ME: The insurance salesman from Fomalhaut. SECOND HALCYONIAN: I think so. His name, I believe, is Lar Luk. You could look him up in the city register. ME: I sure will. And thank you, folks. FIRST HALCYONIAN: You're wasting your time, Mr. Terra. ME: No, that's my planet. My name is Trumple. FIRST HALCYONIAN: Well, Terra or whatever your name is, you won't sell any of those dohinkuses here. Well, that's the conversation, boss. Half an hour later, the two Halcyonians got their breathing vents ruptured in the air-raid and died of strangulation. I'll bet you're glad I didn't sell _those_ two policies! Yours still hopefully, Sammy Trumple P.S. I intend to look up this guy from Fomalhaut. * * * * * Interstellar Division Terran Insurance Company Baltimore, Md., Earth Dear Sammy: Six weeks now without a sale. What's the matter with you? Getting soft? Homesick? Joanie is all right, I assure you. Hell's bells, man, IF YOU CAN PLANET-FALL, YOU CAN SELL. And by the way, you go right ahead and sell 'em. Let the boys in the actuary department worry about having to pay off immediately. We're sales, Sammy. Sales. Why don't you go out into the grass roots somewhere, where this bird from Fomalhaut hasn't tried his hand? Maybe he's soured all the Halcyonians on life insurance with the wrong approach. Over-aggressive or something. Buck up, Sammy. I've still got a little faith in you. Explore. Consider. Sweat. Sell. Yours in sales, Herman Spottsworth * * * * * Rmpldecroidesanspertxkle Halcyon Dear Boss: I'm out here in Rmpldecroidesanspertxkle trying your suggestion about the grass roots. It's a small town, population under two thousand, without an important war industry. You'd think it would be safe from air-raids, but it's not. As I told you when I first reached Halcyon, they have no real reason for war. War is like a game with them. Their best bombers are sent out after hospital ships, I understand. 'Tennyrate, tomorrow I'm going to try my luck here in Rmpldecroidesanspertxkle. Meanwhile, I have something of interest to report. Remember that guy I mentioned, Lar Luk, the insurance salesman from Fomalhaut? I met him in Halcyon City before I took the monorail to Rmpldecroidesanspertxkle, and we had a long talk. I said, "I hope you don't think I'm poaching on your territory, Mr. Luk." I then turned down the translator to soft obsequious. "I assure you, that's not the way Terran Insurance operates. We didn't know you were here." "That's quite all right," Lar Luk told me. "You can have the whole planet for all I care." "Are you going back to Fomalhaut?" I asked hopefully. "Goodness, no. I had my savings shipped here to Halcyon and started a munitions plant. I'm making a fortune."