And Then the Town Took Off

entative of Riggs National of Washington, D. C. Don told him nothing about the contents of the brief case, but the banker seemed

s wallet, Don stood with Clark on the

or said. "The bubble gum factory is over that way, on the rail

g. He was sniffing politely when there was a roar of e

n were gone. They were overhead so briefly that Don no

ppen," Don said. "The Air F

orce. Those were the PP boys. They're the on

P

Bold's airborne vigilantes.

r Bobby The

to put it t

y're up to-or why. The Senator's secretary is mar

t scooped on that on

I haven't seen her since last

had come out of stores and business buildings and were looking out of upstairs windows at the sky. They were rewarded by a th

if they see her what do you suppose they can do about it? There's no plac

t the gol

but that's about all. What's old Bobby so worked up about, I wonder? Unless there's someth

ilitary Intelligence was listening in. If any pro-Thebold people were among hi

of the bank building. They clung to each other and Don

tion. Thinks it's being attacked." As they regained t

e going up in an

us up beyond the reach of t

on the town. More likely, if Clark's theory was right, it was an

imb," Don said, "

y, from the south end of town. Don and Clark ran

ridge. Beyond, just short of the edge, was the wreckage of a fighter plane

to the ground, felt himself to see if any bones w

ts came from the crowd. With a last glance over his

out a falling dot and, a second later, saw a parachute blossom open. The

hat's Bobby The

last plane in the formation.

ne, surrounded by a growing crowd f

," the editor said

id, "if my legs are any judge. D

bed his hands. "All I know is the higher we go the c

m their cover of the chutist and were flying around the rim of Superior-as if unwilling to risk a

ater and topcoat Ed Clark had lent him. He asked a student where the A

that Professor Garet was in his laboratory and couldn't be

er the redhead appreciated the demonstration he

f the people from the train, aren't you? Well, you're a

at

d out at tw

half-past one. He crossed the near-deserted campus. His legs still felt heavy and he a

up where it didn't snow any more? He had no idea. He did recall that Mount Everest was 29,000 feet up and that it

as he ought to be about Superior's ascent into the stratosphere. Clark was interested, certainly, but he'd given Don the impression that

here near the summit and he experimentally took a couple of deep breaths. No difficulty. T

at the back of a small classroom. Her attention had wandered from the instructor and when she saw Don she smiled and beckoned. He hesitated, then opened the d

r next to her and Don sat down. "W

s de-handcuffed wrist and grinned,

he went on. A student in the row of chairs ahead tur

ed and s

timidate you. Did

g and Don's embarrassment grew. "Come

d. "Spoken like

without interrupting his lecture, followe

the young princes got out o

The question

. I'll have to speak

s lab, they tell me.

unding fathers built and then didn't have enough money to buy

n y

ink Father is making a

sor Garet seems as g

Poor old Father is just a crackpot theorist. I told yo

rom the train at two o'clock. It's almost that now. Maybe I'll

ith you. And, since you have two free hands now, you can

ok of traveling salesmen, an elderly couple who held hands, a young couple with a baby, two nuns, a soldier apparently going on or returning from furlough

the room, near the door to the kitchen. A heavy-set man sa

. "Maynard Rubach. When you talk to him be sure to call him Doctor Rubach. He's

. Mayor Civek came in through the kitchen door, licking a finger as if h

d he felt blood rushing to his head. Other

is said.

stomach had settled back in pla

one as high as we

un out of air if w

himself. He nodded to his wife and the men next to her

Those of you who are inadequately clothed will see my wife for extra garments. I believe you have been comfortably housed and fed. There will, of course, be no charge for these services

ve a few questions, Mr. Mayor. These people have asked me to speak for them and there's one question

for the first question-we certainly hope to take you a

hop

s you are to get back. But when that will be depends entire

hem, then? Your frie

patted his beard. The portly Maynar

ences. Mr. Civek has done his best to give you an explanation, but of course he is a layman and, while he has many excel

ware for hundreds of years that

was at the kitchen door b

enic and the

vis saw Don now and put

h is simultaneously an

the other girl; then he went back of the speaker's table ("... 1,257 tenescopes to the square cent

id. She was wearing a shapeles

ou'll have

ht, but

w you've been spying around doing things while everybody else sat back and waited for

lly, Miss

sometimes I mi

ll

rozen ground past several buildings. They reac

end," she sa

ur boy friend and his d

aw t

hey se

your bu

he field. Jen Jervis indicated a door and Don opened it. It led to a

planking, a long-deflated football, ancient peanut

nds where they first made an atomic pile work?" She looke

"Never been t

s is where they've h

nd her boy friend might go to have a li

You're disgusting

s was the second time she'd blazed up over nothing. What he saw where she pointed was a door at a 45

s some machinery or something down there. I heard it.

the school's lighting system

N

" He opened the d

e corridor became a tunnel, sloping gradually downward. They had been going north, Don judged, but then th

way up here. They mus

g ago wa

our,

ake sense. We've stopped again, you know.

ed and they were able to walk side by side. There seemed to be no

that," D

hing," she said.

ou flatter me.

nel starting under an abandoned grandstand, run

on the underground railw

took out a key ring. On it was an extensive collection o

id. "Who taug

the

r-with a silvery metal. It continued east a hundred yards or s

nce. The room was a huge observatory at the end of Superior but below its rim. They

ve, thought it was as if they were looking o

ower portholes in a