month, we may look forward to long, happy and
prosperous lives.â
Ole
Doc looked across the bleak plain. A two-year winter would come to Spico soon,
a winter in which no food could be raised. He looked at Mayor Zoran. âI trust,
sir, that you have reserved some of your capital against possible emergencies,
emergencies such as food, or the cost of relief expeditions coming here.â
Captain
Blanchard masked a startled gleam which had leaped into his agate eyes. âI am
sure that there is no need for that,â he said.
Mayor
Zoranâs head shook away any thought of such a need. âIf land and building
materials have been expensive,â he said, âI am sure there will be more money
in the community as soon as the Spaceways representatives arrive, and there is
enough food now for three weeks. By the way,â he said, turning to Blanchard,
âdidnât you tell me that today was the day the officials would come here?â
Blanchard
caught and hid his hands. âWhy, my dear mayor,â he said, âthere are always
slight delays. These big companies, you know, officials with many things on
their minds, today, tomorrow, undoubtedly sometime this week.â
Mayor
Zoran was reassured and, shaking hands with Ole Doc and Captain Blanchard,
strode off into the street where he made a small procession of his progress.
People stopped him here and there and asked him eagerly for news.
Inside
at the desk a small sleepy clerk woke up long enough to get out his records
book, but before the transaction could be begun Ole Doc took back the two
one-thousand-dollar bills.
âThere
are two or three things which I would like to know,â said Ole Doc innocently.
âI wonder if there are going to be schools?â
âOh
yes, of course,â said Blanchard. âI didnât know that you were a family man.â
âAnd
will there be medical facilities?â said Ole Doc.
âWhy,
yes, just this morning a ship of the Universal Medical Society landed here. It
wonât be long before they start work on the hospitals.â
âBut,â
said Ole Doc smoothly, âthe Universal Medical Society does only research and
major planning. Certainly they would not take cognizance of Spico.â
âWell
now, I wouldnât be too sure,â said Captain Blanchard. âAnd besides we have the
usual common run of physicians here, three of them.â
Ole
Doc repressed his humph at this and smiled. âWell, I suppose you know more
about it than I do,â he said. âBut what about your water supply? Is it
adequate?â
Here
Captain Blanchard began to assume his most expansive and guileless pose and
would have carried on for some time about the excellence of the water supply if
Ole Doc had not interrupted him.
âYou
say you have three reservoirs already. Now, are these community owned or would
it be possible to buy them?â
Captain
Blanchard had not expected that morning that his stars would arise so luckily.
His thin white hands began to twitch as though already plucking gold from the
pockets of his victim. âBut this would require,â said Captain Blanchard, âa
great deal of money. Yes, indeed, a great deal of money.â
Ole
Doc smiled as though this were an easy matter. âFor the water company,â he
said, âI would be willing to pay a very reasonable amount.â
The
sleepy clerk was sleepy no longer. His eyes widened. Here he was observing the
captains of industry at work.
âFor,
let us say, twenty thousand dollars,â said Ole Doc, âI would be willingââ
âMy
dear fellow,â said Blanchard, âtwenty thousand dollars would not be enough to
buy the piping system which we have installed.â
Ole
Doc shrugged. âThen I suppose thatâs all there is to it,â he said.
Captain
Blanchardâs hands did a particularly spasmodic bit of twitching. âOh no, it
isnât,â he
Heidi Hunter, Bad Boy Team