Читать книгу The Science Fiction Anthology онлайн

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When he reached Lon’s farm, he noticed that the thanar leaves were growing admirably. For a moment, sweating as he was, he was reminded of tobacco plants growing on Maryland hillsides. The heat and the bluish-green color of the plants seemed very familiar. But then a cateagle ran hastily up a tree, out on a branch, and launched its crimson furry self into midair. That broke the spell of supposedly familiar things.

Carson turned his gyrocar in at Lon Simpson’s house. There were half a dozen other colonists around. Two of them drove up with farm trucks loaded with mixed foliage. They had pulled up, cut off and dragged down just about anything that grew, and loaded their truck with it. Two other colonists were loading another cart with thanar leaves, neatly bundled and ready for the warehouse.

They regarded Carson with pleased eyes. Carson spoke severely to Cathy.

“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be on duty at the beamphone exchange! You can be discharged—”

Lon Simpson said negligently, “I’m paying her passage. By law, anybody can pay the passage of any woman if she intends to marry him, and then her contract with the company is ended. They had rules like that in ancient days—only they used to pay in tobacco instead of thanar leaves.”