"Kate Wilhelm - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

тАЬDavid.тАЭ He stopped and listened, certain he had imagined it, but the call came again.
тАЬDavid, are you up here?тАЭ
He turned then and saw Celia among the massive tree trunks. Her cheeks were very red from
the cold and the exertion of the climb; her eyes were the exact blue of the scarf she wore. She
stopped six feet from him and opened her mouth to speak again, but didnтАЩt. Instead she drew off a
glove and touched the smooth trunk of a beech tree. тАЬGrandfather Wiston brought me up here, too,
when I was twelve. It was very important to him that we understand this place.тАЭ
David nodded.
She looked at him then. тАЬWhy did you leave like that? They all think weтАЩre going to fight
again.тАЭ
тАЬWe might,тАЭ he said.
She smiled. тАЬI donтАЩt think so. Never again.тАЭ
тАЬWe should start down. ItтАЩll be dark in a few minutes.тАЭ But he didnтАЩt move.
тАЬDavid, try to make Mother see, will you? You understand that I have to go, that I have to
do something, donтАЩt you? She thinks youтАЩre so clever. SheтАЩd listen to you.тАЭ
He laughed. тАЬThey think IтАЩm clever like a puppy dog.тАЭ
Celia shook her head. тАЬYouтАЩre the one theyтАЩd listen to. They treat me like a child and
always will.тАЭ
David shook his head, smiling, but he sobered again very quickly and said, тАЬWhy are you
going, Celia? What are you trying to prove?тАЭ
тАЬDamn it, David. If you donтАЩt understand, who will?тАЭ She took a deep breath and said, тАЬLook,
you do read the newspapers, donтАЩt you? People are starving in South America. Most of South America
will be in a state of famine before the end of this decade if they arenтАЩt helped almost
immediately. And no one has done any real research in tropical farming methods. Practically no
one. ThatтАЩs all lateritic soil and no one down there understands it. They go in and burn off the
trees and underbrush, and in two or three years they have a sunbaked plain as hard as iron. Okay,
they send some of their bright young students here to learn about modern farming, but they go to
Iowa, or Kansas, or Minnesota, or some other dumb place like that, and they learn farming methods
suited to temperate climates, not tropical. Well, we trained in tropical farming and weтАЩre going
to start classes down there, in the field. ItтАЩs what I trained for. This project will get me a
doctorate.тАЭ
The Wistons were farmers, had always been farmers. тАЬCustodians of the soil,тАЭ Grandfather
Wiston had said once, тАЬnot its owners, just custodians.тАЭ
Celia reached down and moved the matted leaves and muck from the surface of the earth and
straightened with her hand full of black dirt. тАЬThe famines are spreading. They need so much. And
I have so much to give! CanтАЩt you understand that?тАЭ she cried. She closed her hand hard,
compacting the soil into a ball that crumbled again when she opened her fist and touched the lump
with her forefinger. She let the soil fall from her hand and carefully pushed the protective
covering of leaves back over the bared spot.
тАЬYou followed me to tell me good-bye, didnтАЩt you?тАЭ David said suddenly, and his voice was
harsh. тАЬItтАЩs really good-bye this time, isnтАЩt it?тАЭ He watched her and slowly she nodded. тАЬThereтАЩs
someone in your group?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm not sure, David. Maybe.тАЭ She bowed her head and started to pull her glove on again. тАЬI
thought I was sure. But when I saw you in the hall, saw the look on your face when I came in . . .
I realized that I just donтАЩt know.тАЭ
тАЬCelia, you listen to me! There arenтАЩt any hereditary defects that would surface! Damn it,


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