"James E. Gunn - The Burning" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gunn James E)

тАЬBut I say to you that they are not to blame who have thus taken justice into their own hands. They are
not to blame who have carried destruction to the home of treason and brought death to traitors.

тАЬThey are to blame who have driven the people to this desperate end. And they are paying the price for
placing themselves above the people and above the welfare of their country.
тАЬKnow now and always that this is not my doing. My only suggestion was that local committees should
be formed to decide what your children should be taught and to report any instances of Un-American
teaching to my subcommittee on academic practices. тАЬBut if traitors must die that their country live, then
let them dieтАж.тАЭ

Wilson stopped listening. He thought:If theyтАЩd given us a few years more, a few months evenтАж. We
were on the right track at last; we could see light ahead тАж.

His guess about the car had been accurate. There was a roadblock on the highway. All cars were being
stopped; credit cards were being checked. In the bus, the vigilante group made only a visual check; no
one thought an egghead would ride the bus.

A curious thing happened as the bus waited to get through. A blue ball of fire drifted down the highway,
passing close to the self-appointed committee on credentials. It was closely followed by a red ball. At the
roadblock men cringed in fear or fell to the ground or turned and ran.

Wilson knew what it was: St. ElmoтАЩs fire, a brush discharge of electricity, red when positive, blue when
negative, most often seen at sea in stormy weather. Ball lightning.

Sometimes it was calledwitch fire .

At the bus depot in the city, Wilson picked out a phone booth behind a crackling neon sign, to foil the
tappers, and, shielding the dial with his body, dialed quickly, nervously. At the other end the phone
buzzed twice before it was lifted.

тАЬMark?тАЭ Wilson said quickly. тАЬIs this Mark?тАЭ

There was a moment of silence through which came clearly the sound of someone breathing into the other
mouthpiece. Then a womanтАЩs voice said: тАЬJohn?тАЭ

тАЬIs that you, Emily?тАЭ Wilson said. тАЬWhatтАЩs the matter? Is Mark there?тАЭ

тАЬMarkтАЩs gone--тАЭ she said flatly, тАЬ--on business. John---we didnтАЩt expect---we thought you would be тАФ
тАЬ

тАЬNo. It was almost over when I got there. I missed it.тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm glad,тАЭ Emily said. тАЬWhat do you want, John? I canтАЩt talk very long. IтАЩm afraid this phone is tapped.тАЭ

тАЬWhy should your phone be tapped?тАЭ

тАЬWe knew you.тАЭ A pause. тАЬWhy did you call?тАЭ

тАЬI need help, Emily. All IтАЩve got is the clothes IтАЩm standing in. I thought you might be glad to hear IтАЩm