diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67316-0.txt | 994 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67316-0.zip | bin | 18555 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67316-h.zip | bin | 445746 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67316-h/67316-h.htm | 1166 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67316-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 328209 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67316-h/images/illus.jpg | bin | 98184 -> 0 bytes |
9 files changed, 17 insertions, 2160 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..4987c0f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67316 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67316) diff --git a/old/67316-0.txt b/old/67316-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 31c3896..0000000 --- a/old/67316-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,994 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The First, by Edward Ludwig - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The First - -Author: Edward Ludwig - -Release Date: February 4, 2022 [eBook #67316] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRST *** - - - - - - THE FIRST - - By EDWARD LUDWIG - - _"Man will need signposts to - guide the way to infinity." That's - a quotation from--and a description - of--this inspiring story_ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Infinity Science Fiction, November 1955. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The city was enchanted. It was a colossal music box blaring forth a -thousand chants of victory. It was a rainbow torn down from the sky and -poured over the earth. It was a magic nursery through which eager-eyed -children swarmed to behold a sparkling new toy. - -Three spacemen, three conquerors-to-be, sat stiffly in the back seat -of a blue-bannered convertible. The car moved snail-like toward the -Capitol steps, escorted by a hundred bands, eight hundred flowered -floats, and ten thousand marching men. - -In its front seat, standing, waving to the crowd, was Captain George -Everson. Everson--the legless man. Everson--the bronzed giant whose -first rocketship had exploded at take-off, and yet who had lived to -walk on artificial legs, to build a second rocket, and to infect all -the world with his square-jawed determination. - -It was barely eight o'clock on this April morning of the year 1982, yet -the onslaught against the spacemen had begun. Confetti rained on them. -Breeze-filled flags dazzled them. Band music deafened them. The flow -of shouting spectators dizzied them. It was a day when holiday hats -and mathematicians' formulae, roasted peanuts and ancient dreams were -blended in a fury of joy. - -The magic wand that had enchanted the city was Everson's _Lunar Lady_. -And it _was_ like a wand--1,000 tons of it, poised on the take-off -field on the outskirts of the city, its needle-point nose turned -skyward and shining silver in the morning sunlight. - -Tonight, at sunset, when the city was saturated with speeches and music -and popcorn and prayer, the great rocket would rumble and belch flame -and rise. Mankind would begin its first flight to the moon! - -So it seemed that the people of all the earth were basking in joy and -hope, every man, woman and child--with one exception. - - * * * * * - -Jeffrey Simon rose from his bed, awakened by the rhythm of march music -outside his small apartment. He shuffled sleepily to a window. He -blinked at the array of flags and bunting that lined the street. - -The music became louder. - -He ran a shaky, withered hand over his wizened face, brushed stringy -white hair back from his forehead. His lips curved in a grim -half-smile. - -"It's starting," he murmured, "--the day that should have been yours." - -He realized that he was talking to himself again. But although he was -only fifty-six, talking aloud seemed natural to him. It not only eased -his loneliness; it also helped him to clarify his muddled thoughts. - -"Today is your last chance. Not tomorrow or the next day. It _has_ to -be today." - -The thump-thump of a base drum was like a gigantic heart-beat shaking -all the land. The blare of trumpets was a victory song, strong enough -to live in the mind of a man forever, strong enough to silence forever -the voices of fear and loneliness that might haunt a spaceman. - -"That's the music," Jeffrey Simon muttered, "that should have been -yours." - -A crimson-lettered banner said: EVERSON--THE FIRST. - -What a mockery those words were! It was like worshiping an evil, -false-faced goddess. The illusion should and must be destroyed. - -He jerked erect. He must move quickly. He must put an end to this -cosmic lie. - -He dressed in a freshly-cleaned, single-breasted tweed suit. His tie -was hastily knotted. There was no time for breakfast. - -He strode to a drawer of his bureau, yanked it open, dug away a layer -of under-clothing. He smiled as he beheld two objects. - -His hands moved gently. His hands were like those of a florist -arranging a garland of delicate blossoms. They were like the hands of a -surgeon fearful of a fatal error. They were like the hands of a father -upon his first-born. - -He picked up the stone. - -It was a bright, phosphorescent green, mottled with flecks of gold and -no larger than an apple. Its glow seemed to fill all the room. Jeffrey -remembered the cave at the base of Luna's Mount Pico from where he'd -chipped it. The cave's eerie glow had almost seemed alive, quivering -and pulsing with alien energy. Jeffrey, in his space-suit and half -blinded, had staggered when he left with his specimen. - -Next, he touched the photograph. - -It was a moment of eternity captured long ago and still imprisoned -in a wrinkled, yellowed paper. On it was the rocket, the _Marilyn_, -which had been his home for fifteen years. Behind it, on a rise in the -pock-marked Lunar terrain, was one of the launching stations which -had never been used. In the background loomed the nightmarish Tenerife -Mountains. And hovering above all in a sky of black velvet was a -shining, blue-green ball--the earth. - -Carefully, Jeffrey placed the photograph in a large envelope and slid -it, with the stone, into his coat's inner pocket. - -"They'll believe now," he murmured. "They ignored the letters, the -telegrams. Now, with proof, they'll believe. They'll learn what is a -lie and what is the truth. They'll learn who was _really_ first." - -A moment later he was on the street, struggling to filter through the -crowd. For a few seconds he knew terror, because those in the crowd -had surrendered all individuality. They had become a single, automatic -entity, hypnotized by the tapestry of color and sound and responding -to it alone. The crowd closed in upon him like the tentacles of an -octopus, imprisoning him and thrusting him forward and back. - -At last, panting, he broke free. He found a side street--one that would -not be invaded by the parade. He walked swiftly. Then, although breath -came hard, he ran. - - * * * * * - -Carved above the entrance of the huge stone building were the words: - - UNITED STATES BUREAU - OF INTERPLANETARY - RESEARCH - -Jeffrey stopped to catch his breath. How many of his letters had -passed over that mountainous series of steps? How many, like those to -Congress, to the Pentagon and to the President, had been crumpled, -torn, tossed into waste baskets? - -It didn't matter. He was doing now what he should have done a month -ago--appearing in person with his proof. - -He lumbered up the stone steps. His watery eyes widened at the bright -murals in the vast foyer--murals of stars and planets, of rockets and -spacemen, all centered about a gigantic and symbolic pair of human -hands reaching upward. - -Jeffrey squinted down the white, clean, cool halls. - -So this was where spacemen of today lived, studied, worked, -experimented. How different from that battered quonset hut in the hot, -wind-burnt New Mexican desert. - -"May I help you, sir?" - -The voice snapped him back to reality. - -He turned and saw a young man seated at a desk a short distance away. -The man was sleepy-eyed, with black, close-cropped hair and ears that -were too big. On the desk was a placard that said: _Officer of The Day: -Lieutenant Andrews_. - -The lieutenant drummed his fingers on the desk. "Speak up, old timer. -What is it? If you want information on today's flight, just help -yourself to these folders." - -"No, no." Jeffrey walked up to the desk, brushed away the folders. -"I--I want to see someone in authority. There's something I have to -tell them." - -"I'm in charge. Go ahead and tell it to me." - -Jeffrey trembled. "It's going to sound crazy. You might not believe--" - -"Go ahead and tell it. Then I'll decide whether to believe." - -Confidence came to Jeffrey. He touched the reassuring bulge of the -stone and the photograph in his pocket. Then he began to speak. - -"Well, you've read how things were back in 1957. The world cut in half. -Communism on one side, Democracy on the other. Both sides threatening -the other. Both building faster and faster jets and bigger and bigger -H-bombs. People felt like they were walking on tight-ropes. - -"In August of '57 the Russians announced that they had the biggest -H-bomb ever made. The President and his cabinet and the top brass met. -The Army Chief of Staff was already on record in saying there was no -perfect defense against an H-bomb attack. Radar nets, anti-aircraft -and fighter planes would take care of a lot of attacking bombers -or missiles, but some would probably get through. There had to be -something else--something as daring as the first A-bomb project back in -World War II. - -"The answer was obvious: a _manned_ artificial satellite." - -The lieutenant stiffened. He made a sucking noise with his lips. - -"Yep," Jeffrey continued, "a manned satellite. Our scientists had -developed the tiny, unmanned 'mouse.' A full-scale version was -tougher--but possible. - -"And a nation in control of such a satellite would watch over all -the world. From its near-zero gravity it could launch guided atomic -missiles to any point on the earth." - -Jeffrey cleared his throat. His listener was still attentive. - -"So Project Pandora began. Like the Manhattan Project, it was top -secret, because we didn't want the Russians to start like crazy on -their own Project. I never learned how many men were involved--probably -about 100,000. But all except maybe a hundred or so thought they were -working on new types of jets or fuels. - -"A new town--Pandora City--sprang up in New Mexico for general -research. Really top secret stuff, like the construction of our -rockets, was handled in Hell Canyon, which probably still isn't on your -maps. You couldn't get there except by cargo-carrying helicopter. - -"I was a guided missile man transferred from Point Mugu to the Canyon. -Entering that hell-hole was like being sentenced for life. We had our -movies and beer, but the sun and mountains were still there. I used to -look at those mountains and wonder if I dared try to escape. Then I -thought of the desert on the other side. There _was_ no escape--except -through death or by finishing the damn project. - -"By the fall of '58 we had our fuel. Dilute monatomic -hydrogen--powerful as the guts of an H-bomb, but controllable, suitable -for atomic engines. Powered with that fuel, a rocket could rip through -the old seven-mile-a-second barrier like a knife cutting through tissue -paper. - -"Then a new question came up. Was the artificial satellite the ideal -solution to our problem? Even at a height of a thousand miles, it could -be visible to Russian astronomers. Russian knowledge of our secret -could start off a Third World War. And, if the Russians developed their -own guided missile program, the satellite might be vulnerable. - -"We'd developed an alloy of rare earths for our jet tubes, so there was -no reason why we couldn't hit the moon direct. A Lunar station could be -camouflaged, and launching platforms for missiles could be scattered. -Most important, the moon would give us utter secrecy." - -Jeffrey's voice trailed. A cloud of memory seemed to drift before his -vision. "And--and I guess there was something else, too. We didn't want -to stop with just a satellite. We had the power to take space by the -nose and pull it around like a whipped dog. The first men to leave our -planet--think of those words. The first, the very first. The thought -makes you a little drunk." - -He smiled. "The President, his cabinet, the top brass okayed our ideas. -So the moon it was!" - - * * * * * - -Lieutenant Andrews rose, his mouth a tight, white line. - -"Afraid we'll have to call it a day," he muttered. "It's time for me to -go off duty. Sorry." - -"But--but your relief isn't here. You can't--" - -"Sorry." The man's gaze avoided Jeffrey's face. - -He moved swiftly, his tall body easing around the desk, then striding -down the hall. - -Jeffrey was like a statue, an absurd, bulging-eyed statue with right -hand still raised in a climactic, melodramatic gesture. - -"But I haven't finished!" he cried. "You haven't heard--" - -The lieutenant marched away, oblivious to Jeffrey's pleading voice. -Abruptly, his bright uniform disappeared into one of the labyrinth's -many rooms. - -Jeffrey was a fragile leaf mauled by winds of desperation. He dug -furiously into his coat's inner pocket. - -"You haven't seen my proof!" he screamed. - -There was no reply save the cold, hollow, hundred-tongued echo of his -own words. - -Jeffrey looked down at his outstretched hands. They were holding the -faded photograph and the shining stone, offering them to the silence. - - * * * * * - -Outside, the city was like a merry-go-round whirling faster and faster. -Music had swelled to a dizzying crescendo. Colors were brighter in the -noon sunlight. Voices were louder, prayers stronger. - -"Ten to one they don't make it," said a rat-faced man. "I'll take _all_ -bets." - -"They will not be alone," the solemn man in the black robe intoned to -his congregation. "For yea, though I walk through the valley of the -shadow of death...." - -"Why must Daddy go up into the sky, Mama? Why?" asked the child. - -"He's going to be a pioneer, dear. He's going to be one of the first to -go to the moon." - -"But why, Mama? Why?" - -The bearded man shouted, "The wrath of God will fall upon us and upon -our children and our children's children. Man was not meant--" - -"We have our Marco Polo, our Columbus, our Wright Brothers and our -Lindbergh. Now, by the grace of God, we have our George Everson!" - -"Step right up, folks! Get your souvenir programs here! And don't -forget your dark glasses for the take-off. Special today--only one -dollar!" - - * * * * * - -A clock struck one. - -"No," said the stiffly polite girl, "the city editor isn't in. No, our -reporters are covering the flight. Sorry." - -A clock struck two. - -"Sorry." - -Jeffrey sighed. What else was there? The Research Bureau. The -Department of Defense, the Pentagon. _The Times_, _The Herald_, _The -Post_. He hadn't wanted to take his story to the newspapers, but they -had given him a last, futile hope. Now, even they had refused to listen. - -There was still _The Mirror_. The twilight news. The love nests, the -exposés, the screaming headlines that most papers were saving for the -second coming of Christ. - -Jeffrey found himself walking up dark, thinly carpeted stairs, pushing -a faded swinging door. Then someone was leading him forward. Sounds of -clacking typewriters and rustling papers filled the air. - -The photograph and the moon-stone were in his hands. He was thrusting -them forward. - -"This is my proof," he mumbled automatically. - -For a long time his surroundings were like the terrain in a dimly -remembered dream. Then hands helped him into a chair. - -A deep voice grunted at him. "Okay, proof of what?" - -Jeffrey blinked. His brain fought to break through the wall of -weariness that enclosed it. He saw that the man before him was -middle-aged, balding, small-eyed. His trace of a smile was not -unpleasant. - -"What's it all about, fellow?" the man asked, leaning back in his chair. - -_Thank you, God_, thought Jeffrey, _that I have another chance._ - -He began again. 1957, the H-bomb, Project Pandora. Lord, if he could -only show this man the images that still hung in his memory! - -But how could you capture the dizzying blackness of space, the hypnotic -silver of stars, and recreate their magic in mere words? How feeble -were words. They were like broken fingers trying to carry sand. - -Nevertheless, the man listened. Jeffrey came to the words, "So the moon -it was!" And even then the man said nothing. Jeffrey went on: - -"Our first rocket was ready by the summer of '59. We named it the -_Marilyn_--after Marilyn Monroe, the top glamour gal of those days. -And I was in the ship's first crew. - -"Our take-off wasn't like this circus today. No music, no speeches, no -parades. We had a shot of brandy in the morning. We shook hands with -our friends and puffed on cigarettes and the C.O. said a prayer. Then -we took off." - -Jeffrey weighed words and memories in his mind. "It'd take me a year to -tell about how space looks and how the moon is; and how you feel when -all the things you love are in a cloud-wrapped ball 240,000 miles away. -Or how it feels to see your buddies slip through the paper-thin crust -that covers parts of the moon and go down into nothingness, just as if -the hand of God wiped them out of the universe. - -"Anyway, we hit the moon. The ship stayed long enough for us to build -a dome. Then we split the crew in half. Five stayed, the rest shuttled -back to Earth for more supplies. Three months later the second rocket, -the _June Randy_, was ready, and life got a little easier. We began -to get an occasional case of beer and mail from home. Our families -thought they were writing to Pandora City. To think that those little -three-cent letters would go all the way to Luna would have seemed a -lunatic's dream to them. - -"By the summer of '61 Project Pandora was completed. We had two domes -and four launching stations, each a hundred miles apart. The missiles -on the launching platforms were like those beds of nails the yogis are -supposed to lie on--only a hundred times bigger. And each nail was a -uranium-lithium-tritium-headed rocket. - -"1961 slipped by, and '62 and '63. There were a few aborted revolutions -on earth, a few moments of tension, but no war." - -A veil of loneliness seemed to fall over his vision, separating him -from his listener. - -"Go ahead," the man prompted him. - -"Well, new faces appeared in our crews. The older fellows were given -memory-washes so they wouldn't start blabbing when they returned to -Earth. Psychiatry was pretty primitive in those days. The treatment -wasn't much more than hypnosis, creating an artificial psychic block in -their minds. After a while, it seemed like men were coming and going -like figures on a treadmill--but, me, I stayed on." - -"You stayed on? Why?" - -Jeffrey thought for an instant. "Because there were two kinds of -loneliness for us. One was being on the moon, in silence and emptiness. -The other was being on Earth, in the midst of life and knowing the -biggest secret in the world and not being able to talk about it. And of -the two kinds of loneliness, to me, the last was the worst. So I stayed -on the _Marilyn_." - - * * * * * - -Jeffrey tried to keep his voice calm, his manner confident. - -"Then came the Russian Revolution of '74, the rise of democracy behind -the crumbling Iron Curtain. The rest of the world watched and waited. -We kept those launching platforms ready--just in case. But by '76, -there was no doubt about it. Communism was over and done. The world was -at peace. - -"And with the arrival of peace, man's energies had to be directed into -new channels. Till now, the government had quietly discouraged any talk -about space flight. But now man craved adventure. Newspapers and public -opinion began to beat the drum for that first flight to the moon." - -He chuckled softly. "The President must have been tearing his hair out. -What the hell was he going to do with Project Pandora? The Russians -mustn't know that for fifteen years our missiles had been ready to -blast them to eternity. The old hates had been buried. They couldn't be -allowed to rise again. - -"So Project Pandora became Project Garbage. The domes and platforms -were dismantled and carried back to Pandora City. The moon was the -biggest garbage dump in the Solar System, but it had to be cleaned up -to the last beer can and cigarette butt. It had to become virgin again, -ready to receive what Earth would later call the first pioneers of -space. And it was then, when discipline was low, that I smuggled out -the moon-stone and the photo. - -"Everybody got the memory-wash--from the President on down. I was a -civilian again with a nice pension. For the first couple of years I -couldn't remember a thing. I only knew I'd done secret work for the -government. I'd look at my photo and stone and wonder where I got them. - -"But gradually my memory came back. Maybe it was because of the photo, -or maybe because I'd been on Luna and the _Marilyn_ so much longer than -the others. - -"Last year I got mad when Everson announced plans to hit the moon. -His name was in headlines every day. He was becoming a hero without -even leaving the ground. And there were a hundred men whose bodies were -already lost on Luna. They were the real heroes, the real pioneers. -This celebration today--it's a mockery. I want the world to know the -truth." - - * * * * * - -For the space of a minute the small-eyed man was silent. His fingers -toyed with the stone and the photograph. - -Finally he murmured, "Suppose I publish your story. How much do you -want for it?" - -To Jeffrey, the words were like April sunshine streaking into a -cobwebbed winter attic. - -"You--you want to use the story? You believe me?" - -"I didn't say I believe it. I don't give a damn whether it's true or -not. My job is to sell newspapers. I asked how much you want for it." - -"Nothing," Jeffrey said softly. - -The small-eyed man grunted. "We could flood the city with the afternoon -edition. People are buying anything with a moon angle. The Russians -wouldn't shout for joy, but there shouldn't be any harm done at this -late date." - -His eyes brightened. "We might get away with it. We've got your stone. -We could demand that Everson locate the place where you got it and -either prove or disprove your story. Why, that'd be good for months!" - -He laughed. "What a damper we'll put on _this_ celebration! We'll make -the city seem like a morgue. It's a dirty, lousy trick, but by God -it'll sell papers!" - -Jeffrey leaned forward, squinting. "A dirty, lousy trick? What do you -mean?" - -"Skip it." The man's enthusiasm was rising. He was like fizzing soda in -a thumb-stoppered, shaken bottle. "We got to get this story in print. -Hey, Marty! Get the dicto-typer over here! I've been waiting all my -life to yell stop those presses. Marty! _Stop those goddamn presses!_" - -"What did you mean?" Jeffrey insisted. "How can telling people the -truth be a dirty, lousy trick?" - -The small-eyed man laughed again. "You don't think folks'll _like_ this -story, do you? You don't think they'll feel like celebrating when they -read this, do you? It's a cinch they won't start cheering _you_ for -what you did almost twenty years ago! Say, wait'll Everson sees that -moon pic plastered on my front page. _There's_ an angle! A pic of -Everson's expression! Hey, Marty! Get me--" - - * * * * * - -Restlessly, Jeffrey rose and shuffled to a window. One of the city's -myriad parades, like a battalion of colored ants, was streaming down -the street. - -The small-eyed man yelled, "Come on, let's have that story again! This -time it's for publication." - -Jeffrey didn't answer. Odd thoughts were stirring in deep recesses of -his mind. - -"Come on! Let's have that story!" - -Jeffrey stared out the window, a far-away gaze in his eyes. "Do--do -you suppose I was the only one who remembered? There must be others. I -couldn't be the only one." - -"Sure, there could be others--if your yarn is true. Maybe they've tried -to tell and nobody believed 'em. Or maybe they're keeping quiet. Maybe -they don't want to make dopes out of Everson and his men. Maybe they -want to keep 'em heroes. Now, gimme that story!" He flicked a switch on -the dicto-typer. - -Words echoed in Jeffrey's brain. _Maybe they don't want to make dopes -out of Everson and his men. Maybe they want to keep 'em heroes. It's -a cinch they won't start cheering you for what you did almost twenty -years ago._ - -The world has need of heroes, he thought. There's Luna, and then there -are Venus and Mars and Jupiter and all the others; and, always, there -are the stars. And, between, there are miles and years of darkness and -loneliness, and courage is a candle flame too easily extinguished. -Mankind will need songs of daring and tales of heroes and signposts to -guide the way to infinity. You can't make heroes out of men whose very -names are forgotten. You can't make heroes out of tired old bones. - -Jeffrey frowned as the hum of presses echoed in his ears. - -The great headlines would descend upon the enchanted city like a black -tidal wave. They would swirl through the streets, devour the bright -color, absorb the gay sound, suck the joy into dark waters of doubt and -suspicion. - -The small-eyed man was shouting at him. He did not hear. - -_After all_, Jeffrey told himself, _this is for you. It's not for -Everson and his men, really. It's for the pioneers, for those who dare -to be first. The eyes are not on you, and the voices do not speak to -you. Yet all this, really, is for you--for you were the first. Would -you destroy this day that is yours?_ - -A voice was swearing at him. - -What a day it was! Why, it must be the greatest in the history of -Earth. It was a day for all history books everywhere, always. It was a -shame that the minutes were piling one upon the other so rapidly. How -wonderful if they could be bottled and sealed like sweet perfume, to be -dispensed slowly, a scent a month, a drop a year. - -Hands were tugging at his arm. He shook himself free. He turned back to -the desk, seized the moon-stone and the photograph, replaced them in -his pocket. - -Silently, head high, he strode past the naked, astonished faces. - - * * * * * - -Dusk. A silence blanketed the take-off field. The seconds hung in the -air like bits of fire and ice. - -Captain George Everson, the man with no legs, waved to the multitude -as he entered his silver rocket. - -Presently there was a sound of thunder, and the land trembled. Flame -belched from the stern of the _Lunar Lady_. Slowly, the rocket began to -rise. The multitude drew back, like frightened red ghosts in the fiery -glare from the grumbling jets. - -A greater avalanche of flame spewed from the rocket. A furnace-hot wind -shrilled over the field, lashing at hair and clothing, at banner and -flag. - -And suddenly the _Lunar Lady_ was gone. It was a needle of fire high in -the twilight sky, a vanishing target for a million narrowed eyes. - -A hushed, reverent murmur rose from the field. - -A small girl in a pink party dress tugged at her mother's skirt. - -"Look, Mommy," she whispered. "Look at that funny old man. He keeps -saying, 'This is for you,' and he's crying and laughing at the same -time!" - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRST *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/67316-0.zip b/old/67316-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index afc1fa5..0000000 --- a/old/67316-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67316-h.zip b/old/67316-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2975df0..0000000 --- a/old/67316-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67316-h/67316-h.htm b/old/67316-h/67316-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 25c7c5d..0000000 --- a/old/67316-h/67316-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1166 +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=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The First, by Edward Ludwig. - </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;} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - -/* 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; -} - - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The First, by Edward Ludwig</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The First</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Edward Ludwig</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: February 4, 2022 [eBook #67316]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRST ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>THE FIRST</h1> - -<h2>By EDWARD LUDWIG</h2> - -<p><i>"Man will need signposts to<br /> -guide the way to infinity." That's<br /> -a quotation from—and a description<br /> -of—this inspiring story</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Infinity Science Fiction, November 1955.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The city was enchanted. It was a colossal music box blaring forth a -thousand chants of victory. It was a rainbow torn down from the sky and -poured over the earth. It was a magic nursery through which eager-eyed -children swarmed to behold a sparkling new toy.</p> - -<p>Three spacemen, three conquerors-to-be, sat stiffly in the back seat -of a blue-bannered convertible. The car moved snail-like toward the -Capitol steps, escorted by a hundred bands, eight hundred flowered -floats, and ten thousand marching men.</p> - -<p>In its front seat, standing, waving to the crowd, was Captain George -Everson. Everson—the legless man. Everson—the bronzed giant whose -first rocketship had exploded at take-off, and yet who had lived to -walk on artificial legs, to build a second rocket, and to infect all -the world with his square-jawed determination.</p> - -<p>It was barely eight o'clock on this April morning of the year 1982, yet -the onslaught against the spacemen had begun. Confetti rained on them. -Breeze-filled flags dazzled them. Band music deafened them. The flow -of shouting spectators dizzied them. It was a day when holiday hats -and mathematicians' formulae, roasted peanuts and ancient dreams were -blended in a fury of joy.</p> - -<p>The magic wand that had enchanted the city was Everson's <i>Lunar Lady</i>. -And it <i>was</i> like a wand—1,000 tons of it, poised on the take-off -field on the outskirts of the city, its needle-point nose turned -skyward and shining silver in the morning sunlight.</p> - -<p>Tonight, at sunset, when the city was saturated with speeches and music -and popcorn and prayer, the great rocket would rumble and belch flame -and rise. Mankind would begin its first flight to the moon!</p> - -<p>So it seemed that the people of all the earth were basking in joy and -hope, every man, woman and child—with one exception.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Jeffrey Simon rose from his bed, awakened by the rhythm of march music -outside his small apartment. He shuffled sleepily to a window. He -blinked at the array of flags and bunting that lined the street.</p> - -<p>The music became louder.</p> - -<p>He ran a shaky, withered hand over his wizened face, brushed stringy -white hair back from his forehead. His lips curved in a grim -half-smile.</p> - -<p>"It's starting," he murmured, "—the day that should have been yours."</p> - -<p>He realized that he was talking to himself again. But although he was -only fifty-six, talking aloud seemed natural to him. It not only eased -his loneliness; it also helped him to clarify his muddled thoughts.</p> - -<p>"Today is your last chance. Not tomorrow or the next day. It <i>has</i> to -be today."</p> - -<p>The thump-thump of a base drum was like a gigantic heart-beat shaking -all the land. The blare of trumpets was a victory song, strong enough -to live in the mind of a man forever, strong enough to silence forever -the voices of fear and loneliness that might haunt a spaceman.</p> - -<p>"That's the music," Jeffrey Simon muttered, "that should have been -yours."</p> - -<p>A crimson-lettered banner said: EVERSON—THE FIRST.</p> - -<p>What a mockery those words were! It was like worshiping an evil, -false-faced goddess. The illusion should and must be destroyed.</p> - -<p>He jerked erect. He must move quickly. He must put an end to this -cosmic lie.</p> - -<p>He dressed in a freshly-cleaned, single-breasted tweed suit. His tie -was hastily knotted. There was no time for breakfast.</p> - -<p>He strode to a drawer of his bureau, yanked it open, dug away a layer -of under-clothing. He smiled as he beheld two objects.</p> - -<p>His hands moved gently. His hands were like those of a florist -arranging a garland of delicate blossoms. They were like the hands of a -surgeon fearful of a fatal error. They were like the hands of a father -upon his first-born.</p> - -<p>He picked up the stone.</p> - -<p>It was a bright, phosphorescent green, mottled with flecks of gold and -no larger than an apple. Its glow seemed to fill all the room. Jeffrey -remembered the cave at the base of Luna's Mount Pico from where he'd -chipped it. The cave's eerie glow had almost seemed alive, quivering -and pulsing with alien energy. Jeffrey, in his space-suit and half -blinded, had staggered when he left with his specimen.</p> - -<p>Next, he touched the photograph.</p> - -<p>It was a moment of eternity captured long ago and still imprisoned -in a wrinkled, yellowed paper. On it was the rocket, the <i>Marilyn</i>, -which had been his home for fifteen years. Behind it, on a rise in the -pock-marked Lunar terrain, was one of the launching stations which -had never been used. In the background loomed the nightmarish Tenerife -Mountains. And hovering above all in a sky of black velvet was a -shining, blue-green ball—the earth.</p> - -<p>Carefully, Jeffrey placed the photograph in a large envelope and slid -it, with the stone, into his coat's inner pocket.</p> - -<p>"They'll believe now," he murmured. "They ignored the letters, the -telegrams. Now, with proof, they'll believe. They'll learn what is a -lie and what is the truth. They'll learn who was <i>really</i> first."</p> - -<p>A moment later he was on the street, struggling to filter through the -crowd. For a few seconds he knew terror, because those in the crowd -had surrendered all individuality. They had become a single, automatic -entity, hypnotized by the tapestry of color and sound and responding -to it alone. The crowd closed in upon him like the tentacles of an -octopus, imprisoning him and thrusting him forward and back.</p> - -<p>At last, panting, he broke free. He found a side street—one that would -not be invaded by the parade. He walked swiftly. Then, although breath -came hard, he ran.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Carved above the entrance of the huge stone building were the words:</p> - -<p class="ph1">UNITED STATES BUREAU<br /> -OF INTERPLANETARY<br /> -RESEARCH</p> - -<p>Jeffrey stopped to catch his breath. How many of his letters had -passed over that mountainous series of steps? How many, like those to -Congress, to the Pentagon and to the President, had been crumpled, -torn, tossed into waste baskets?</p> - -<p>It didn't matter. He was doing now what he should have done a month -ago—appearing in person with his proof.</p> - -<p>He lumbered up the stone steps. His watery eyes widened at the bright -murals in the vast foyer—murals of stars and planets, of rockets and -spacemen, all centered about a gigantic and symbolic pair of human -hands reaching upward.</p> - -<p>Jeffrey squinted down the white, clean, cool halls.</p> - -<p>So this was where spacemen of today lived, studied, worked, -experimented. How different from that battered quonset hut in the hot, -wind-burnt New Mexican desert.</p> - -<p>"May I help you, sir?"</p> - -<p>The voice snapped him back to reality.</p> - -<p>He turned and saw a young man seated at a desk a short distance away. -The man was sleepy-eyed, with black, close-cropped hair and ears that -were too big. On the desk was a placard that said: <i>Officer of The Day: -Lieutenant Andrews</i>.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant drummed his fingers on the desk. "Speak up, old timer. -What is it? If you want information on today's flight, just help -yourself to these folders."</p> - -<p>"No, no." Jeffrey walked up to the desk, brushed away the folders. -"I—I want to see someone in authority. There's something I have to -tell them."</p> - -<p>"I'm in charge. Go ahead and tell it to me."</p> - -<p>Jeffrey trembled. "It's going to sound crazy. You might not believe—"</p> - -<p>"Go ahead and tell it. Then I'll decide whether to believe."</p> - -<p>Confidence came to Jeffrey. He touched the reassuring bulge of the -stone and the photograph in his pocket. Then he began to speak.</p> - -<p>"Well, you've read how things were back in 1957. The world cut in half. -Communism on one side, Democracy on the other. Both sides threatening -the other. Both building faster and faster jets and bigger and bigger -H-bombs. People felt like they were walking on tight-ropes.</p> - -<p>"In August of '57 the Russians announced that they had the biggest -H-bomb ever made. The President and his cabinet and the top brass met. -The Army Chief of Staff was already on record in saying there was no -perfect defense against an H-bomb attack. Radar nets, anti-aircraft -and fighter planes would take care of a lot of attacking bombers -or missiles, but some would probably get through. There had to be -something else—something as daring as the first A-bomb project back in -World War II.</p> - -<p>"The answer was obvious: a <i>manned</i> artificial satellite."</p> - -<p>The lieutenant stiffened. He made a sucking noise with his lips.</p> - -<p>"Yep," Jeffrey continued, "a manned satellite. Our scientists had -developed the tiny, unmanned 'mouse.' A full-scale version was -tougher—but possible.</p> - -<p>"And a nation in control of such a satellite would watch over all -the world. From its near-zero gravity it could launch guided atomic -missiles to any point on the earth."</p> - -<p>Jeffrey cleared his throat. His listener was still attentive.</p> - -<p>"So Project Pandora began. Like the Manhattan Project, it was top -secret, because we didn't want the Russians to start like crazy on -their own Project. I never learned how many men were involved—probably -about 100,000. But all except maybe a hundred or so thought they were -working on new types of jets or fuels.</p> - -<p>"A new town—Pandora City—sprang up in New Mexico for general -research. Really top secret stuff, like the construction of our -rockets, was handled in Hell Canyon, which probably still isn't on your -maps. You couldn't get there except by cargo-carrying helicopter.</p> - -<p>"I was a guided missile man transferred from Point Mugu to the Canyon. -Entering that hell-hole was like being sentenced for life. We had our -movies and beer, but the sun and mountains were still there. I used to -look at those mountains and wonder if I dared try to escape. Then I -thought of the desert on the other side. There <i>was</i> no escape—except -through death or by finishing the damn project.</p> - -<p>"By the fall of '58 we had our fuel. Dilute monatomic -hydrogen—powerful as the guts of an H-bomb, but controllable, suitable -for atomic engines. Powered with that fuel, a rocket could rip through -the old seven-mile-a-second barrier like a knife cutting through tissue -paper.</p> - -<p>"Then a new question came up. Was the artificial satellite the ideal -solution to our problem? Even at a height of a thousand miles, it could -be visible to Russian astronomers. Russian knowledge of our secret -could start off a Third World War. And, if the Russians developed their -own guided missile program, the satellite might be vulnerable.</p> - -<p>"We'd developed an alloy of rare earths for our jet tubes, so there was -no reason why we couldn't hit the moon direct. A Lunar station could be -camouflaged, and launching platforms for missiles could be scattered. -Most important, the moon would give us utter secrecy."</p> - -<p>Jeffrey's voice trailed. A cloud of memory seemed to drift before his -vision. "And—and I guess there was something else, too. We didn't want -to stop with just a satellite. We had the power to take space by the -nose and pull it around like a whipped dog. The first men to leave our -planet—think of those words. The first, the very first. The thought -makes you a little drunk."</p> - -<p>He smiled. "The President, his cabinet, the top brass okayed our ideas. -So the moon it was!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Lieutenant Andrews rose, his mouth a tight, white line.</p> - -<p>"Afraid we'll have to call it a day," he muttered. "It's time for me to -go off duty. Sorry."</p> - -<p>"But—but your relief isn't here. You can't—"</p> - -<p>"Sorry." The man's gaze avoided Jeffrey's face.</p> - -<p>He moved swiftly, his tall body easing around the desk, then striding -down the hall.</p> - -<p>Jeffrey was like a statue, an absurd, bulging-eyed statue with right -hand still raised in a climactic, melodramatic gesture.</p> - -<p>"But I haven't finished!" he cried. "You haven't heard—"</p> - -<p>The lieutenant marched away, oblivious to Jeffrey's pleading voice. -Abruptly, his bright uniform disappeared into one of the labyrinth's -many rooms.</p> - -<p>Jeffrey was a fragile leaf mauled by winds of desperation. He dug -furiously into his coat's inner pocket.</p> - -<p>"You haven't seen my proof!" he screamed.</p> - -<p>There was no reply save the cold, hollow, hundred-tongued echo of his -own words.</p> - -<p>Jeffrey looked down at his outstretched hands. They were holding the -faded photograph and the shining stone, offering them to the silence.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Outside, the city was like a merry-go-round whirling faster and faster. -Music had swelled to a dizzying crescendo. Colors were brighter in the -noon sunlight. Voices were louder, prayers stronger.</p> - -<p>"Ten to one they don't make it," said a rat-faced man. "I'll take <i>all</i> -bets."</p> - -<p>"They will not be alone," the solemn man in the black robe intoned to -his congregation. "For yea, though I walk through the valley of the -shadow of death...."</p> - -<p>"Why must Daddy go up into the sky, Mama? Why?" asked the child.</p> - -<p>"He's going to be a pioneer, dear. He's going to be one of the first to -go to the moon."</p> - -<p>"But why, Mama? Why?"</p> - -<p>The bearded man shouted, "The wrath of God will fall upon us and upon -our children and our children's children. Man was not meant—"</p> - -<p>"We have our Marco Polo, our Columbus, our Wright Brothers and our -Lindbergh. Now, by the grace of God, we have our George Everson!"</p> - -<p>"Step right up, folks! Get your souvenir programs here! And don't -forget your dark glasses for the take-off. Special today—only one -dollar!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A clock struck one.</p> - -<p>"No," said the stiffly polite girl, "the city editor isn't in. No, our -reporters are covering the flight. Sorry."</p> - -<p>A clock struck two.</p> - -<p>"Sorry."</p> - -<p>Jeffrey sighed. What else was there? The Research Bureau. The -Department of Defense, the Pentagon. <i>The Times</i>, <i>The Herald</i>, <i>The -Post</i>. He hadn't wanted to take his story to the newspapers, but they -had given him a last, futile hope. Now, even they had refused to listen.</p> - -<p>There was still <i>The Mirror</i>. The twilight news. The love nests, the -exposés, the screaming headlines that most papers were saving for the -second coming of Christ.</p> - -<p>Jeffrey found himself walking up dark, thinly carpeted stairs, pushing -a faded swinging door. Then someone was leading him forward. Sounds of -clacking typewriters and rustling papers filled the air.</p> - -<p>The photograph and the moon-stone were in his hands. He was thrusting -them forward.</p> - -<p>"This is my proof," he mumbled automatically.</p> - -<p>For a long time his surroundings were like the terrain in a dimly -remembered dream. Then hands helped him into a chair.</p> - -<p>A deep voice grunted at him. "Okay, proof of what?"</p> - -<p>Jeffrey blinked. His brain fought to break through the wall of -weariness that enclosed it. He saw that the man before him was -middle-aged, balding, small-eyed. His trace of a smile was not -unpleasant.</p> - -<p>"What's it all about, fellow?" the man asked, leaning back in his chair.</p> - -<p><i>Thank you, God</i>, thought Jeffrey, <i>that I have another chance.</i></p> - -<p>He began again. 1957, the H-bomb, Project Pandora. Lord, if he could -only show this man the images that still hung in his memory!</p> - -<p>But how could you capture the dizzying blackness of space, the hypnotic -silver of stars, and recreate their magic in mere words? How feeble -were words. They were like broken fingers trying to carry sand.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, the man listened. Jeffrey came to the words, "So the moon -it was!" And even then the man said nothing. Jeffrey went on:</p> - -<p>"Our first rocket was ready by the summer of '59. We named it the -<i>Marilyn</i>—after Marilyn Monroe, the top glamour gal of those days. -And I was in the ship's first crew.</p> - -<p>"Our take-off wasn't like this circus today. No music, no speeches, no -parades. We had a shot of brandy in the morning. We shook hands with -our friends and puffed on cigarettes and the C.O. said a prayer. Then -we took off."</p> - -<p>Jeffrey weighed words and memories in his mind. "It'd take me a year to -tell about how space looks and how the moon is; and how you feel when -all the things you love are in a cloud-wrapped ball 240,000 miles away. -Or how it feels to see your buddies slip through the paper-thin crust -that covers parts of the moon and go down into nothingness, just as if -the hand of God wiped them out of the universe.</p> - -<p>"Anyway, we hit the moon. The ship stayed long enough for us to build -a dome. Then we split the crew in half. Five stayed, the rest shuttled -back to Earth for more supplies. Three months later the second rocket, -the <i>June Randy</i>, was ready, and life got a little easier. We began -to get an occasional case of beer and mail from home. Our families -thought they were writing to Pandora City. To think that those little -three-cent letters would go all the way to Luna would have seemed a -lunatic's dream to them.</p> - -<p>"By the summer of '61 Project Pandora was completed. We had two domes -and four launching stations, each a hundred miles apart. The missiles -on the launching platforms were like those beds of nails the yogis are -supposed to lie on—only a hundred times bigger. And each nail was a -uranium-lithium-tritium-headed rocket.</p> - -<p>"1961 slipped by, and '62 and '63. There were a few aborted revolutions -on earth, a few moments of tension, but no war."</p> - -<p>A veil of loneliness seemed to fall over his vision, separating him -from his listener.</p> - -<p>"Go ahead," the man prompted him.</p> - -<p>"Well, new faces appeared in our crews. The older fellows were given -memory-washes so they wouldn't start blabbing when they returned to -Earth. Psychiatry was pretty primitive in those days. The treatment -wasn't much more than hypnosis, creating an artificial psychic block in -their minds. After a while, it seemed like men were coming and going -like figures on a treadmill—but, me, I stayed on."</p> - -<p>"You stayed on? Why?"</p> - -<p>Jeffrey thought for an instant. "Because there were two kinds of -loneliness for us. One was being on the moon, in silence and emptiness. -The other was being on Earth, in the midst of life and knowing the -biggest secret in the world and not being able to talk about it. And of -the two kinds of loneliness, to me, the last was the worst. So I stayed -on the <i>Marilyn</i>."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Jeffrey tried to keep his voice calm, his manner confident.</p> - -<p>"Then came the Russian Revolution of '74, the rise of democracy behind -the crumbling Iron Curtain. The rest of the world watched and waited. -We kept those launching platforms ready—just in case. But by '76, -there was no doubt about it. Communism was over and done. The world was -at peace.</p> - -<p>"And with the arrival of peace, man's energies had to be directed into -new channels. Till now, the government had quietly discouraged any talk -about space flight. But now man craved adventure. Newspapers and public -opinion began to beat the drum for that first flight to the moon."</p> - -<p>He chuckled softly. "The President must have been tearing his hair out. -What the hell was he going to do with Project Pandora? The Russians -mustn't know that for fifteen years our missiles had been ready to -blast them to eternity. The old hates had been buried. They couldn't be -allowed to rise again.</p> - -<p>"So Project Pandora became Project Garbage. The domes and platforms -were dismantled and carried back to Pandora City. The moon was the -biggest garbage dump in the Solar System, but it had to be cleaned up -to the last beer can and cigarette butt. It had to become virgin again, -ready to receive what Earth would later call the first pioneers of -space. And it was then, when discipline was low, that I smuggled out -the moon-stone and the photo.</p> - -<p>"Everybody got the memory-wash—from the President on down. I was a -civilian again with a nice pension. For the first couple of years I -couldn't remember a thing. I only knew I'd done secret work for the -government. I'd look at my photo and stone and wonder where I got them.</p> - -<p>"But gradually my memory came back. Maybe it was because of the photo, -or maybe because I'd been on Luna and the <i>Marilyn</i> so much longer than -the others.</p> - -<p>"Last year I got mad when Everson announced plans to hit the moon. -His name was in headlines every day. He was becoming a hero without -even leaving the ground. And there were a hundred men whose bodies were -already lost on Luna. They were the real heroes, the real pioneers. -This celebration today—it's a mockery. I want the world to know the -truth."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For the space of a minute the small-eyed man was silent. His fingers -toyed with the stone and the photograph.</p> - -<p>Finally he murmured, "Suppose I publish your story. How much do you -want for it?"</p> - -<p>To Jeffrey, the words were like April sunshine streaking into a -cobwebbed winter attic.</p> - -<p>"You—you want to use the story? You believe me?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't say I believe it. I don't give a damn whether it's true or -not. My job is to sell newspapers. I asked how much you want for it."</p> - -<p>"Nothing," Jeffrey said softly.</p> - -<p>The small-eyed man grunted. "We could flood the city with the afternoon -edition. People are buying anything with a moon angle. The Russians -wouldn't shout for joy, but there shouldn't be any harm done at this -late date."</p> - -<p>His eyes brightened. "We might get away with it. We've got your stone. -We could demand that Everson locate the place where you got it and -either prove or disprove your story. Why, that'd be good for months!"</p> - -<p>He laughed. "What a damper we'll put on <i>this</i> celebration! We'll make -the city seem like a morgue. It's a dirty, lousy trick, but by God -it'll sell papers!"</p> - -<p>Jeffrey leaned forward, squinting. "A dirty, lousy trick? What do you -mean?"</p> - -<p>"Skip it." The man's enthusiasm was rising. He was like fizzing soda in -a thumb-stoppered, shaken bottle. "We got to get this story in print. -Hey, Marty! Get the dicto-typer over here! I've been waiting all my -life to yell stop those presses. Marty! <i>Stop those goddamn presses!</i>"</p> - -<p>"What did you mean?" Jeffrey insisted. "How can telling people the -truth be a dirty, lousy trick?"</p> - -<p>The small-eyed man laughed again. "You don't think folks'll <i>like</i> this -story, do you? You don't think they'll feel like celebrating when they -read this, do you? It's a cinch they won't start cheering <i>you</i> for -what you did almost twenty years ago! Say, wait'll Everson sees that -moon pic plastered on my front page. <i>There's</i> an angle! A pic of -Everson's expression! Hey, Marty! Get me—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Restlessly, Jeffrey rose and shuffled to a window. One of the city's -myriad parades, like a battalion of colored ants, was streaming down -the street.</p> - -<p>The small-eyed man yelled, "Come on, let's have that story again! This -time it's for publication."</p> - -<p>Jeffrey didn't answer. Odd thoughts were stirring in deep recesses of -his mind.</p> - -<p>"Come on! Let's have that story!"</p> - -<p>Jeffrey stared out the window, a far-away gaze in his eyes. "Do—do -you suppose I was the only one who remembered? There must be others. I -couldn't be the only one."</p> - -<p>"Sure, there could be others—if your yarn is true. Maybe they've tried -to tell and nobody believed 'em. Or maybe they're keeping quiet. Maybe -they don't want to make dopes out of Everson and his men. Maybe they -want to keep 'em heroes. Now, gimme that story!" He flicked a switch on -the dicto-typer.</p> - -<p>Words echoed in Jeffrey's brain. <i>Maybe they don't want to make dopes -out of Everson and his men. Maybe they want to keep 'em heroes. It's -a cinch they won't start cheering you for what you did almost twenty -years ago.</i></p> - -<p>The world has need of heroes, he thought. There's Luna, and then there -are Venus and Mars and Jupiter and all the others; and, always, there -are the stars. And, between, there are miles and years of darkness and -loneliness, and courage is a candle flame too easily extinguished. -Mankind will need songs of daring and tales of heroes and signposts to -guide the way to infinity. You can't make heroes out of men whose very -names are forgotten. You can't make heroes out of tired old bones.</p> - -<p>Jeffrey frowned as the hum of presses echoed in his ears.</p> - -<p>The great headlines would descend upon the enchanted city like a black -tidal wave. They would swirl through the streets, devour the bright -color, absorb the gay sound, suck the joy into dark waters of doubt and -suspicion.</p> - -<p>The small-eyed man was shouting at him. He did not hear.</p> - -<p><i>After all</i>, Jeffrey told himself, <i>this is for you. It's not for -Everson and his men, really. It's for the pioneers, for those who dare -to be first. The eyes are not on you, and the voices do not speak to -you. Yet all this, really, is for you—for you were the first. Would -you destroy this day that is yours?</i></p> - -<p>A voice was swearing at him.</p> - -<p>What a day it was! Why, it must be the greatest in the history of -Earth. It was a day for all history books everywhere, always. It was a -shame that the minutes were piling one upon the other so rapidly. How -wonderful if they could be bottled and sealed like sweet perfume, to be -dispensed slowly, a scent a month, a drop a year.</p> - -<p>Hands were tugging at his arm. He shook himself free. He turned back to -the desk, seized the moon-stone and the photograph, replaced them in -his pocket.</p> - -<p>Silently, head high, he strode past the naked, astonished faces.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Dusk. A silence blanketed the take-off field. The seconds hung in the -air like bits of fire and ice.</p> - -<p>Captain George Everson, the man with no legs, waved to the multitude -as he entered his silver rocket.</p> - -<p>Presently there was a sound of thunder, and the land trembled. Flame -belched from the stern of the <i>Lunar Lady</i>. Slowly, the rocket began to -rise. The multitude drew back, like frightened red ghosts in the fiery -glare from the grumbling jets.</p> - -<p>A greater avalanche of flame spewed from the rocket. A furnace-hot wind -shrilled over the field, lashing at hair and clothing, at banner and -flag.</p> - -<p>And suddenly the <i>Lunar Lady</i> was gone. It was a needle of fire high in -the twilight sky, a vanishing target for a million narrowed eyes.</p> - -<p>A hushed, reverent murmur rose from the field.</p> - -<p>A small girl in a pink party dress tugged at her mother's skirt.</p> - -<p>"Look, Mommy," she whispered. "Look at that funny old man. He keeps -saying, 'This is for you,' and he's crying and laughing at the same -time!"</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRST ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. -</div> - -<div style='margin:0.83em 0; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE<br /> -<span style='font-size:smaller'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</span> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -To protect the Project Gutenberg™ 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™ License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -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™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ 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. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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™ 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™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg™ 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™ License when -you share it without charge with others. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ 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: -</div> - -<blockquote> - <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most - other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions - whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms - of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online - at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you - are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws - of the country where you are located before using this eBook. - </div> -</blockquote> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ 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™ License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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™ License. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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™ work in a format -other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain -Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -provided that: -</div> - -<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'> - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ 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.” - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • 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™ - 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™ - works. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • 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. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. - </div> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ -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. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg™ 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. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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™ electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -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™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ 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. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ 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™ and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, -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. -</div> - -</div> -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/67316-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/67316-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 727761a..0000000 --- a/old/67316-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67316-h/images/illus.jpg b/old/67316-h/images/illus.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c464d89..0000000 --- a/old/67316-h/images/illus.jpg +++ /dev/null |
