saying--huge Abolitionist rally last night in NewChicago as John 'Moses' Tyndall returned to that city to celebratethe fifteenth birthday of the movement that started there back in2119--no violence reported as Tyndall lashed out at Senator DanielFowler's universal rejuvenation program--twenty-five hour work weekhailed by Senator Rinehart of Alaska as a great progressive step forthe American people--Senator Rinehart, chairman of the policy-makingCriterion Committee held forth hope last night that rejuvenationtechniques may increase the number of candidates to six hundred a yearwithin five years--and now, news from the entertainment world--
Going down, then, into flurries of Northern snow, peering out at thewhiter gloom below, a long stretch of white with blobs of black oneither side, resolving into snow-laden black pines, a long flatlake-top of ice and snow. Taxi-ing down, engines roaring, sucking upsnow into steam in the orange afterblast. And ahead, up from the lake,a black blot of a house, with orange window lights reflecting warmthand cheer against the wilderness outside--
Then Dwight McKenzie, peering out into the gloom, eyes widening inrecognition, little mean eyes with streaks of fear through them,widening and then smiling, pumping his hand. "Dan! My god, I couldn't_imagine_--hardly ever see anybody up here, you know. Come in, comein, you must be half frozen. What's happened? Something torn loosedown in Washington?" And more questions, fast, tumbling over eachother, no answers wanted, talky-talk questions to cover surprise andfear and the one large question of why Dan Fowler should be droppingdown out of the sky on _him_, which question he didn't think he wantedanswered just yet--
* * * * *
A huge, rugged room, blazing fire in a mammoth fireplace at the end,moose heads, a rug of thick black bear hide. "Like to come up here aday or two ahead of the party, you know," McKenzie was saying. "Does aman good to commune with his soul once in a while. Do you like tohunt? You should join us, Dan. Libby and Donaldson will be up tomorrowwith a couple of guides. We could find you an extra gun. They sayhunting should be good this year--"
One chair against the fireplace, a book hastily thrown down beside it,SEXTRA SPECIAL, Cartoons by Kulp. Great book for soul-searchingSenators. Things were all out of focus after the sudden change fromthe cold, but now Dan was beginning to see. One book, one chair, buttwo half-filled sherry glasses at the sideboard--
"Can't wait, Dwight, I have to get back to the city, but I couldn'tfind you down there, and they didn't know when you were coming back. Ijust wanted to let you know that I put you to all that trouble fornothing--we don't need the Hearing date in December, after all."
Wariness suddenly in McKenzie's eyes. "Well! Nice of you to think ofit, Dan--but it wasn't really any trouble. No trouble at all. December15th is fine, as a matter of fact, better than the February date wouldhave been. Give the Committee a chance to collect itself during theHolidays, ha, ha."
"Well, it now seems that it _wouldn't_ be so good for me, Dwight. I'dmuch prefer it to be changed back to the February date."
"Well, now." Pause. "Dan, we _have_ to settle these things sooner orlater, you know. I don't know whether we can do that now--"
"Don't know! Why not?"
The moose-hunter licked both lips, couldn't keep his eyes on Dan'seyes, focused on his nose instead,--as if the nose were _really_ theimportant part of the conversation. "It isn't just me that makes thesedecisions, Dan. Other people have to be consulted. It's pretty late tocatch them now, you know. It might be pretty hard to do that--"
No more smiles from Dan. "Now look--you make the calendar, and you canchange it." Face getting red, getting angry--careful, Dan, those twosherry glasses, watch what you say--"I want it changed back. And I'vegot to know right now."
"But you told me you'd be all ready to roll by December 15th--"
To hell with caution--he _had_ to have time. "Look, there's no reasonyou can't do it if you want to, Dwight. I'd consider it a personalfavor--I repeat, a very large personal favor--if you'd make thearrangements. I won't forget it--" What did the swine want, an arm offat the roots?
"Sorry," said a voice from the rear door of the room. Walter Rinehartwalked across to the sideboard. "You don't mind if I finish this,Dwight?"
A deep breath from McKenzie, like a sigh of relief. "Go right ahead,Walt. Sherry, Dan?"
"No, I don't think so." It was Walter, all right. Tall, upright,dignified Walter, fine shock of wavy hair that was white as the snowoutside. Young-old lines on his face. Some men looked finer afterrejuvenation, much finer than before. There had been a chilly lookabout Walter Rinehart's eyes before his first Retread. Not now. Afine man, like somebody's dear old grandfather. Just give him a chunkof wood to whittle and a jack-blade to whittle it with--
But inside, the mind was the same. Inside, no changes. Author of theRinehart Criteria, the royal road to a self-perpetuating "immortalelite."
* * * * *
Dan turned his back on Rinehart and said to McKenzie: "I want the datechanged."
"I--I can't do it, Dan." An inquiring glance at Rinehart, a faintsmiling nod in return.
He knew he'd blundered then, blundered badly. McKenzie was afraid.McKenzie wanted another lifetime, one of these days. He'd decided thatRinehart would be the one who could give it to him. But worse, farworse: Rinehart knew now that something had happened, something waswrong. "What's the matter, Dan?" he said smoothly. "You need moretime? Why? You had it before, and you were pretty eager to toss it up.Well, what's happened, Dan?"
That was all. Back against the wall. The thought of bluffing itthrough, swallowing the December 15th date and telling them to shoveit flashed through his mind. He threw it out violently, his heartsinking. That was only a few more days. They had weeks of work aheadof them. They needed more time, they _had_ to have it--
Rinehart was grinning confidently. "Of course I'd like to cooperate,Dan. Only I have some plans for the Hearings, too. You've been gettingon people's nerves, down in the city. There's even been talk ofreconsidering your rejuvenation permit--"
Your move, Dan. God, what a blunder! Why did you ever come up here?And every minute you stand there with your jaw sagging just tellsRinehart how tight he's got you--_do_ something, _anything_--
There was a way. Would Carl understand it? Carl had begged him neverto use it, ever, under any circumstances. And Carl had trusted himwhen he had said he wouldn't--but if Carl were standing here now, he'dsay yes, go ahead, use it, wouldn't he? He'd have to--
"I want the Hearings on February 15th," Dan said to Rinehart.
"Sorry, Dan. We can't be tossing dates around like that. Unless you'dcare to tell me why."
"Okay." Dan grabbed his hat angrily. "I'll make a formal request forthe change tomorrow morning, and read it on the teevies. Then I'llalso announce a feature attraction that the people can look forwardto when the Hearing date comes. We weren't planning to use it, but Iguess you'd like to have both barrels right in the face, so that'swhat we'll give you."
Walter Rinehart roared with laughter. "_Another_ feature attraction?You do dig them up, don't you? Ken Armstrong's dead, you know."
"Peter Golden's widow isn't."
* * * * *
The smile faded on Rinehart's face. He looked suddenly like a mancarved out of grey stone. Dan trembled, let the words sink in. "Youdidn't think _anybody_ knew about that, did you, Walt? Sorry. We'vegot the story on Peter Golden. Took us quite a while to piece ittogether, but we did with the help of his son. Carl remembers hisfather before the accident, you see, quite well. His widow remembershim even before that. And we have some fascinating recordings thatPeter Golden made when he applied for rejuvenation, and when heappealed the Committee's decisions. Some of the private interviews,too, Walter."
"I gave Peter Golden forty more years of life," Rinehart said.
"You crucified him," said Dan, bluntly.
There was silence, long silence. Then: "Are you selling?"
"I'm selling." Cut out my tongue, Carl, but I'm selling.
>
"How do I know you won't break it anyway?"
"You don't know. Except that I'm telling you I won't."
Rinehart soaked that in with the last gulp of sherry. Then he smashedthe glass on the stone floor. "Change the date," he said to McKenzie."Then throw this vermin out of here."
Back in the snow and darkness Dan tried to breathe again, and couldn'tquite make it. He had to stop and rest twice going down to the plane.Then he was sick all the way