"Hey, Mister," another of them said. "I'd like to get somethin'
straight right now. You ain't havin' us to handle no explosives or
somethin' dangerous like that, are you?"
It was an objection Parr had been prepared for. Scarcely thinking, he
bent to the drawer and picked up the dummy parcel. He put it on the
desk top.
"There is no danger. You will need no special instructions save to
handle as you would normal mail. I have a sample package here." He bent
over and stripped off a section of wrapping paper to permit them to see
a stack of printed material.
* * * * *
He rippled the dummy sheets with his thumb. "The nature of the
advertising is secret for the moment, but," he lied, "this is what it
looks like." He returned the bundle to the desk. "It's just paper."
That was true, and he smiled faintly as he imagined the amount of
disorganization mere paper would be able to accomplish. For an instant,
the uncertain emotion returned as he thought of the invasion fleet,
rushing communicationless through hyperspace for its rendezvous with
Earth.
"There is, of course, a reason for the high wages," he said, the words
coming automatically. "We want to hit the market before--ah--" and the
phrase and the hesitation were memorized, calculated for effect, "a
competitor."
He pursed his lips speculatively. "Naturally we want to avoid
publicity. Anyone violating this requirement will be dismissed
immediately."
He seemed to study the faces individually, looking for spies from the
rival company.
"I will probably not require you for more than a few hours the first
several days. In that event, you will receive pay for a full eight hour
day."
He stopped talking, and the applicants' faces were excited.
"As soon as the woman returns with the paper, I will begin the
interviews. Those of you whom I hire will receive a fifty dollar bonus
before you leave the building."
When she returned, Parr interviewed. His questions were perfunctory.
By noon, he had enough workers, and he had one of them hang out a
penciled sign reading: "Jobs Filled." After that, he closed the doors
and assembled them before him.
"If you'll form a line, I'll give you your bonuses. Give me your names
to check against my list. You will sign a sheet of paper here in
receipt. I've hired enough people to take care of any of you who do not
choose to come back tomorrow, so there will be no further vacancies and
no chance to collect a second bonus.... Report for work at nine o'clock
tomorrow morning. At that time, I'll have someone here to fill out the
necessary government employment forms for each of you."
Sitting at his desk, he began to count out the bills into neat little
stacks. After each applicant had signed, he pushed a stack toward him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account