Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
EASY DOES IT
BY E. G. VON WALD
_Hal was stranded in the wilderness with
a beautiful girl, and it was surprisingly
enjoyable--while his conditioning was off.
But, after all, how uncivilized can one get?_
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1955.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Hal Webber leaned back in the soft Formair Executive's seat. Although
he twisted and shifted his position restlessly, he received the same
sensation of perfect, comfortable support no matter which way he
sat in it. Which was only natural, of course. Formair was the best
suspend-field furniture manufactured.
As he squirmed about, he had a faint, puzzled frown on his face, and in
his stomach he felt a lurking sensation of unaccustomed tension. Hal
simply could not understand it.
There was a faint humming sound, as the door panel slid back. His
father entered the office.
"Well Hal," the old man murmured softly with a placid smile of
satisfaction. "We've done it."
"Done what? Oh, you mean the new coloration process?"
"Yes. It will quintuple the net value of the family fortune within a
year. We may be the richest people in the world then."
"That's nice," Hal said mildly.
His father flicked a finger across a sensitive spot on the front of the
desk and relaxed as a perfect Formair attendant's chair sprang into
existence to fit his gross, soft body.
"Yes indeed," he said with a mild sigh. "It's been a long, long time
that we've been working for that. Worked mighty hard, too."
"That's right," murmured Hal, a little more forcefully than necessary.
"Splendid."
His father's eyebrows rose at the unusual emphasis, but he was much
too cultured to question the point. He continued along the lines of
the conversation already started. "We'll have to do something for
Bruchner. He has been of tremendous assistance on that project. Did it
practically all by himself. He is a very intelligent man, even if he is
an Outlander."
"Bruchner," said Hal with mild irritation. "All I hear around here
lately is Bruchner. What is he, anyway? Nothing but a savage."
"Eh?" said his father softly, raising his eyebrows again in polite
inquiry.
"If Bruchner is such a brilliant fellow, why doesn't he take the
Treatment and become civilized? I sometimes get a little tired of an
employee who tells me I'm wrong all the time."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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