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_The Gift Bearer_
By CHARLES L. FONTENAY
_This could well have been Montcalm's greatest opportunity; a chance to bring mankind priceless gifts from worlds beyond. But Montcalm was a solid family man--and what about that nude statue in the park?_
It was one of those rare strokes of poetic something-or-other that thewhole business occurred the morning after the stormy meeting of theTraskmore censorship board.
Like the good general he was, Richard J. Montcalm had foreseen troubleat this meeting, for it was the boldest invasion yet into the territoryof evil and laxity. His forces were marshaled. Several of the town'sministers who had been with him on other issues had balked on this one,but he had three of them present, as well as heads of several women'sclubs.
As he had anticipated, the irresponsible liberals were present to dobattle, headed by red-haired Patrick Levitt.
"This board," said Levitt in his strong, sarcastic voice, "has gone toofar. It was all right to get rid of the actual filth ... and everyonewill agree there was some. But when you banned the sale of somemagazines and books because they had racy covers or because the contentswere a little too sophisticated to suit the taste of members of thisboard ... well, you can carry protection of our youth to the point ofinsulting the intelligence of adults who have a right to read what theywant to."
"You're talking about something that's already in the past, Mr. Levitt,"said Montcalm mildly. "Let's keep to the issue at hand. You won't denythat children see this indecent statue every day?"
"No, I won't deny it!" snapped Levitt. "Why shouldn't they see it? Theycan see the plate of the original in the encyclopaedia. It's a fine copyof a work of art."
Montcalm waited for some rebuttal from his supporters, but none wasforthcoming. On this matter, they apparently were unwilling to gofarther than the moral backing of their presence.
"I do not consider the statue of a naked woman art, even if it is called'Dawn,'" he said bitingly. He looked at his two colleagues and receivedtheir nods of acquiescence. He ruled: "The statue must be removed fromthe park and from public view."
Levitt had one parting shot.
"Would it solve the board's problem if we put a brassiere and panties onthe statue?" he demanded.
"Mr. Levitt's levity is not amusing. The board has ruled," said Montcalmcoldly, arising to signify the end of the meeting.
* * * * *
That night Montcalm slept the satisfied sleep of the just.
He awoke shortly after dawn to find a strange, utterly beautiful nakedwoman in his bedroom. For a bemused instant Montcalm thought the statueof Dawn in the park had come to haunt him. His mouth fell open but hewas unable to speak.
"Take me to your President," said the naked woman musically, with anaccent that could have been Martian.
Mrs. Montcalm awoke.
"What's that? What is it, Richard?" she asked sleepily.
"Don't look, Millie!" exclaimed Montcalm, clapping a hand over her eyes.
"Nonsense!" she snapped, pushing his hand aside and sitting up. Shegasped and her eyes went wide, and in an instinctive, unreasonablereaction she clutched the covers up around her own nightgowned bosom.
"Who are you, young woman?" demanded Montcalm indignantly. "How did youget in here?"
"I am a visitor from what you would call an alien planet," she said. "Ofcourse," she added thoughtfully, "it isn't alien to me."
"The woman's mad," said Montcalm to his wife. A warning noise sounded inthe adjoining bedroom. Alarmed, he instructed: "Go and keep the childrenout of here until I can get her to put on some clothes. They mustn't seeher like this."
Mrs. Montcalm got out of bed, but she gave her husband a searchingglance.
"Are you sure I can trust you in here with her?" she asked.
"Millie!" exclaimed Montcalm sternly, shocked. She dropped her eyes andleft the room. When the door closed behind her, he turned to the strangewoman and said:
"Now, look, young lady, I'll get you one of Millie's dresses. You'llhave to get some clothes on and leave."
"Aren't you going to ask me my name?" asked the woman. "Of course, it'sunpronounceable to you, but I thought that was the first thing all Earthpeople asked of visitors from other planets."
"All right," he said in exasperation. "What's your name?"
She said an unpronounceable word and added: "You may call me Liz."
* * * * *
Montcalm went to the closet and found one of Millie's house dresses. Heheld it out to her beseechingly.
As he did so, he was stricken with a sudden sharp feeling of regret thatshe must don it. Her figure ... why Millie had never had a figure likethat! At once, he felt ashamed and disloyal and sterner than ever.
Liz rejected the proffered garment.
"I wouldn't think of adopting your alien custom of wearing clothing,"she said sweetly.
"Now look," said Montcalm, "I don't know whether you're drunk or crazy,but you're going to have to put something on and get out of here beforeI call the police."
"I anticipated doubt," said Liz. "I'm prepared to prove my identity."
With the words, the two of them were no longer standing in the Montcalmbedroom, but in a broad expanse of green fields and woodland, unmarredby any habitation. Montcalm didn't recognize the spot, but it lookedvaguely like it might be somewhere in the northern part of the state.
Montcalm was dismayed to find that he was as naked as his companion!
"Oh, my Lord!" he exclaimed, trying to cover himself with a SeptemberMorn pose.
"Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Liz, and instantly Montcalm's pajamas werelying at his feet. He got into them hurriedly.
"How did we get here?" he asked, his astonished curiosity overcoming hisdisapproval of this immodest woman.
"By a mode of transportation common to my people in planetaryatmospheres," she answered. "It's one of the things I propose to teachyour people."
She sat down cross-legged on the grass. Montcalm averted his eyes, likethe gentleman he was.
"You see," said Liz, "the people of your world are on the verge of goingto space and joining the community of worlds. It's only natural the restof us should wish to help you. We have a good many things to give you,to help you control the elements and natural conditions of your world.The weather, for example ..."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a small cloud appeared above them and spread,blocking out the early sun. It began to rain, hard.
The rain stopped as suddenly as it had begun and the cloud dissipated.Montcalm stood shivering in his soaked pajamas and Liz got to her feet,her skin glistening with moisture.
"You have a problem raising food for your population in some areas," shesaid....
A small haw-apple tree near them suddenly began to grow at an amazingrate of speed. It doubled its size in three minutes, put forth fruitand dropped it to the ground.
"These are only a few of the things I'll give to your planet," she said.
At her words, they were back in the bedroom. This time she had beenthoughtful. Montcalm was still clad in wet pajamas.
"I don't know what sort of hypnosis this is," he began aggressively,"but you can't fool me, young lady, into believing ..."
* * * * *
Millie came into the room. She had donned a robe over her nightgown.
"Richard, where have you been with this woman?" she demanded.
"Why, my dear ..."
"You've been roaming around the house somewhere with her. I came in herea moment ago and you were gone. Now, Richard, I want you to do somethingabout her and stop fooli
ng around. I can't keep the children in theirroom all day."
It hadn't been hypnosis then! Liz was for real. A vision rose beforeMontcalm of mankind given wonders, powers, benefits representingadvances of thousands of years. The world could become a paradise withthe things she offered to teach.
"Millie, this woman _is_ from another planet!" he exclaimed excitedly,and turned to Liz. "Why did you choose me to contact on Earth?"
"Why, I happened to land near your house," she answered. "I know howyour primitive social organization is set up, but isn't one human beingjust as good as another to lead me to the proper authorities?"
"Yes," he said joyfully, visualizing black headlines and his picture inthe papers.
Millie stood to one side, puzzled and grim at once. Montcalm picked upthe house dress he had taken from the closet earlier.
"Now, Miss," he said, "if you'll just put this on, I'll take you to themayor and he can get in touch with Washington at once."
"I told you," said Liz, "I don't want to adopt your custom of wearingclothing."
"But you can't go out in public like that!" said the dismayed Montcalm."If you're going to move among Earth people, you must dress as we do."
"My people wouldn't demand that Earth people disrobe to associate withus," she countered reasonably.
Millie had had enough. She went into action.
"You can argue with this hussy all you like, Richard, but I'm going tocall the police," she said, and left the room with determination in hereye.
The next fifteen minutes were agonizing for Montcalm as he triedfutilely to get Liz to dress like a decent person. He was torn betweenrealization of what the things she offered would mean to the world andhis own sense of the fitness of things. His children, the children ofTraskmore, the children of the world ... what would be the effect ontheir tender morals to realize that a sane adult was willing to walkaround in brazen nakedness?
There was a pounding on the front door, and the voice of Millie invitingthe law into the house.
"Now I'm afraid you're due to go to jail," said Montcalm mournfully."But when they get some clothes on you, I'll try to explain it and getyou an audience with the mayor."
Two blue-clad policemen entered the room.
One policeman took the house dress from Montcalm's lax fingers andtossed it over Liz' head without further ado.
Liz did not struggle. She looked at Montcalm with a quizzicalexpression.
"I'm sorry," she said. "My people made a mistake. If you Earth peoplearen't tolerant enough to accept a difference in customs of dress, I'mafraid you're too immature."
With that, she was gone like a puff of air. The astonished policemenheld an empty dress.
Montcalm didn't see the flying saucer that whizzed over Traskmore thatmorning and disappeared into the sky, but he didn't doubt the reports.He debated with himself for a long time whether he had taken the rightattitude, but decided he had.
After all, there were the children to consider.
THE END
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Amazing Science Fiction Stories_ September 1958. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.