Elaine. “We’re planning a large group—eighteen or twenty persons—so you’ll need tons.”
“Get a couple of years’ supply,” said Gabe. “Get them out to Fallon and we’ll all meet there the end of the week. How deep is the snow there now?”
“Officially, thirty inches,” I said. “Actually, nearer forty and it’s beginning to drift. The wind has come up considerably in the past twenty-four hours.”
“It’ll come up a lot more,” said Gabe. “In a month we’ll have nothing but gales and hurricanes.”
“My God!” I exclaimed, “shouldn’t we get out?” It was purely a reflex question.
Gabe laughed. “Out where? Would you prefer the moon?”
“Not this winter,” I said. “Well, all right. I’ll get food.”
“I’ve got a list of what we’ll want,” said Elaine. “We’ll send you money—or an authorization to use our bank account, if you’d prefer.”
“I’ve got enough money,” I said. “Put your list on the copy circuit. How about reactor fuel? How are you fixed at Fallon?”
“We’re okay on that, but a spare core might be useful” said Gabe.
“I forgot more arctics,” said Elaine. “Get me a couple of suits, size ten—or a big eight. White.”
I was looking at the list as it came through the copy slot. It did look like enough to last us the rest of our lives—all except the food.
“Let’s get back to the food,” I said. “Why only two years’ supply?”
“More than that would be a waste,” said Gabe. “If we don’t figure this out before two years, there won’t be any of us left to figure. In two years’ time the snow will be at least a half a mile deep, and all of the lower strata for a couple of hundred feet will be solid ice due to compression. The ice won’t be standing still. It’ll be moving—the glacial action. We’ll have to be up on the surface long before then and on our way to the warm belt—that is, if the gales and hurricanes permit us any movement.”
“My God!” I exclaimed. “No alternative?”
“I don’t think so. I’m still hunting. See you Saturday.”
6
ON TUESDAY I obtained an indefinite leave of absence from Boren. I put in a sell-at-market order at Doble Sons for various stocks and bonds I had accumulated over the years and then went to N.A. National and cashed in my government bonds. I had 37L000 in my hands by 1:00 P.M. and this put me 9L000 over the government limit, so I had to do a lot of fast spending to keep out of trouble. (I suppose everyone knows about the money restrictions that followed the Second Chinese War, so I won’t go into them here.)
I went first to the Cavanaugh Radical and ordered five tons of food concentrates of every flavor invented and arranged for their delivery at Fallon that afternoon by chartered Garbut. That took the pressure off my hoard of louvres by 11L000, so the rest of the day I shopped at leisure. My best buy was one of the new Kincadium Reactors, no larger than a handbag and designed to put out 23,000 Kelley units during the 20-year life of the fuel. In old-fashioned figures, this would be enough to operate a 100,000 kilowatt generator for some 50 years.
I got back to my apartment at Killingworth at 6:30 and put in a call for Marge Couzins. The scope came on prematurely and I saw Marge gesturing to a bald business-tycoon type to leave the room and heard her call him Alfred. That’s one of the bad features of the scope system; it can catch you with your hair down if you don’t keep your circuits closed. Then Marge’s smiling face came on close up, and she gave me a warm enough greeting.
“You get my letter?” I asked her.
“Yes, I got it.”
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“I take it you’re not interested.”
“Of course I’m interested, Vic. It’s just that—I can’t talk right now.”
“I know,” I said. “The door is open and Alfred is listening.”
She blushed. “Vic! What are you talking about!”
“About Alfred. I guess he’s your type, Marge. Solid, dependable, a good husband who will be home every night to let you wash out his socks and cook his dinner. You’re no longer the Lieut. Marge Couzins of NAAF I knew in India East a couple of years ago.”
She shook her head at me, her face serious. “Don’t say things like that, Vic. We haven’t been together for more than a year now. You’ve been living your own life and there was no place in it for me. Now all of a sudden you decide to change and you expect me to come a-running.”
“Can you come to Kansas tomorrow? I’ll tell you all about it then.”
“I have to be in Portland all this week. Would next week do?”
“Next week will be too late, Marge. You’ve got to come no later than Saturday.”
“After sixteen months, I don’t believe there is such a great hurry. . . . Why didn’t you call me last January? Did you forget that we were to have gone to the Mediterranean together for the Winter Festival?”
“Let’s forget all that,” I said. “You come to Fallon, Kansas tomorrow, and I’ll have a padre waiting and we’ll get married.”
She laughed and it was like the tinkle of silver bells. “A padre,” she exclaimed. “You know I don’t believe in those old-fashioned ceremonies! If I am to be your wife, then we will just announce it on the DW-Three, as all civilized persons do. A marriage ceremony with a padre! Of all things!”
“All right,” I said, “have it your way. But please, Marge, come to Fallon tomorrow.”
“I’ll try to fix things to get away Saturday,” she said. “Tomorrow is out of the question.”
“Fine. Saturday, then. The home of Dr. Gabriel Harrow at Fallon. He’s got his own jetshield and all the taxis know it. The number is KR Forty-eight, in case you get lost. And give my love to Alfred.”
“Lunger!” she exclaimed as she turned off the scope.
7
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY I stowed the food and other purchases throughout the Harrow house, with the aid of the Arabs and Sam Houston Lawrence, from the adjoining farm. By Thursday the snow had reached five feet, and the wind had increased to half a gale. I talked to Elaine and Gabe Thursday evening and they told me they were getting ready to return Friday instead of Saturday.
“I’m afraid now that everything will be shut down by Saturday,” Gabe said. “I didn’t anticipate the wind coming up as fast as it did, but you can’t predict weather such as this. We’ve got a whole new set of forces to contend with. But I’ll get the hang of it.”
“What’s
