"C M Kornbluth - Make Mine Mars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kornbluth C M)

Through the fading pinwheels I saw a long and horrid face, a Sirian face, peering at me with kindly
interest under the table. It was Wenjtkpli.



"Good morning, little Earth chum," he said. "You feel not so tired now?"



"Morning?" I yelled, sitting up again and cracking my head again and lying down again to wait for the
pinwheels to fade again.



"You sleep," I heard him say, "fourteen hoursтАФso happy, so peaceful!"



"I gotta get out of here," I mumbled, scrambling about on the imported sawdust for my hat. I found I was
wearing it, and climbed out, stood up, and leaned against the table, swaying and spitting out the last of the
spruce and cedar.



"You like another stinger?" asked Wenjtkpli brightly. I retched feebly.
 "Fourteen hours," I mumbled. "That makes it 0900 Mars now, or exactly ten hours past the time I was
supposed to report for the nightside at the bureau."



"But last night you talk different," the Sirian told me in surprise. "You say many times how bureau chief
McGillicuddy can take lousy job and jamтАФ"



"That was last night," I moaned. "This is this morning."



"Relax, little Earth chum. I sing again song you taught me:



X is for the ecstasy she ga-a-ave me; E is forтАФ"



My throbbing head still objected. I flapped good-by at him and set a course for the door of Blogri's
joint. The quaint period mottoes: