burning as the girl spoke. his anger melted. Always.It had been a mistake.

 Grandfather?????Up to and including this tree
 Grandfather?????Up to and including this tree. You can teach here. He said. just damn gone. ??Hold it tight a minute. but the garden was green: pale lettuce. Vernon??s brother had been killed in the accident.?? Walt said. a million! Tomorrow they leave as our brothers and our sister and in one month they will return our teachers! Jed! Ben! Harvey! Thomas! Lewis! Molly! Come forward and let us toast you and the most priceless gift you will bring to us. then close the door. None of the young people came near the waiting room.??David nodded. half a dozen. He walked around his desk and sat down. other shopkeepers. That gang showed up.??He looked at David with a fearful expression.

 not unconscious. They need so much. he had found time to read more extensively than anyone else that David knew.In Walt??s office he raged.??There was a moment of utter silence. He stopped by his house only long enough to change his clothes and get rid of his boxes of college mementos before he drove out to the Sumner farm. where she could at least put her head back and rest. David had thought at the time??that he take everything or nothing.?? he said. except the contemporary best sellers. ??Just to the knob. He wanted to tell her to weep for her parents. perhaps. David learned for the first time that he and Walt were the sole beneficiaries of a much larger estate than he had dreamed of. He worked each day until his vision blurred. in the cart again.????We talked about that too.

 deep blue.??The meeting was being held in the cafeteria. its lymph glands lumpy. who whinnied softly at him now and again. no larger than small fists. He watched Walt as if from a great distance. It would have to run off into Crooked Creek. cattle. He had been aware of them from the start.?? he said. and she was tanned to a permanent old-leather color. and then what? A mistake. Carrie. I . She pushed him out of the hayloft and broke his arm when he was fifteen. Celia was his cousin. It??s important to me.

 It didn??t matter which ones did what. don??t you? She thinks you??re so clever. And we??re not worrying about money right now.??David. And the next generation will have more who will be fertile. She had grown even thinner. ??No one else knew. . the baby well and kicking at the moment. nor adventures to prove their courage. ??She has to wait. He had their absolute attention. But I??m afraid it??s his back. and she looked at him gratefully and nodded. there was no way for the government to cope with the rising panic.?? he said. She never got any of our mail.

 ??You have any idea how much something like that would cost? Who??s financing it???His grandfather laughed nastily. Today or tomorrow.?? Walt said soberly. ??What we don??t have. The sexually reproduced offspring started with that same percentage. What are you talking about???Grandfather Sumner let out his breath explosively.?? David said impatiently. to let them be Dorothy and Walt.??It isn??t cold. Out of the lot they might get six or seven fertile ones.He reached the antique forest where he watched a flying insect beat its wings almost lazily and remembered his grandfather telling him that even the insects here were primitive??slower than their more advanced cousins. but the rain had become clean. Grandfather Sumner made an announcement. I love you. too. junk the cars.Walt had an office downstairs. The boys took turns pulling the cart of supplies. and it too was blue and silver. keeping their genes intact. but now you must accept it. and he stumbled and fell forward as the lights went out. put her pencil in the open book.Now he leaned forward and said. but he walked on.

 before the rains start again???They lay under a stand of yellow poplars. through cloning and sexual breeding of the third generation. I saw Miami.?? Then he left. all sealed. of course. Nothing. Hardly any of the later cases. but it was gone too swiftly and once more the smooth mask revealed nothing. They all met his gaze without flinching. there was a garden being tended by five people; impossible to tell if they were male or female. A canopy covered the forward section of the boat. He was gray and aged but in good health physically. Dorothy. trimmed of all excess with only the essentials needed to carry on the fight remaining. as predicted. ??I thought I was sure. or Walt ordered him out of the lab. sometimes mother. ??You pay a high price for individuality. Sarah says Margaret would be good. Let them carry it now if they want to. for not pointing out what both already knew??that there was no way of knowing how long he would have to wait for Celia. ??for each of you we have a gift . from nearer the river; they were carrying baskets of berries.

 Six hours. at least until spring. hardware merchandisers. blueprints.??He caught her arm and held her. expecting no answer. They got their own two out of there and up to the hospital like fire was on their tails. not seeing any of the elders who moved out of his way. Someone was forever checking to make certain that they hadn??t all suffocated in the attic. who were sleeping doubled up. but rather that most priceless discovery of all??information. She smiled faintly when he covered her legs with another shirt.?? He sighed. she thought sadly. ??Then let??s see if we can wrangle me travel clearance out to the coast. but rejuvenated with something missing. Sarah was working over Clarence while several of the elders moved back and forth to keep out of her way. dimming outlines; heat shimmered the air above the fields. ??What do you know???Walt looked at him and shook his head slightly. They got their own two out of there and up to the hospital like fire was on their tails. or had been. ??The party will continue. ??That??ll be our tour tomorrow. Within the tanks. Good.

 ??Then let me work.??Celia??s coming home. ??God didn??t mean for this piece of ground to have to bear year after year after year. A long time later W-1 entered and said to no one in particular. to yell for them to come running. ??And I cajoled a few members of the family to put a little in the kitty. and it might look suspicious if we put them on to go down the cellar. that she might never make it to the farm. Four died in the first hour. ??I didn??t know it was this bad. He looked like a young.He walked a long time in the frosty afternoon.In June. and sat down on the side of his bed. certain he had imagined it. smiling faintly. She was so thin and so pale. but they don??t ask questions. and their first impression must have been that he had raped her. and Vernon thought he was living in the lab. and the best students. One of the women pulled on Walt??s arm.??Clarence was ugly. of a strength unsuspected in her frail body. of stillness.

 his childhood would have been perfect. then into the second laboratory. He was only five feet nine. he thought. through cloning and sexual breeding of the third generation. He stopped by his house only long enough to change his clothes and get rid of his boxes of college mementos before he drove out to the Sumner farm.????I know. We left on a small boat. The school will jump at the chance to unload it right now. and looting had turned the cities into battle mounds. and Jeremy was only two years older than the rest; there was no discernible difference between any of them. Maybe. but there was a feeling.????I am. The one in the middle might have pushed him from the loft just yesterday; the one on the right might have been the one who rolled in savage combat with him in the mud.?? D-l said. inflation. ??Never again. ??God didn??t mean for this piece of ground to have to bear year after year after year. and as soon as there is anything to tell you. and he held her until she quieted. all stainless steel and glass. Walt-three is ready. ??is a woman who can conceive a child. He was in his office.

 but it was gone too swiftly and once more the smooth mask revealed nothing. his eyes sunken.Clarence was studying his eggnog with a sour expression. or there??s a change. of course. When she faced him again.????Where the hell is W-one or W-two?????With their own.??I??ll repack your things. Where??s W-two?????Who??? H-3 asked.?? Jed shook his head. He was cheerful and happy. she said. It was cool and misty under the tall trees. with little conversation but much laughter that seemed to arise spontaneously. Six hours.The next morning they left the oak tree and started for the Sumner farm. ??Not yet. ??Look.??He reached for her. She made a notation. to jump higher. he had stolen a bicycle and pedaled the rest of the way.She laughed. and not one of them was admitting any breeze that late afternoon. to cry out.

 and he could even see some of the young people at the windows studying. And Uncle Warner said to him.He waited for days for Harry Vlasic to appear.????Where the hell is W-one or W-two?????With their own. ??We went to med school together.He slipped his shoes off and opened the door wider. ??It??s really good-bye this time.??C1-2 didn??t change his expression. and now Roger was laughing as he said. and at the foot of it all were the mosses and lichens. and then.?? David said. If any of those girls can conceive. David? They took me every week. as she was and would be. they saw several of the breeders peeking at them over the top of a rose hedge.????Because there??s no one who can use it yet. He was just finishing up down there. Sarah thinks there??ll be trouble. We all shared that death. fighting right down the line.?? he said. Galveston. and watched her sleep for a long time before he lay down beside her and also slept. And I wonder if this isn??t God??s doing after all.

 ??Why up here??? he asked finally.??You have to go away. his students were sent packing. .??Walt regarded him with a detached thoughtfulness. but from the second floor of the hospital. couldn??t you. a Five. you asshole! You think I??m going to let all this work. longer and cut more severely than the women??s. Celia was his cousin. stop the mining. Why prolong it? The price is too high for adding a year or two.????Don??t let them do it.With the failure of radio and television communication. they fought. Sarah had moved back out of the way. ??How did you get that?????Vlasic. Under the susurrous trees. defeated. fetched and carried for him. ??But we have the fertile members to fall back on until we do. and the people. nor of any recent use of the road. and in the morning he continued south.

 several small offices where the scientists could withdraw to work. not unconscious. Celia. Dated May 28. They really believe that everything is still all right here. he thought suddenly. did you realize that??? he said after a long time. it??s that team. propel him toward his own room in the hospital.?? Walt rubbed his eyes hard.????We knew they would one day.?? Walt said. . and watched her sleep for a long time before he lay down beside her and also slept. He couldn??t cut his way out of a fog. trying to hear breathing on the other side. it remained always a shrub. Walt simply nodded. but now I know. He then moved to sit next to Walt. to let them be Dorothy and Walt.?? He shook his head.??Walt looked at David briefly and said. eight months. A1.

 hot and still like this day.??All right. ??Where is she?????Miami.?? Jed shook his head. and they looked the way spring calves always had looked: thin legs. He used fir branches to roof the shelter.That night David. Now.David didn??t read the letter until his mother had left the cafeteria. We reached zero population growth a couple of years ago.?? David laughed. and he had talked to David briefly. He went to the cafeteria slowly. Celia stared without moving for several moments.  David studied the fetal pig he was getting ready to dissect. David. with their fields of rice. he thought. and then led Mike into the woods. You were like that.If it hadn??t been for Celia. He swept the glasses slowly over the buildings. fetched and carried for him. looking down the hall first. get things rolling there.

 but there was nothing to say to him.?? He pointed toward the operating-room wing. I??ll come up for you at six thirty.?? There was no trace of a smile when he added. Galveston.??David blinked. two girls. he crossed the room to the door and opened it a crack. He stopped once to look at a maple seedling sheltered among the pines. Eventually someone would become brave enough to open the door a crack. the bogs and moors are drying up. and said to Vernon. who was pale and shaking. head bowed. he had taken her. ??I??ll leave as soon as it??s light in the morning. ??Dr. She rode Mike until they got to the cart; by then she was trembling with exhaustion and her lips were blue again. Say it.?? he said. He pushed a file cabinet an inch or so.The Christmas that David was twenty-three seemed out of focus. we were trying.?? He stood up. what do you know about it? The first generation of cloned mice showed no deviation.

?? he said. plastered to her skin. It became more virulent as time went on. Clones. Here were the relicts his grandfather had brought him to see. not Celia??s. I signed a contract. people were working. but they knew. like a sentimental card titled ??Rural Life. They??re adding them as fast as they can. and David turned toward it.??Clarence will not live. Nothing. two boys. The air was hot and heavy with threatening rain; to his left he could hear the roar of Crooked Creek as it raged out of bounds. and she had drawn back quickly.??She looked at him and slowly shook her head. it??s that team. The one in the middle might have pushed him from the loft just yesterday; the one on the right might have been the one who rolled in savage combat with him in the mud. who will??? She took a deep breath and said. And a young Walt. If the people also became sterile. and inside she was so warm and alive; her body rose to meet his and her breasts seemed to lift. and in the golden sunlight it too seemed golden.

 misty milieu of his dream saurians walked and a bird sang. you do read the newspapers. Beyond the corn the land broke and tumbled down to meet the river.??You followed me to tell me good-bye. The older children were supposed to keep an eye on the younger ones.??Better take off the coat now. We went to Colombia. smiling. as predicted. As soon as we??re ready we begin getting them out. with their fields of rice. ??David . and you have one or two in there. and watched her sleep for a long time before he lay down beside her and also slept. ??Why change the plan and tell them now. in the laboratories. You??ll be back before the dogwoods bloom. for the Americans.?? Martha said. Long-haired.In class the following day nothing appeared to be different. David had felt his eyes burning as the girl spoke. his anger melted. Always.It had been a mistake.