按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
… …1917； and that the war ended the following year…and
that date I remember exactly； as it was my sixth birthday
and I thought the noise and celebration was for me。
What I can't remember is the exact date this country entered the war。 I may not have looked it up in planning this junket； my purpose was to arrive after 11 November 1918； the day the war ended； and！ allowed what I thought was a fortable margin。 I was fitting in those ten years most carefully； as the following ten years； 1929…1939；are decidedly not a vintage decade…and they end with the start of Phase Two of the First Terran Plaary War。
There is no possible way for me to look up that date… but I find one bright clue in my memory： a phrase 〃The Guns of August。〃 That phrase has a sharp association in my memory with this war…and it fits； for I remember that it was warm； summery weather （August is summer here） when Gramp （your maternal grandfather； dears） took me out into the backyard and explained to me what 〃war〃 is and why we must win。
I don't think he made me understand it…but！ remember the occasion； I remember his serious manner； I remember the weat？er （warm）； and the time of day （just before supper）。
Very well； I'll expect this country to declare war next
…August； I'll duck for cover in July…for I have no interest in this war。 I know which side won… （the side this country will be on） but I know also that 〃The War to End All Wars〃 （it was called that！） was a disastrous defeat both for 〃victors〃 and 〃vanquished〃…it led inevitably to the
467Great Collapse and caused me to get off this pla。 Nothing I can do will change any of that； there are no paradoxes。
So I will hole up till it's over。 Almost every nation on Terra eventually picked sides…but many did no fighting； and the war did not get close to them； especially nations south of here； Central and South America； so that is probably where I will go。
But I have almost a year to plan it。 It is easy here to be anything you claim to be…no identification cards； no puter codes； no thumbprints； no tax numbers。 Mind you； this pla now has as many people as Secundus has （will have…your 〃now〃）…yet births are not even registered in much of this country （mine was not； other than with the Families）； and a man is whoever he says he is！ There are no formalities about leaving this country。 It is slightly more difficult to get back in； but I have endless time to cope with that。 … But I should； through ordinary prudence； go away for
the duration of this war。 Why？ Conscription。 I'm durned if I'll try to explain that term to girls who just barely know what a war is； but it means 〃slave armies〃…and it means to me that I should have asked Ishtar to make me look at least twice the apparent age I look now。 If I hang around here too long； I risk being an involuntary 〃hero〃 in a war that was over before I was old enough to go to school。
This strikes me as ridiculous。
So I'll concentrate on accumulating money to carry me a couple of years…convert that into gold （about eight kilos； not too heavy）…then the first of next July； move south。 A mild problem then； as this country is conducting a small…scale border war with the one just south of it。 （Going north is out of the question； that country is a4ready in the big war。） The ocean to the east has underwater warships in it； these tend to shoot at anything that floats。 But the ocean on the other side is free of such vermin。 If I take a ship going south from a seaport on the west side of this country； I'll wind up outside the fighting zones。 In the meantime I must improve my Spanish… much like Galacta but prettier。 I'll find a tutor…no； Laz； not a horizontal one。 Don't you ever think about anything else？
468（e to think of it； dear； what else is worth thinking about？ Money？）
Yes； money； at the moment； and I have plans for that。 The country is about to elect a chief of government…and I am the only man on Terra who knows who will be elected。 Why did it stick in my memory？ Take a look at my registered Families' name。
So my pressing problem is to lay hands on money to bet on that election。 What I win I'll use to gamble in the bourse…except that it won't be gambling； as this country is already in a war economy and 1 know it will continue。
I wish 'I could accept bets on the election instead of placing them…but that is too risky to … my skin； I don't have the right political connections。
You see… No； I had better explain how this city is organized。
Kansas City is a pleasant place。 It has tree…shaded streets； lovely residential neighborhoods； a boulevard and park syst~m known throughout the pla。 Its excellent paving encourages the automobile carriages that are beginning to be popular。 Most of this country is still deep in mud； Kansas City's well…pave~1 streets have more of these autopropelled vehicles than horse…drawn ones。
The city is prosperous； being the second largest market and transportation center of the most productive agricul…' tural area on Terra…grain； beef； pork。 The unsightly aspects of this trade are down in river bottoms while the citizens live in beautiful wooded hills。 On a damp morning when the es catches a ？hiff …of stockyards； otherwise the air is clear and clean and beautiful。
It is a quiet city。 Traffic is never dense； and the clopclop of horses' hooves or the warning gong of an electrically propelled street…railroad car~ is just enough to acdent the silence…the sounds of children at play are louder。
Galahad is more interested in how a culture uses its leisure than in its economics…and so am I； as scratching a living is controlled by circumstances。 But not play。 By play I do not mean sex。 Sex can't take up too much time of humans matured beyond adolescence （except a few oddies like the fabled Casanova…and Galahad of course
…~Me 'at's off to the Dyuke！'）。
In 1916 （nothing I say necessarily applies ten years
469later and certainly not one hundred… years later； this is the
…very end of an era） …at this time the typical Kansas Citian makes his own play； his social events are associated
with ch&rches； or with relatives by blood and marriage； or both…dining； picnicking； playing games （not gambling）； or simply visiting and talking； Most of this costs little or nothing except the expense of supporting their churches
…which are social clubs as much as they are temples of religious faith。
第65节
The major mercial entertainment is called 〃moving pictures〃…dramatic shows presetited as silent blackand…white shadow pictures ifickering against a blank wall。 These are quite new； very popular； and very cheap…they are called 〃nickel shows〃 after the minor coin charged as a fee。 Each neighborhood （defined as walking distance） has at least one such theater。 This form of entertainment； and its technological derivatives； eventually had （will
… have） as much to do with the destruction of this social
… …pattern as the automobile carriages （get Galahad's opinions on this）； but…in 19 16…neither has as yet disturbed what appears to be a stable and rather Utopian pattern。
Anomie has not yet set in； the norms are strong； … customs are binding； … and no one here…&…now would believe that the occasional rumble is Cheyne…Stokes breathing of a culture about to die。 Literacy is at the highest level this culture will ever attain…my dears； the people of 1916 simply would not believe 2016。 They won't even believe that they are about to be enmeshed in the first of the Final Wars； that is why the man for whom I am named is about to be reelected。 〃We Are Neutral。〃 〃Too Proud to Fight。〃 〃He Kept Us Out of War。〃 Under these slogans they are marching over the precipice； not knowing it is there。 … …
（I'm depressing myself…hindsight is a vice 。 。 espe
… cially when it is foresight。）
Now let's look at the underside Qf this lovely city：
The city is a nominal democracy。 In fact it is nothing of the sort。 It is governed by one politici