"Robert A. Heinlein - Farmer In The Sky" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

тАЬNo bad mutationsthat we know of,тАЭ Dad answered. тАЬHowever, I agree that we seem to have done a
fair job in picking our grandparents. I wasn't thinking of anything as obvious as that.тАЭ

тАЬWell, what, then? What could they possibly get us on?тАЭ

He fiddled with his pipe the way he always does when he doesn't want to answer right away. тАЬBill, when
I pick a steel alloy for a job, it's not enough to say, 'Well, it's a nice shiny piece of metal; let's use it.' No,
I take into account a list of tests as long as your arm that tells me all about that alloy, what it's good for
and just what I can expect it to do in the particular circumstances I intend to use it. Now if you had to
pick people for a tough job of colonizing, what would you look for?тАЭ

тАЬUh ... I don't know.тАЭ

тАЬNeither do I. I'm not a social psychometrician. But to say that they want healthy people with fair
educations is like saying that I want steel rather than wood for a job. It doesn't tell what sort of steel. Or
it might not be steel that was needed; it might be titanium alloy. So don't get your hopes too high.тАЭ

тАЬButтАФwell, look, what can wedo about it?тАЭ

тАЬNothing. If we don't get picked, then tell yourself that you are a darn good grade of steel and that it's no
fault of yours that they wanted magnesium.тАЭ

It was all very well to look at it that way, but it worried me. I didn't let it show at school, though. I had
already let everybody know that we had put in for Ganymede; if we missedтАФwell, it would be sort of
embarrassing.

My best friend, Duck Miller, was all excited about it and was determined to go, too.

тАЬBut how can you?тАЭ I asked. тАЬDo your folks want to go?тАЭ

тАЬI already looked into that,тАЭ Duck answered. тАЬAll I have to have is a grown person as a sponsor, a
guardian. Now if you can tease your old man into signing for me, it's in the bag.тАЭ

тАЬBut what willyour father say?тАЭ

тАЬHe won't care. He's always telling me that when he was my age he was earning his own living. He says
a boy should be self reliant. Now how about it? Will you speak to your old man about itтАФtonight?тАЭ

I said I would and I did. Dad didn't say anything for a moment, then he asked: тАЬYou really want Duck
with you?тАЭ

тАЬSure I do. He's my best friend.тАЭ

тАЬWhat does his father say?тАЭ

тАЬHe hasn't asked him yet,тАЭ and then I explained how Mr. Miller felt about it

тАЬSo?тАЭ said Dad. тАЬThen let's wait and see what Mr. Miller says.тАЭ