own. To the gentlemen upon whom these names were affixed, -Matilda would write, and she often told her mother, the widow Penshaws, -that it was in this way she would find her husband. The widow Penshaws -impatiently told her to go out and get dates. - - * * * * * - -That particular night, Matilda pulled her battered old sedan into the -garage and walked up the walk to the porch. The widow Penshaws was -rocking on the glider and Matilda said hello. - -The first thing the widow Penshaws did was to take Matilda's left hand -in her own and examine the next-to-the-last finger. - -"I thought so," she said. "I knew this was coming when I saw that look -in your eye at dinner. Where is Herman's engagement ring?" - -Matilda smiled. "It wouldn't have worked out, Ma. He was too darned -stuffy. I gave him his ring and said thanks anyway and he smiled -politely and said he wished I had told him sooner because his fifteenth -college reunion was this weekend and he had already turned down the -invitation." - -The widow Penshaws nodded regretfully. "That was thoughtful of Herman -to hide his feelings." - -"Hogwash!" said her daughter. "He has no true feelings. He's sorry that -he had to miss his college reunion. That's all he has to hide. A stuffy -Victorian prude and even less of a man than the others." - -"But, Matilda, that's your fifth broken engagement in three years. It -ain't that you ain't popular, but you just don't want to cooperate. -You don't _fall_ in love, Matilda--no one does. Love osmoses into you -slowly, without you even knowing, and it keeps growing all the time." - -Matilda admired her mother's use of the word osmosis, but she found -nothing which was not objectionable about being unaware of the impact -of love. She said good-night and went upstairs, climbed out of her -light summer dress and took a cold shower. - -She began to hum to herself. She had not yet seen the pen pal section -of the current _Literary Review_, and because the subject matter of -that magazine was somewhat highbrow and cosmopolitan, she could expect -a gratifying selection of pen pals. - -She shut off the shower, brushed her teeth, gargled, patted herself -dry with a towel, and jumped into bed, careful to lock the door of her -bedroom. She dared not let the widow Penshaws know that she slept in -the nude; the widow Penshaws would object to a girl sleeping in the -nude, even if the nearest neighbor was three hundred yards away. - -Matilda switched her bed lamp on and dabbed some citronella on each -ear lobe and a little droplet on her chin (how she hated insects!). -Then she propped up her pillows--two pillows partially stopped her -post-nasal drip; and took the latest issue of the _Literary Review_ -off the night table. - -She flipped through the pages and came to personals. Someone in -Nebraska wanted to trade match books; someone in New York needed a -midwestern pen pal, but it was a woman; an elderly man interested in -ornithology wanted a young chick correspondent interested in the same -subject; a young, personable man wanted an editorial position because -he thought he had something to offer the editorial world; and-- - - * * * * * - -Matilda read the next one twice. Then she held it close to the light -and read it again. The _Literary Review_ was one of the few magazines -which printed the name of the advertiser rather than a box number, and -Matilda even liked the sound of the name. But mostly, she had to admit -to herself, it was the flavor of the wording. This very well could be -_it_. Or, that is, _him_. - - Intelligent, somewhat egotistical male who's really been around, - whose universal experience can make the average cosmopolite look - like a provincial hick, is in need of several female - correspondents: must be intelligent, have gumption, be capable of - listening to male who has a lot to say and wants to say it. All - others need not apply. Wonderful opportunity cultural - experience ... Haron Gorka, Cedar Falls, Ill. - -The man was egotistical, all right; Matilda could see that. But she had -never minded an egotistical man, at least not when he had something -about which he had a genuine reason to be egotistical. The man sounded -as though he would have reason indeed. He only wanted the best because -he was the best. Like calls to like. - -The name--Haron Gorka: its oddness was somehow beautiful to Matilda. -Haron Gorka--the nationality could be anything. And that was it. He had -no nationality for all intents and purposes; he was an international -man, a figure among figures, a paragon.... - -Matilda sighed happily as she put out the light. The moon shone in -through the window brightly, and at such times Matilda generally would -get up, go to the cupboard, pull out a towel, take two hairpins from -her powder drawer, pin the towel to the screen of her window, and hence -keep the disturbing moonlight from her eyes. But this time it did not -disturb her, and she would let it shine. Cedar Falls was a small town -not fifty miles from her home, and she'd get there a hop, skip, and -jump ahead of her competitors, simply by arriving in person instead of -writing a letter. - -Matilda was not yet that far gone in years or appearance. Dressed -properly, she could hope to make a favorable impression in person, and -she felt it was important to beat the influx of mail to Cedar Falls. - - * * * * * - -Matilda got out of bed at seven, tiptoed into the bathroom, showered -with a merest wary trickle of water, tiptoed back into her bedroom, -dressed in her very best cotton over the finest of uplifting and -figure-moulding underthings, made sure her stocking seams were -perfectly straight, brushed her suede shoes, admired herself in the -mirror, read the ad again, wished for a moment she were a bit younger, -and tiptoed downstairs. - -The widow Penshaws met her at the bottom of the stairwell. - -"Mother," gasped Matilda. Matilda always gasped when she saw something -unexpected. "What on earth are you doing up?" - -The widow Penshaws smiled somewhat toothlessly, having neglected to put -in both her uppers and lowers this early in the morning. "I'm fixing -breakfast, of course...." - -Then the widow Penshaws told Matilda that she could never hope to sneak -about the house without her mother knowing about it, and that even -if she were going out in response to one of those foolish ads in the -magazines, she would still need a good breakfast to start with like -only mother could cook. Matilda moodily thanked the widow Penshaws. - - * * * * * - -Driving the fifty miles to Cedar Falls in a little less than an hour, -Matilda hummed Mendelssohn's Wedding March all the way. It was her -favorite piece of music. Once, she told herself: Matilda Penshaws, you -are being premature about the whole thing. But she laughed and thought -that if she was, she was, and, meanwhile, she could only get to Cedar -Falls and find out. - -And so she got there. - -The man in the wire cage at the Cedar Falls post office was a -stereotype. Matilda always liked to think in terms of stereotypes. This -man was small, roundish, florid of face, with a pair of eyeglasses -which hung too far down on his nose. Matilda knew he would peer over -his glasses and answer questions grudgingly. - -"Hello," said Matilda. - -The stereotype grunted and peered at her over his glasses. Matilda -asked him where she could find Haron Gorka. - -"What?" - -"I said, where can I find Haron Gorka?" - -"Is that in the United States?" - -"It's not a that; it's a he. Where can I find him? Where does he live? -What's the quickest way to get there?" - -The stereotype pushed up his glasses and looked at her squarely. "Now -take it easy, ma'am. First place, I don't know any Haron Gorka--" - -Matilda kept the alarm from creeping into her voice. She muttered an -_oh_ under her breath and took out the ad. This she showed to the -stereotype, and he scratched his bald head. Then he told Matilda almost -happily that he was sorry he couldn't help her. He grudgingly suggested -that if it really were important, she might check with the police. - -Matilda did, only they didn't know any Haron Gorka, either. It turned -out that no one did: Matilda tried the general store, the fire -department, the city hall, the high school, all three Cedar Falls gas -stations, the livery stable, and half a dozen private dwellings at -random. As far us the gentry of Cedar Falls was concerned, Haron Gorka -did not exist. - -Matilda felt bad, but she had no intention of returning home this -early. If she could not find Haron Gorka, that was one thing; but she -knew that she'd rather not return home and face the widow Penshaws, at -least not for a while yet. The widow Penshaws meant well, but she liked -to analyze other people's mistakes, especially Matilda's. - -Accordingly, Matilda trudged wearily toward Cedar Falls' small and -unimposing library. She could release some of her pent-up aggression by -browsing through the dusty slacks. - -This she did, but it was unrewarding. Cedar Falls had what might be -called a microscopic library, and Matilda thought that if this small -building were filled with microfilm rather than books, the library -still would be lacking. Hence she retraced her steps and nodded to the -old librarian as she passed. - - * * * * * - -Then Matilda frowned. Twenty years from now, this could be Matilda -Penshaws--complete with plain gray dress, rimless spectacles, gray -hair, suspicious eyes, and a broom-stick figure.... - -On the other hand--why not? Why couldn't the librarian help her? Why -hadn't she thought of it before? Certainly a man as well-educated as -Haron Gorka would be an avid reader, and unless he had a permanent -residence here in Cedar Palls, one couldn't expect that he'd have his -own library with him. This being the case, a third-rate collection -of books was far better than no collection at all, and perhaps the -librarian would know Mr. Haron Gorka. - -Matilda cleared her throat. "Pardon me," she began. "I'm looking for--" - -"Haron Gorka." The librarian nodded. - -"How on earth did you know?" - -"That's easy. You're the sixth young woman who came here inquiring -about that man today. Six of you--five others in the morning, and now -you in the afternoon. I never did trust this Mr. Gorka...." - -Matilda jumped as if she had been struck strategically from the rear. -"You know him? You know Haron Gorka?" - -"Certainly. Of course I know him. He's our steadiest reader here at -the library. Not a week goes by that he doesn't take out three, four -books. Scholarly gentleman, but not without charm. If I were twenty -years younger--" - -Matilda thought a little flattery might be effective. "Only ten," she -assured the librarian. "Ten years would be more than sufficient, I'm -sure." - -"Are you? Well. Well, well." The librarian did something with the back -of her hair, but it looked the same as before. "Maybe you're right. -Maybe you're right at that." Then she sighed. "But I guess a miss is as -good as a mile." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean anyone would like to correspond with Haron Gorka. Or to know -him well. To be considered his friend. Haron Gorka...." - -The librarian seemed about to soar off into the air someplace, and if -five women had been here first, Matilda was now definitely in a hurry. - -"Um, where can I find Mr. Gorka?" - -"I'm not supposed to do this, you know. We're not permitted to give the -addresses of any of our people. Against regulations, my dear." - -"What about the other five women?" - -"They convinced me that I ought to give them his address." - -Matilda reached into her pocket-book and withdrew a five dollar bill. -"Was this the way?" she demanded. Matilda was not very good at this -sort of thing. - -The librarian shook her head. - -Matilda nodded shrewdly and added a twin brother to the bill in her -hand. "Then is this better?" - -"That's worse. I wouldn't take your money--" - -"Sorry. What then?" - -"If I can't enjoy an association with Haron Gorka directly, I still -could get the vicarious pleasure of your contact with him. Report to me -faithfully and you'll get his address. That's what the other five will -do, and with half a dozen of you, I'll get an overall picture. Each one -of you will tell me about Haron Gorka, sparing no details. You each -have a distinct personality, of course, and it will color each picture -considerably. But with six of you reporting, I should receive my share -of vicarious enjoyment. Is it--ah--a deal?" - -Matilda assured her that it was, and, breathlessly, she wrote down the -address. She thanked the librarian and then she went out to her car, -whistling to herself. - - * * * * * - -Haron Gorka lived in what could have been an agrarian estate, except -that the land no longer was being tilled. The house itself had fallen -to ruin. This surprised Matilda, but she did not let it keep her -spirits in check. Haron Gorka, the man, was what counted, and the -librarian's account of him certainly had been glowing enough. Perhaps -he was too busy with his cultural pursuits to pay any real attention to -his dwelling. That was it, of course: the conspicuous show of wealth or -personal industry meant nothing at all to Haron Gorka. Matilda liked -him all the more for it. - -There were five cars parked in the long driveway, and now Matilda's -made the sixth. In spite of herself, she smiled. She had not been the -only one with the idea to visit Haron Gorka in person. With half a -dozen of them there, the laggards who resorted to posting letters would -be left far behind. Matilda congratulated herself for what she thought -had been her ingenuity, and which now turned out to be something which -she had in common with five other women. You live and learn, thought -Matilda. And then, quite annoyedly, she berated herself for not having -been the first. Perhaps the other five all were satisfactory; perhaps -she wouldn't be needed; perhaps she was too late.... - - * * * * * - -As it turned out, she wasn't. Not only that, she was welcomed with open -arms. Not by Haron Gorka; that she really might have liked. Instead, -someone she could only regard as a menial met her, and when he asked -had she come in response to the advertisement, she nodded eagerly. -He told her that was fine and he ushered her straight into a room -which evidently was to be her living quarters. It contained a small -undersized bed, a table, and a chair, and, near a little slot in the -wall, there was a button. - -"You want any food or drink," the servant told her, "and you just press -that button. The results will surprise you." - -"What about Mr. Gorka?" - -"When he wants you, he will send for you. Meanwhile, make yourself to -home, lady, and I will tell him you are here." - -A little doubtful now, Matilda thanked him and watched him leave. He -closed the door softly behind his retreating feet, but Matilda's ears -had not missed the ominous click. She ran to the door and tried to open -it, but it would not budge. It was locked--from the outside. - -It must be said to Matilda's favor that she sobbed only once. After -that she realized that what is done is done and here, past thirty, -she wasn't going to be girlishly timid about it. Besides, it was not -her fault if, in his unconcern, Haron Gorka had unwittingly hired a -neurotic servant. - -For a time Matilda paced back and forth in her room, and of what was -going on outside she could hear nothing. In that case, she would -pretend that there was nothing outside the little room, and presently -she lay down on the bed to take a nap. This didn't last long, however: -she had a nightmare in which Haron Gorka appeared as a giant with two -heads, but, upon awaking with a start, she immediately ascribed that to -her overwrought nerves. - -At that point she remembered what the servant had said about food and -she thought at once of the supreme justice she could do to a juicy -beefsteak. Well, maybe they didn't have a beefsteak. In that case, she -would take what they had, and, accordingly, she walked to the little -slot in the wall and pressed the button. - -She heard the whir of machinery. A moment later there was a soft -sliding sound. Through the slot first came a delicious aroma, followed -almost instantly by a tray. On the tray were a bowl of turtle soup, -mashed potatoes, green peas, bread, a strange cocktail, root-beer, a -parfait--and a thick tenderloin sizzling in hot butter sauce. - -Matilda gasped once and felt about to gasp again--but by then her -salivary glands were working overtime, and she ate her meal. The fact -that it was precisely what she would have wanted could, of course, be -attributed to coincidence, and the further fact that everything was -extremely palatable made her forget all about Haron Gorka's neurotic -servant. - -When she finished her meal a pleasant lethargy possessed her, and in a -little while Matilda was asleep again. This time she did not dream at -all. It was a deep sleep and a restful one, and when she awoke it was -with the wonderful feeling that everything was all right. - - * * * * * - -The feeling did not last long. Standing over her was Haron Gorka's -servant, and he said, "Mr. Gorka will see you now." - -"Now?" - -"Now. That's what you're here for, isn't it?" - -He had a point there, but Matilda hardly even had time to fix her hair. -She told the servant so. - -"Miss," he replied, "I assure you it will not matter in the least to -Haron Gorka. You are here and he is ready to see you and that is all -that matters." - -"You sure?" Matilda wanted to take no chances. - -"Yes. Come." - -She followed him out of the little room and across what should have -been a spacious dining area, except that everything seemed covered with -dust. Of the other women Matilda could see nothing, and she suddenly -realized that each of them probably had a cubicle of a room like her -own, and that each in her turn had already had her first visit with -Haron Gorka. Well, then, she must see to it that she impressed him -better than did all the rest, and, later, when she returned to tell the -old librarian of her adventures, she could perhaps draw her out and -compare notes. - -She would not admit even to herself that she was disappointed with -Haron Gorka. It was not that he was homely and unimpressive; it was -just that he was so _ordinary_-looking. She almost would have preferred -the monster of her dreams. - - * * * * * - -He wore a white linen suit and he had mousy hair, drab eyes, an -almost-Roman nose, a petulant mouth with the slight arch of the egotist -at each corner. - -He said, "Greetings. You have come--" - -"In response to your ad. How do you do, Mr. Gorka?" - -She hoped she wasn't being too formal. But, then, there was no sense in -assuming that he would like informality. She could only wait and see -and adjust her own actions to suit him. Meanwhile, it would be best to -keep on the middle of the road. - -"I am fine. Are you ready?" - -"Ready?" - -"Certainly. You came in response to my ad. You want to hear me talk, do -you not?" - -"I--do." Matilda had had visions of her prince charming sitting back -and relaxing with her, telling her of the many things he had done and -seen. But first she certainly would have liked to get to _know_ the -man. Well, Haron Gorka obviously had more experience along these lines -than she did. He waited, however, as if wondering what to say, and -Matilda, accustomed to social chatter, gave him a gambit. - -"I must admit I was surprised when I got exactly what I wanted for -dinner," she told him brightly. - -"Eh? What say? Oh, yes, naturally. A combination of telepathy and -teleportation. The synthetic cookery is attuned to your mind when you -press the buzzer, and the strength of your psychic impulses determines -how closely the meal will adjust to your desires. The fact that the -adjustment here was near perfect is commendable. It means either that -you have a high psi-quotient, or that you were very hungry." - -"Yes," said Matilda vaguely. Perhaps it might be better, after all, if -Haron Gorka were to talk to her as he saw fit. - -"Ready?" - -"Uh--ready." - -"Well?" - -"Well, what, Mr. Gorka?" - -"What would you like me to talk about?" - -"Oh, anything." - -"Please. As the ad read, my universal experience--is universal. -Literally. You'll have to be more specific." - -"Well, why don't you tell me about some of your far travels? -Unfortunately, while I've done a lot of reading, I haven't been to all -the places I would have liked--" - -"Good enough. You know, of course, how frigid Deneb VII is?" - -Matilda said, "Beg pardon?" - -"Well, there was the time our crew--before I had retired, of -course--made a crash landing there. We could survive in the vac-suits, -of course, but the _thlomots_ were after us almost at once. They go -mad over plastic. They will eat absolutely any sort of plastic. Our -vac-suits--" - -"--were made of plastic," Matilda suggested. She did not understand a -thing he was talking about, but she felt she had better act bright. - -"No, no. Must you interrupt? The air-hose and the water feed, these -were plastic. Not the rest of the suit. The point is that half of us -were destroyed before the rescue ship could come, and the remainder -were near death. I owe my life to the mimicry of a _flaak_ from Capella -III. It assumed the properties of plastic and led the _thlomots_ a -merry chase across the frozen surface of D VII. You travel in the Deneb -system now and Interstellar Ordinance makes it mandatory to carry -_flaaks_ with you. Excellent idea, really excellent." - - * * * * * - -Almost at once, Matilda's educational background should have told her -that Haron Gorka was mouthing gibberish. But on the other hand she -_wanted_ to believe in him and the result was that it took until now -for her to realize it. - -"Stop making fun of me," she said. - -"So, naturally, you'll see _flaaks_ all over that system--" - -"Stop!" - -"What's that? Making fun of you?" Haron Gorka's voice had been so -eager as he spoke, high-pitched, almost like a child's, and now he -seemed disappointed. He smiled, but it was a sad smile, a smile of -resignation, and he said, "Very well. I'm wrong again. You are the -sixth, and you're no better than the other five. Perhaps you are even -more outspoken. When you see my wife, tell her to come back. Again she -is right and I am wrong...." - -Haron Gorka turned his back. - -Matilda could do nothing but leave the room, walk back through the -house, go outside and get into her car. She noticed not without -surprise that the other five cars were now gone. She was the last of -Haron Gorka's guests to depart. - -As she shifted into reverse and pulled out of the driveway, she saw -the servant leaving, too. Far down the road, he was walking slowly. -Then Haron Gorka had severed that relationship, too, and now he was all -alone. - -As she drove back to town, the disappointment melted slowly away. There -were, of course, two alternatives. Either Haron Gorka was an eccentric -who enjoyed this sort of outlandish tomfoolery, or else he was plainly -insane. She could still picture him ranting on aimlessly to no one in -particular about places which had no existence outside of his mind, his -voice high-pitched and eager. - - * * * * * - -It was not until she had passed the small library building that she -remembered what she had promised the librarian. In her own way, the -aging woman would be as disappointed as Matilda, but a promise was a -promise, and Matilda turned the car in a wide U-turn and parked it -outside the library. - -The woman sat at her desk as Matilda had remembered her, gray, -broom-stick figure, rigid. But now when she saw Matilda she perked up -visibly. - -"Hello, my dear," she said. - -"Hi." - -"You're back a bit sooner than I expected. But, then, the other five -have returned, too, and I imagine your story will be similar." - -"I don't know what they told you," Matilda said. "But this is what -happened to me." - -She quickly then related everything which had happened, completely and -in detail. She did this first because it was a promise, and second -because she knew it would make her feel better. - -"So," she finished, "Haron Gorka is either extremely eccentric or -insane. I'm sorry." - -"He's neither," the librarian contradicted. "Perhaps he is slightly -eccentric by your standards, but really, my dear, he is neither." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Did he leave a message for his wife?" - -"Why, yes. Yes, he did. But how did you know? Oh, I suppose he told the -five." - -"No. He didn't. But you were the last and I thought he would give you a -message for his wife--" - -Matilda didn't understand. She didn't understand at all, but she told -the little librarian what the message was. "He wanted her to return," -she said. - -The librarian nodded, a happy smile on her lips. "You wouldn't believe -me if I told you something." - -"What's that?" - -"I am Mrs. Gorka." - -The librarian stood up and came around the desk. She opened a drawer -and took out her hat and perched it jauntily atop her gray hair. "You -see, my dear, Haron expects too much. He expects entirely too much." - -Matilda did not say a word. One madman a day would be quite enough for -anybody, but here she found herself confronted with two. - -"We've been tripping for centuries, visiting every habitable star -system from our home near Canopus. But Haron is too demanding. He -says I am a finicky traveler, that he could do much better alone, the -accommodations have to be just right for me, and so forth. When he -loses his temper, he tries to convince me that any number of females of -the particular planet would be more than thrilled if they were given -the opportunity just to listen to him. - -"But he's wrong. It's a hard life for a woman. Someday--five thousand, -ten thousand years from now--I will convince him. And then we will -settle down on Canopus XIV and cultivate _torgas_. That would be so -nice--" - -"I'm sure." - -"Well, if Haron wants me back, then I have to go. Have a care, my dear. -If you marry, choose a home-body. I've had the experience and you've -seen my Haron for yourself." - -And then the woman was gone. Numbly, Matilda walked to the doorway and -watched her angular figure disappear down the road. Of all the crazy -things.... - -Deneb and Capella and Canopus, these were stars. Add a number and you -might have a planet revolving about each star. Of all the insane-- - -They were mad, all right, and now Matilda wondered if, actually, -they were husband and wife. It could readily be; maybe the madness -was catching. Maybe if you thought too much about such things, such -travels, you could get that way. Of course, Herman represented the -other extreme, and Herman was even worse in his own way--but hereafter -Matilda would seek the happy medium. - -And, above all else, she had had enough of her pen pal columns. They -were, she realized, for kids. - - * * * * * - -She ate dinner in Cedar Falls and then she went out to her car again, -preparing for the journey back home. The sun had set and it was a clear -night, and overhead the great broad sweep of the Milky Way was a pale -rainbow bridge in the sky. - -Matilda paused. Off in the distance there was a glow on the horizon, -and that was the direction of Haron Gorka's place. - -The glow increased; soon it was a bright red pulse pounding on the -horizon. It flickered. It flickered again, and finally it was gone. - -The stars were white and brilliant in the clear country air. That was -why Matilda liked the country better than the city, particularly on a -clear summer night when you could see the span of the Milky Way. - -But abruptly the stars and the Milky Way were paled by the brightest -shooting star Matilda had ever seen. It flashed suddenly and it -remained in view for a full second, searing a bright orange path across -the night sky. - -Matilda gasped and ran into her car. She started the gears and pressed -the accelerator to the floor, keeping it there all the way home. - -It was the first time she had ever seen a shooting star going _up_. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Pen Pal, by Milton Lesser - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEN PAL *** - -***** This file should be named 51286.txt or 51286.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/2/8/51286/ - -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/51286.zip b/old/51286.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3926d31..0000000 --- a/old/51286.zip +++ /dev/null |
