Neil J. Kenney

“ Before we realized our danger, we heard a cry of warning from the sheriff and a vindictive shout from Thurlow. It still rings in our ears.
"Do your duty, Trainor. They're escaping!"
Trainor's reflexes jarred him into action and it was over for us almost before it began. It hurt then, but the pain is worse now and total blackness is closing in once more. Fighting it off gets increasingly difficult, alone as I am.
You see, Donald has just died, quietly. He's escaped them, but that leaves the fight to me. It won't last long. The load is too much for one alone. ”

“ We've run until we can hardly run any more. We're weak and hungry and sickened by the hatred and stupid, active resistance surrounding us. We don't blame the police. They're merely doing what they are paid to do.
Donald has ESPed them filtering through the swamp in a wide semicircle and a few thoughts are leaking through the jumble of shouted orders and mixed impulses. Trainor and the judge are right with them. He seems to be talking earnestly to Trainor but his hatred and anger blot everything out—we can get nothing from him. ”

“ Visitors just don't come around and merely sit—staring at each other or the walls.
We learned another lesson from that: men with as much training as he had don't always consciously think things out with their surface minds. Their reactions became instinctive and as such, untraceable by the most adept telepath. We knew he was there to spy but that's about all.
The net result was a direct order from Thurlow cutting off not only all visitors, but as Trainor gleefully advised us, cancelling all accrued days off for good behavior. ”

“ Man could be so powerful and work so much for his own good—if he could only be made to realize the potential in his mind! He could even be happy.
The bright day came at last, and we walked out of our cell free to begin again. It was raining a gray rain outside, but to us the weather had never looked brighter. As we reached for the sheriff's phone to call the university, Trainor sidled up and laid a scrap of paper on the desk. ”

“ Even in the turmoil of the moment we could pick up flashes of amazed, frightened and curious thoughts as many of them saw us for the first time. Funny how the mind will act at times of stress, making one an observer of one's own actions, so to speak. Another phase opened for study!
Thurlow thanked the state men brusquely and said he and his deputies would take over, airily ignoring extradition procedure. The police chief and our sheriff were dubious about the course events were taking, but didn't want trouble so they offered no active resistance. ”

“ Even if the troopers get us, we shall first be guests of the FBI. Sweet mess, isn't it?
Lordy, this hay is dry. It's sweet smelling and comfortable lying here but it's dry and dusty. It'll be too bad if nature gives us away through a tickling nose. We can do without her tricks now.
Donald has just ESPed a water trough in back of the barn. We must take a chance on it. This raging thirst is as crippling as the lack of food.
We drove in a huge circle and left the car well before morning; continuing on foot in the general direction of our friend who had left the carnival to teach. ”

“ We'll have to try for the swamp ahead of us. We'll have to lose them for a while if we want time to figure a way out, though we aren't really very good at this sort of cat and mouse game. We can give our own boys a little credit, though. They aren't really trying to hit us. They shoot well enough to be able to make it look very good. All we really have to worry about is Thurlow and his trained deputy, Trainor. ”

“ Someone should have the full story although what good it will ever do is debatable. Perhaps at some future time we can do something with it—if we get out of the present jackpot.
Got to move. The state police have taken over the operation and our sheriff is relegated to the role of visiting fireman. It's lamentable that we aren't in his bailiwick. Things might work out better.
These troopers are very efficient. Donald ESPs them folding a cordon around our end of the swamp. All we can do is head through its length now. Trainor is with them. Thurlow has joined them also. ”

“ With our luck it was out of the question to have anyone but Trainor answer the phone—and swing into high gear. Apparently Judge Thurlow had run for District One during the election and made it, giving up his own stamping grounds for some reason. It hardly seems possible that he'd do it just on the hope that we might decide to come home and set up shop. No man could be that vindictive, could he? Or are we still much too naive to be allowed out without a keeper? Who knows?
We do know that the group was followed by Trainor and another man at Thurlow's orders ”

“ Well, Kitten, it seems impossible that three grand, successful years of work could end so suddenly with us lying in a ditch or anticipating, ESPwise, an occasional bullet fired from the guns of friends but there it is. God, what a complicated being this so-called modern man is! ”

“ It was unthinkable that we should stay free of captivity when there were places for people like us! We shouldn't be allowed to mingle with normal, decent folks. The upshot was a long distance, collect phone call to the judge who doubtless accepted the charges quite happily. ”

“ Trainor, the sheriff's deputy faithful only to the judge, because of a favor granted while he served in Thurlow's district, was very busy signing his name to something when we walked into the chambers. It gave us a peculiar feeling to see Thurlow sitting at Kimball's desk. It bore out our theory about a room taking on the personality of its occupant. ”

“ He was getting along quite well but he was old and his days on the bench were pretty well numbered. Casey thought that District One might conceivably have to appoint a new judge to hold them over until election due to the fall court calendar. As it turned out that didn't happen.
Br-r-r! Princess, don't ever let anyone tell you that swamp water can't get cold in summertime. We've got the shakes pretty bad both from our ordeal and from chill. Getting uncomfortably hungry, too. That's what comes of letting an inferior enemy panic you. We certainly haven't acted as though we had better sense. ”

“ We made no mistakes and turned out some fine pupils, one in particular. He progressed fast enough in the short time we had him to become acutely adept, and when we told him he was ready to teach he accepted it by leaving the carnival to settle down with a home and wife. It was good to see the fruit of our work being put into practice. ”

“ To outsiders carnies are a hard lot, interested in nothing but the quickest way to part the suckers from a dollar. Well, they were hard, to outsiders, but to those inside there is a difference. We found some mighty fine people and some very fertile minds. ”

“ The prof's wouldn't even let us play handball for fear of injury so consequently we're nothing but a living cliche, skin and bones. Donald feels it strongly. We shall have to try to buoy each other and go on our combined reserves. Pray that we don't get too weak. ”