"John D. MacDonald - Susceptibility" - читать интересную книгу автора (MacDonald John D)

IT WAS dusk in the heart of the village. He heard the thin eager voices of children at play. Smoke
from the cook fires lost itself in the grayness overhead where the first strange star patterns were beginning
to appear. Deen sat with her back against a tree. Sean Malloy lay stretched out on the grass on his back,
the concavity of the nape of his neck fitting comfortably over the warm convexity of her thigh.
An insect lit on the back of his hand and he slapped it. He squirmed a bit. He wasnтАЩt yet accustomed
to the scratchiness of homespun clothes. He squinted up at the skies and thought of his ship speeding
toward Bureau headquarters, the resignation affixed to the automatic controls. This was the third night
back at her home.
тАЬA crazy thing to do,тАЭ he muttered.
She took her cool fingertips from his forehead abruptly. тАЬSorry you did it, Sean?тАЭ she asked a bit
frigidly.
He captured her hand, kissed the palm. тАЬNot the way it sounded. My ship will get back there. TheyтАЩll
give Able XII a double priority. A new Praecursor will be here in probably less than four years. He may
send an adjustment team.тАЭ
The children were being called in from play. A few hundred feet down the unpaved main street came
the first tentative sounds of music.
тАЬI wouldnтАЩt worry about that, Sean,тАЭ she said softly.
He sat up, faced her. тАЬWhy in Sol not?тАЭ
She smiled at him. тАЬBecause when he comes, heтАЩll go looking for the person in charge, wonтАЩt he?тАЭ
тАЬNaturally.тАЭ
тАЬIt was decided a long time ago that what little centralized administration we need should be handled
by those of us least likely to be hungry for that sort of power.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt get the connection.тАЭ
тАЬVillage representatives to the general meeting are always unmarried girls, and are always those
considered to be the most pleasing to the eye. And we are beginning to find that anyone who has become
a Praecursor seems peculiarlyтАж susceptible to this sort of existence.тАЭ


HE WAS silent for a long time, and then he laughed. тАЬPoor Zedder,тАЭ he said.
 тАЬAnd poor Malloy,тАЭ she added teasingly.
Suddenly he became suspicious. тАЬDid you have orders toтАФtoтАФтАЭ
тАЬSeduce the Praecursor? How strangely short your memory is, my Sean! I seem to remember that the
shoe was on the other foot.тАЭ She stood up quickly and held out her hand. тАЬCome. They will expect us to
dance. I shall teach you. It will make you hungry for the wedding feast.тАЭ
тАЬHow barbaric!тАЭ muttered the ex-Praecursor as he urgently up-tilted her mouth.
тАЬHow primitive youтАЩre becoming!тАЭ she taunted, and writhed out of his arms.
He caught her finally, but only because she let him. He needed some woodchopping and farming,
maybe some hunting and hiking, too, before he could outrun her legitimately. A couple of months and she
would see who was the stronger.
The End.

Notes and proofing history

AK #15
Scanned with preliminary proofing by A/NN\A
October 24th, 2007тАФv1.0
from the original in Galaxy January, 1951
John D. MacDonald began writing pulp fiction in 1945. He is best known for his detective fiction