"Heinlein, Robert A - A Tenderfoot in Space - Original Version v1.0" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

УBecause, old-fashioned as it sounds, I am head of this family. I am responsible for itЧand not just food, shelter, and clothing, but its total welfare. Until you are old enough to take care of yourself I mean to keep an eye on you. One of the prerogatives which go with my responsibility is deciding where the family shall live. I have a better job offered me on Venus than I could ever hope for here, so IТm going to VenusЧand my family goes with me.Ф He drummed on the table, hesitated. УI think your chances are better on a pioneer planet, tooЧbut, when you are of age, if you think otherwise, IТll pay your fare back to Earth. But you go with us. Understand?Ф
Charlie nodded, his face glum.
УVery well. IТm amazed that you apparently care more for that dog than you do for your motherЧand myself. ButЧФ
УIt isnТt that, Dad. Nixie needsЧФ
УQuiet. I donТt suppose you realize it, but I tried to
figure this outЧIТm not taking your dog away from you out of meanness. If I could afford it, IТd buy the hound a ticket. But something your mother said last night brought up a third possibility.Ф
Charlie looked up suddenly, and so did Nixie; wondering why the surge of hope in his boy.
УI canТt buy Nixie a ticket.. . but itТs possible to ship him as freight.Ф
УHuh? Why, sure, Dad! Oh, I know heТd have to be caged upЧbut IТd go down and feed him every day and pet him and tell him it was all right andЧФ
УSlow down! I donТt mean that. All I can afford is to have him shipped the way animals are always shipped in space ships. . . in sleep-freeze.Ф
CharlieТs mouth hung open. He managed to say, УBut thatТsЧФ
УThatТs dangerous. As near as I remember, itТs about fifty-fifty whether he wakes up at the other end. But if you want to risk itЧwell, perhaps itТs better than giving him away to strangers, and IТm sure you would prefer it to taking him down to the vetТs and having him put to sleep.Ф
Charlie did not answer. Nixie felt such a storm of conflicting emotions in Charlie that the dog violated dining room rules; he raised up and licked the boyТs hand.
Charlie grabbed the dogТs ear. УAll right, Dad,Ф he said gruffly. УWeТll risk itЧif thatТs the only way Nixie and I can still be partners.Ф

Nixie did not enjoy the last few days before lчaving; they held too many changes. Any proper dog likes excitement, but home is for peace and quiet. Things should be orderly thereЧfood and water always in the same place, newspapers to fetch at certain hours, milkmen to supervise at regular times, furniture all in its proper place. But during that week all was changeЧnothing on time, nothing in order. Strange men came into the house
(always a matter for suspicion), and he, Nixie, was not even allowedto protest, much less give them the what-for they had coming.
He was assured by Charlie and Mrs. Vaughn that it was Уall rightФ and he had to accept it, even though it obviously was not all right. His knowledge of English was accurate for a few dozen words but there was no way to explain to him that almost everything owned by the Vaughn family was being sold, or thrown away. . . nor would it have reassured him. Some things in life were permanent; he had never doubted that the Vaughn home was first among these certainties
By the night before they left, the rooms were bare except for beds. Nixie trotted around the house, sniffing places where familiar objects had been, asking his nose to tell him that his eyes deceived him, whining at the results. Even more upsetting than physical change was emotional change, a heady and not entirely happy excitement which he could feel in all three of his people.
There was a better time that evening, as Nixie was allowed to go to Scout meeting. Nixie always went on hikes and had formerly attended all meetings. But he now attended only outdoor meetings since an incident the previous winterЧNixie felt that too much fuss had been made about it. . . just some spilled cocoa and a few broken cups and anyhow it had been that catТs fault.
But this meeting he was allowed to attend because it was CharlieТs last Scout meeting on Earth. Nixie was not aware of that but he greatly enjoyed the privilege, especially as the meeting was followed by a party at which Nixie became comfortably stuffed with hot dogs and pop. Scoutmaster McIntosh presented Charlie with a letter of withdrawal, certifying his status and merit badges and asking his admission into any troop on Venus. Nixie joined happily in the applause, trying to outbark the clapping.
Then the Scoutmaster said, СOkay, Rip.Ф
Rip was senior patrol leader. He got up and said, УQuiet, fellows. Hold it, you crazy savages! Charlie, I donТt have to tell Хyou that weТre all sorry to see you go. . . but we hope you have a swell time on Venus and now and then send a postcard to Troop Twenty-Eight and tell us about itЧweТll post Сem on the bulletin board. Anyhow, we wanted to get you a going-away present. But Mr. McIntosh pointed out that you were on a very strict weight allowance and practically anything would either cost you more to take with you than we had paid for it, or maybe you couldnТt take it at all, which wouldnТt be much of a present.
УBut it finally occurred to us that we could do one thing. NixieЧФ
NixieТs ears pricked. Charlie said softly, УSteady, boy.Ф
УNixie has been with us almost as long as you have. HeТs been around, poking his cold nose into things, longer than any of the tenderfeet, and longer even than some of the second class. So we decided he ought to have his own letter of withdrawal, so that the troop you join on Venus will know that Nixie is a Scout in good standing. Give it to him, Kenny.Ф
The scribe passed over the letter. It was phrased like CharlieТs letter, save that it named УNixie Vaughn, Tenderfoot ScoutФ and diplomatically omitted the subject of merit badges. It was signed by the scribe, the scoutmaster, and the patrol leaders and countersigned by every member of the troop. Charlie showed it to Nixie, who sniffed it. Everybody applauded, so Nixie joined happily in applauding himself.
УOne more thing,Ф added Rip. УNow that Nixie is officially a Scout, he has to have his badge. So send him front and center.Ф
Charlie did so. They had worked their way through the Dog Care merit badge together while Nixie was a pup, all feet and floppy ears; it had made Nixie a much more acceptable member of the Vaughn family. But the rudimentary dog training required for the merit badge had
stirred CharlieТs interest; they had gone on to Dog Obedience School together and Nixie had progressed from easy spoken commands to more difficult silent hand signals.
Charlie used them now. At his signal Nixie trotted forward, sat stiffly at attention, front paws neatly drooped in front of his chest, while Rip fastened the tenderfoot badge to his collar, then Nixie raised his right paw in salute and gave one short bark, all to hand signals.
The applause was loud and Nixie trembled with eagerness to join it. But Charlie signalled Уhold & quiet,Ф so Ni-xie remained silently poised in salute until the clapping died away. He returned to heel just as silently, though quivering with excitement. The purpose of the ceremony may not have been clear to himЧif so, he was not the first tenderfoot Scout to be a little confused. But it was perfectly clear that he was the center of attention and was being approved of by his friends; it was a high point in his life.
But all in all there had been too much excitement for a dog in one week; the trip to White Sands, shut up in a travel case and away from Charlie, was the last straw. When Charlie came to claim him at the baggage room of White Sands Airport, his relief was so great that he had a puppyish accident, and was bitterly ashamed.
He quieted down on the drive from airport to spaceport, then was disquieted again when he was taken into a room which reminded him of his unpleasant trips to the veterinaryЧthe smells, the white-coated figure, the bare table where a dog had to hold still and be hurt. He stopped dead.
УCome, Nixie!Ф Charlie said firmly. УNone of that, boy. Up!Ф
Nixie gave a little sigh, advanced and jumped onto the examination table, stood docile but trembling.
УHave him lie down,Ф the man in the white smock said. УIТve got to get the needle into the large vein in his foreleg.Ф
Nixie did so on CharlieТs command, then lay tremblingly quiet while his left foreleg was shaved in a patch and sterilized. Charlie put a hand on NixieТs shoulder blades and soothed him while the veterinary surgeon probed for the vein. Nixie bared his teeth once but did not growl, even though the fear in the boyТs mind was beating on him, making him just as afraid.
Suddenly the drug reached his brain and he slumped limp.
CharlieТs fear surged to a peak but Nixie did not feel it. NixieТs tough little spirit had gone somewhere else, out of touch with his friend, out of space and timeЧ wherever it is that the УIФ within a man or a dog goes when the body wrapping it is unconscious.
Charlie said shrilly, УIs he all right?Ф
УEh? Of course.Ф
УUh. . . I thought he had died.Ф
УWant to listen to his heart beat?Ф
УUh, noЧif you say heТs all right. Then heТs going to be okay? HeТll live through it?Ф
The doctor glanced at CharlieТs father, back at the boy, let his eyes rest on CharlieТs lapel. УStar Scout, eh?Ф
УUh, yes, sir.Ф
УGoing on to Eagle?Ф
УWell . . . IТm going to try, sir.Ф
УGood. Look, son. If I put your dog over on that shelf, in a couple of hours heТll be sleeping normally and by tomorrow he wonТt even know he was out. But if I take him back to the chill room and start him on the cycleЧФ He shrugged. УWell, IТve put eighty head of cattle under today. If forty percent are revived, itТs a good shipment. I do my best.Ф