Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 220: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

sustaining Enclosures; there were less than five million, the Teachers had said. “Max,” | asked, “how about a snappy answer to this one .. yes or no. How’ve they been supplying the information you've wanted? Have they ever volunteered anything?” “Look, when are you going to begin leaving well enough alone? It’s a good thing you weren’t a cop, or your grandmother wouldn’t have known a day out of jail in her life... “Yes or no, Max. Humor me.” “Hell, | don’t know. The last sixty days have just been one big quiz program—have been for you, too, if you haven't been gold-bricking over in the art galleries again! But if it means anything to your counterspy mind, as far as | can think back, no. No, they just wait until you ask something, and then they break their backs to give you an answer down to the last little detail.” He rolled over on his stomach and said something else into the grass and | only half caught it “Naturally, it’s good enough for me,” | answered. “I’d say too good if—if they weren’t what they are. But | want to Know more about them now—the way things are this minute. My dicto’s got about three tons of tape on their early socio- technological history, its check-and-balance development, and how they worked out space travel and began watching us from the time we started hammering tools out of flint— but dammit, they’ve got so much history.” “Always in a hurry, that’s my boy! Six months and we'll have the works at the rate we’re going, then you'll be happy. Better than five years, isn’t it? And who was the guy hollering about taking a day to catch our breaths? Roll over, will you?” “First things first, | suppose.” “Figures, doesn’t it?” CORniclooo SS CO