Children of Tomorrow Read Online Free PDF Page B

Albert turned and walked to the gate, opened it, stepped onto the sidewalk beyond, and then turned and closed the gate. Standing there, he must have become aware of the distant figure that had just rounded the comer, The big boy’s whole manner spelled out his recognition that the approaching man was Bud Jaeger’s father. He was noticably torn between two feelings: Leave, or wait and see what happened.
    What he did, abruptly, was, he walked over and stood behind a tree.
    At least a minute passed. At the end of that time, a hulking male of medium height, late thirty-ish in age, came weaving up to the gate. The man had an obvious difficulty in maintaining his balance even when he stopped moving. He fumbled the gate catch. Then he bent down and looked at it. Then he fumbled at it some more.
    Seen close, the man’s face showed a certain ruggedness. But there were purple veins in the nose and upper cheeks. And the small eyes were slightly too near each other. The man’s lips were bulky, as if slightly swollen, and loosely held together.
    Observing him, not for the first time, the viewer had the private awareness - again - that in espionage, one often had to deal with partially destroyed entities. When he was not drunk, Len Jaeger was a skilled toolmaker; and, as such, had successfully applied for a position in Spaceport - all this before he was ever selected for his role.
    When he suddenly produced a son, the authorities were surprisingly unsuspicious. Of course, it was true that his real son had run away. What should have caused wonder, and didn’t was that such a runaway would ever return to such a father.
    This human entity finally solved the gate mechanism. It swung open, and he surged through on up to the door of the house. He stood, then, with his finger pressing the door-bell button until, once more, the door swung open, and there was Airs Jaeger,
    ‘Sssshh! she said. ‘You’ll awaken Bud.'
    If the admonition penetrated to the man there was no sign. He stepped past her, and staggered noisily on into the house out of sight of the watcher. The woman did not immediately follow him. She seemed undecided. It was a momentary delay only. Leaving the door ajar, she walked out onto the little porch, stepped down to the walk, and came along it to the gate, which she closed. Hurriedly, now, as if afraid of being seen, she turned about; and, holding her robe and nightdress way from her feet, she half ran back the way she had come. The door of the house closed behind her.
    For nearly fifteen minutes after that, the boy, Albert, waited behind the tree. At last, he seemed satisfied. He emerged from his place of concealment, walked past the gate, and rapidly made his way along the street. He disappeared around the same corner from which Jaeger had first come into view.
    The unseen watcher did not budge. His would be an all-night vigil
    V
    Next morning came in its slow pace to the Lane household. In Susan’s room, the morning light filtered vaguely through the plastic two-way window. The light adjustment was for alm ost pitch dark, but not quite.
    In the dim light it was possible to make out what was unmistakably a nice room. There was a makeup table with a large, glinting mirror. A dresser stood against the wall by the window. Pictures on the walls built-into-the-wall drawers, a built-in television, and a cunningly concealed door that opened into a spacious wardrobe. And on the bed, covered by a thin sheet, Susan lay sound asleep.
    Suddenly, movement. On the bedside table to Susan’s right, a clocklike object produced a flag. The flag sprang into view with a click-clack. An instant later a chime sounded inside the clock, giving forth with a prolonged bell-like Middle C. As the musical note died away, a voice spoke from the clock. A familiar, girlish voice. It said, ‘Good morning, Susan ... it is 7.30. Time to get up.’
    The girl in the bed did not stir.
    In the breakfast room at the far side of the house, Lane was sitting at