"Henry Kuttner - Cold War" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kuttner Henry)

Us Hogbens is quiet folks. We like to keep our heads down and lead
quiet lives in our own little valley, where nobody comes near withouten we
say so. Our neighbors and the folks in the village are used to us by now.
They know we try hard not to act conspicuous. They make allowances.

If Paw gets drunk, like last week, and flies down the middle of Main
Street in his red underwear most people make out they donтАЩt notice, soтАЩs
not to embarrass Maw. They know heтАЩd walk like a decent Christian if he
was sober.

The thing that druv Paw to drink that time was Little Sam, which is our
baby we keep in a tank down-cellar, startinтАЩ to teethe again. First time since
the War Between the States. WeтАЩd figgered he was through teething, but
with Little Sam you never can tell. He was mighty restless, too.

A perfesser we keep in a bottle told us once Little Sam e-mitted
subsonic somethings when he yells but thatтАЩs just his way of talking. DonтАЩt
mean a thing. It makes your nerves twiddle, thatтАЩs all. Paw canтАЩt stand it.
This time it even woke up Grandpaw in the attic and he hadnтАЩt stirred since
Christmas. First thing after he got his eyes open he bust out madderтАЩn a
wet hen at Paw.

тАЬI see ye, wittold knave that ye are!тАЭ he howled. тАЬFlying again, is it?
Oh, sic a reowfule sigte! IтАЩll ground ye, ywis!тАЭ There was a far-away thump.

тАЬYou made me fall a good ten feet!тАЭ Paw hollered from away down
the valley. тАЬIt ainтАЩt fair. I could of busted something!тАЭ

тАЬYeтАЩll bust us all, with your dronken carelessness,тАЭ Grandpaw said.
тАЬFlying in full sight of the neighbors! People get burned at the stake for
less. You want mankind to find out all about us? Now shut up and let me
tend to Baby.тАЭ

Grandpaw can always quiet the baby if nobody else can. This time he
sung him a little song in Sanskrit and after a bit they was snoring a duet.

I was fixing up a dingus for Maw to sour up some cream for
sour-cream biscuits. I didnтАЩt have much to work with but an old sled and
some pieces of wire but I didnтАЩt need much. I was trying to point the top
end of the wire north-northeast when I seen a pair of checked pants rush by
in the woods.

It was Uncle Lem. I could hear him thinking. тАЬIt ainтАЩt me!тАЭ he was
saying, real loud, inside his haid. тАЬGit back to yer work, Saunk. I ainтАЩt within a
mile of you. Yer Uncle LemтАЩs a fine old feller and never tells lies. Think IтАЩd
fool ye, Saunkie boy?тАЭ

тАЬYou shore would,тАЭ I thunk back. тАЬIf you could. WhatтАЩs up, Uncle
Lem?тАЭ