"Avram Davidson - No Fire Burns" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davidson Avram)

manufacturing and distributing.

"Well, that covers just about the whole range of commerce, doesn't it? Except for credit."
"We do that, too."

Colles chuckled, but seeing his host react with faint surprise, coughed. "Now, about these tests," he said.
And he proceeded to talk about the tests with young Mr. Taylor, while Mr. Melchior listened, nodding.
After a while the personnel manager said, "Well, that seems to be all right, then, about the standard tests.
Now, Mr. Melchior would like to discuss with you the possibility of setting up another test, one which
would have to be personally constructed."

"Oh?" Dr. Colles raised his eyebrows. "A special test. Well."

Melchior rubbed his thin lips with his napkin. "We gotтАФ" He paused. "We have certain problems
concerned with personnel procurementтАФmaybe disprocurement is the right word, huh, Taylor? And we
think you might be just the man to deal with them."

"Well, that's very flattering. 'Disprocurement'? Ha ha. And challenging, too. Go on, go on."



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Joe Clock looked up from his lathe. It was that pest, Aberdeen, again. "Whaddaya want, Ab?" he asked.
"Come on, come onтАФ"

Ab smiled ingratiatingly. "Whaddaya want, for crysake?" Joe demanded.

The man looked around, nervously. "Uh. Look Joe, when you told me you needed that money couple
weeks ago, you said you needed it so bad, I told you that I, uh, I, uh, could let you have it, sure, I mean,
glad to help, I, uhтАФ"

"Will ya quit needling me, for crysake? I told ya I'd pay it back."

Ab smirked, weakly. "Yeah, but, uh, Joe, I told you then it was the, uh, rent money, so I'd, uh, I'd need
it back in a week. And that was the truth, I mean тАж well, Joe, the, uh, the rent, I mean it was due a, a
week ago, and I got to have it Joe. SoтАФ"

Joe turned back to his lathe. "You'll get it. Tell ya landlord to keep his pants on, because I don't have it
now. So quit needling me."

Ab started to protest, explain, plead, but Joe wasn't paying any attention to him. Finally, with a helpless
shrug he moved off, looking back over his shoulder with a puzzled expression, at the oblivious Joe
Clock, whoтАФafter the other man was well out of sightтАФtook a stroll down to the drinking fountain.

He was greeted there by a man with a wart between his eyes. "You get them new power tools for your
cellar yet, that you were talking about?" the man asked.