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

He jumped back into the underbrush, squealing real happy.

тАЬFooled you that time, you young stinker,тАЭ he yelled back. тАЬLetтАЩs see
you get your thumb outa the middle of next week!тАЭ

It was the time-lag done it. I mighta knowed. When he crossed that
wire he didnтАЩt have no thunderstorm in mind at all. Took me nigh onto ten
minutes to work myself loose, account of some feller called Inertia, who
mixes in if you ainтАЩt careful when you fiddle around with time. I donтАЩt
understand much about it myself. I ainтАЩt got my growth yet. Uncle Lem says
heтАЩs already forgot moreтАЩn IтАЩll ever know.

With that head start I almost lost him. DidnтАЩt even have time to change
into my store-bought clothes and I knowed by the way he was all dressed
up fit to kill he was headed for somewheres fancy.

He was worried, too. I kept running into little stray worrisome thoughts
heтАЩd left behind him, hanging like teeny little mites of clouds on the bushes.
CouldnтАЩt make out much on account of they was shredding away by the
time I got there but heтАЩd shore done something he shouldnтАЩt. That much
anybody coulda told. They went something like this:

тАЬWorry, worryтАФwish I hadnтАЩt done itтАФoh, heaven help me if
Grandpaw ever finds outтАФoh, them nasty Pughs, how could I a-been such
a fool? Worry, worryтАФpore ole feller, such a good soul, too, never done
nobody no harm and look at me now.

тАЬThat Saunk, too big for his britches, teach him a thing or two, ha-ha.
Oh, worry, worryтАФnever mind, brace up, you good ole boy, everythingтАЩs
bound to turn out right in the end. You deserve the best, bless you, Lemuel.
GrandpawтАЩll never find out.тАЭ

Well, I seen his checkered britches high-tailing through the woods
after a bit, but I didnтАЩt catch up to him until he was down the hill, across the
picnic grounds at the edge of town and pounding on the sill of the
ticket-window at the railroad station with a Spanish dubloon he snitched
from PawтАЩs seachest.

It didnтАЩt surprise me none to hear him asking for a ticket to State
Center. I let him think I hadnтАЩt caught up. He argued something turrible with
the man behind the window but finally he dug down in his britches and
fetched up a silver dollar, and the man calmed down.

The train was already puffing up smoke behind the station when Uncle
Lem darted around the corner. DidnтАЩt leave me much time but I made it
tooтАФjust. I had to fly a little over the last half-dozen yards but I donтАЩt think
anybody noticed.

****