"Mike Resnick - Tales Of The Galactic Midway - Alien-Tamer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

тАЬYes,тАЭ said the blue man, nodding. тАЬMr. Monk himself suggested the inscription after
explaining that such memorials are common on Earth.тАЭ
тАЬDid Mr. Monk also explain that such memorials, on those very rare occasions when
they are given to animals, are placed on the grave of the deceased, and that the
fucking bear is buried three hundred light-years from here?тАЭ
тАЬNo,тАЭ admitted Mr. Ahasuerus, looking distressed. тАЬNo, he didn't.тАЭ
тАЬFigures,тАЭ muttered Flint. тАЬWhere is he?тАЭ
тАЬWaiting for his new animals, I should imagine.тАЭ
тАЬWell, let's hope this batch is better than the last. By the way, how much did that
piece of rock set us back?тАЭ
тАЬThree thousand credits,тАЭ replied the blue man.
тАЬI don't know from credits. How much is that in American money?тАЭ
тАЬYou really should make some effort to learn those conversion tables I made up for
you.тАЭ
тАЬSkip the lecture,тАЭ said Flint. тАЬHow much?тАЭ
тАЬAbout twenty-four hundred dollars,тАЭ replied Mr. Ahasuerus. тАЬOf course, that's 1982
Constant dollars. I have no idea what inflation may have done toтАФтАЭ
тАЬTwenty-four hundred dollars?тАЭ yelled Flint. тАЬYou tell Monk that it's coming out of
his pay!тАЭ He snuffed out his cigarette and lit another one. тАЬJesus H. Christ! I spend
the better part of two years turning this show into a paying proposition, and the
second I turn my back you start okaying money for tombstones!тАЭ
тАЬWe can afford it,тАЭ said Mr. Ahasuerus calmly.
тАЬPull a couple more stunts like this and I'll bet we can even afford a matching one for
a bald blue skeleton,тАЭ said Flint. He paused for a moment and emitted a deep sigh.
тАЬLook, I don't mean to lose my temper with you. But after two years you ought to
know that all carnies are liars.тАЭ
тАЬIncluding you?тАЭ asked Mr. Ahasuerus, pulling his lips back from his teeth in his
equivalent of a smile.
тАЬIncluding me. But I'm selective about it: I just lie to the marks. Monk and the rest,
they'll lie to anyone.тАЭ He looked down at the granite marker again.
тАЬOh, well, see if there's anything resembling a graveyard around here and plant it.тАЭ
тАЬAnd if not?тАЭ
тАЬDump it into Monk's room and lethim worry about it.тАЭ
Flint spent the next half hour supervising the rest of the unloading, discovered that he
had been sent a ride that had been earmarked for the humanoids of Canphor VI and
had not received the one he had ordered to accommodate the elephantine beings of
Girodus II, had the crew reload it into the ship, and sent off still another nasty
message to the Corporation. He did receive three tons of sugar, but with his cotton
candy machine out of order he didn't see much use for it, and reloaded it as well.
Finally, sweating profusely and wondering why Mr. Ahasuerus seemed to pick only
exceptionally hot worlds or frigid ones, he clambered down the gangplank, lit another
cigarette, took his shirt off, and signed a number of receipts after having one of the
aliens translate them for him.
He was about to go to the carnival ship's galley for a cold beerтАФwhich, he knew,
would be lukewarm and taste like weak teaтАФwhen a small hunchbacked human
approached him.
тАЬWhat's wrong now?тАЭ asked Flint.
тАЬNothing,тАЭ replied the hunchback, speaking with a severe stammer. тАЬI just thought I'd
see if there was any mail.тАЭ
тАЬThat's very thoughtful of you, Tojo,тАЭ said Flint dryly. тАЬYou think the United States