E.K. Jarvis

“ The east brightened into fresh dawn as Buck pattered along toward the ridges. Biddy had never been up so early before and she thought it was wonderful but her happiness was dampened a little by the fact that she'd gone off without asking Mom. That was wrong, she thought, and maybe Mom would be angry. But Biddy's thoughts were mainly occupied with wondering why she had done it. She hadn't consciously wanted to deceive Mom, but something she could not really understand had made her sneak off so quietly. ”

“ Joe considered Biddy's questions gravely as though each one was very important. "I'm not quite sure. That machine in the cave isn't just to make little girl's legs well. It does other things. It tunes in on thought waves just the way your television set tunes in on pictures." ”

“ Haney is far happier the way he is than if he had his sight back. With his eyes functioning he'd be just like anyone else."
"That's what he wants."
"No he doesn't. Being blind makes him different and he's grown to depend on that difference as a staff of comfort. He lives on the sympathy he gets from people who can see. Mr. Haney doesn't know it himself but he would be very miserable if we gave him back his sight. As I said, Biddy, I can't change people's minds. I'm no miracle man."
"That's what Mom and Pop said happened to me. A miracle. Was that right, Joe?" ”

“ Dan Parker knew inwardly the shame of his weakness but he hid it behind surliness. "Well, somebody's got to look out for Biddy. You'd be perfectly willing to let things go to hell and then moan because there was no food in the house. Somebody's got to be practical." Dan snatched his hat and without another word headed for the tavern....
Art Haney had never had it so good. He chuckled and took another swig from the bottle Cecil Bates offered and thought by God it was about time this town gave a poor blind man a break. ”

“ There's nothing to hurt her. She has Buck with her."
"Jane, sometimes I don't understand you. Your own kid wandering around in the desert and it doesn't bother you."
"I don't think it bothers you either. You're more worried about being inconvenienced—being late to work."
"Now listen here—!"
"Oh, Dan! Let's not fight. It makes me a little sick to fight now. Don't you realize that last night something wonderful happened? Something we don't understand but wonderful all the same. Biddy was healed—and here we are the next morning growling at each other like a cat and a dog." ”

“ The only thought was to get away from the slashing quirts; to run off into the desert and hide like squealing rats in the blackness of a safe hole. To find sanctuary.
But just in the middle of the terrible savagery, a cry went up from one of the riders. "Hey. Over there! The boss! He's down!"
The riders turned from their work and converged upon the indicated spot where Sam Taber hung limp in his saddle and was just ready to slip from his mount's back. They spied him just in time.
Two of the riders cut skillfully in and caught the lolling body. "What's wrong, boss? One of 'em get you?" ”

“ He'd be triply damned if that heel Dan Parker hadn't been playing on the sympathy of the town all this time.
Ever since Biddy had been brought back from the hospital in Phoenix. Could you beat it? Putting a brace on a kid's leg and making her wear it around town so people around town would be sorry for him. But why? What end did it serve?
Then Cecil knew. Not the townspeople. Of course not. Sam Taber was the target of Dan's rotten plan. Who'd ever think a man would be so scared of his job he'd make his own daughter act a cripple in order to keep it? ”

“ Joe turned in his chair and Biddy thought he looked awfully tired. Then he said, "And now if you have any doubts go out, wherever you are, and look up into the blessed skies God gave you—" Biddy watched the sadness in Joe's eyes and heard him speak as though to children. "—the skies we will take away from you unless you grow up and behave yourselves."
With that, he snapped off a switch with a quick movement and turned. He said, "Go outside and ready the ship for takeoff. You go with them, Biddy." He looked at Davey and added, "Leave the lad with me for a few minutes." ”

“ Biddy answered gravely although she didn't see at all. "But what about Davey Taber? He doesn't really want to be crippled does he?"
"I doubt it. Maybe we'll have a chance to see...."
The town of Sage Bend was in an uproar. The crowd—if the few dozen persons who resided there could be called a crowd—were milling in front of Dan Parker's house. They had seen some excitement and wanted to see more.
It had started before dawn with Cecil Bates standing alone in the street, watching Biddy ride off. When she had gone beyond his sight, his confusion and consternation fused into a clear-cut thought. ”

“ As Biddy climbed down from the tree, Davey kicked again and again at the starter. There was no sign of life in the battery. Biddy came to the car and Davey stared at her blankly. "Something happened to the car. Even the starter won't turn over."
"Try—try again!"
Davey pressed the pedal and finally gave up. "It's no use. The crate's letting us down when we need it most."
"Then we've got to use Buck. We've got to get Joe to where he can get help."
"But—but he's dead."
"No! No! Joe can't die. We've got to take him back to the cave!" ”

“ They swept across the desert, thundering up a dust cloud that hung in the night behind them. Rode until sight of a terrible thing sent a chill down Sam Taber's spine; sight of a man hanging from a rope against the glare of a car's headlights ”

“ But it would be nice if just one more time—just one night—there could be the old spark, the old breathless fire that flamed so briefly and had now smouldered down into a sort of tired consideration—an habitual companionship with each knowing the other's habits and likings and responding automatically. ”

“ Jane was clinging to Dan's tense arm. "Darling, go with him. Do as he says. It's better than being killed." But his fist remained closed. He was on the verge of pulling away from her when she whispered, "We've got Biddy to think of!"
The fist relaxed and the arm dropped. Dan said, "Okay, Sheriff. Let's go."
As Bates followed Dan down the street toward the jail, his gun held importantly level, there were comments from the crowd. "Pretty cocky for a guy with his neck out.... Acts as innocent as all get-out, don't he?" ”

“ But even in noticing them now, Biddy didn't say anything because they really weren't strange at all. Not when Joe wore them.
Joe took her hand and led her into the cave. He said, "Now don't be afraid. None of this is made to hurt little girls."
"What's it for?"
"It's called a primary relay station."
"Like our space station?"
"No—not exactly. This station hasn't any guns. At least it hasn't the kind of guns you know about."
"I'm glad. I'm afraid of atom and hydroshells. They kill people and poison them and make them suffer." ”

“ He said, "So you met this guy out in the desert, eh, Haney?"
"Sure did. At least it was a stranger because I know every voice in these parts. You see when a man's blind like I am, his sense of hearing gets almighty sharp and you take notice—"
"Yeah, I know. Now he walked along with you and took you to the cave he's got out there?"
"Nope—he didn't take me—well, not very far. I'm no slouch in getting around even if I am blind and nobody ever helps me. I go out in them ridges sometimes just to sort of hear the quiet sounds. You see a blind man—"
"I know—I know. ”

“ Being foreman at the Circle-7 paid little enough but it was still better than an ordinary cow hand's pay. And young Davey getting hit with polio in spite of all the serums about the same time it had clubbed Biddy down. Funny how bad luck for some was good luck for others. Davey getting hit was tragedy for the boy and for old Sam Taber, his father. But it had been good luck for Dan Parker because if Davey hadn't been crippled he'd be foreman himself and Dan Parker getting straight hand-money. Yeah, bad luck for some—good luck for others. ”

“ He held the jeep on the rutty road from the Circle-7 to Sage Bend and thought of the cold bottle of beer that was waiting for him at home. This twelve-mile drive every morning and night was rough, but what could a man do? A man couldn't put his wife and kid in a bunkhouse with a dozen hands, and there was no other place for Jane and Biddy at the ranch. ”

“ You're the sheriff. Nobody ought to poke the sheriff around."
Dan swung again, but Cecil Bates dodged and scurried to the side, opening up a space that gave him time to draw his gun. His eyes were cleared of fear now and there was a little sneer on his battered mouth. "All right, Dan! You want to get gunned down? I can do it. Assaulting an officer. And I got witnesses!"
Bates' trigger finger tightened. There would be joy for him in the bullet he aimed. But at that moment someone in the crowd yelled, "You're on his property, Ceec. You got a warrant?" ”

“ Nobody in Sage Bend would help him I'll bet. They're—"
"We've got to get him on Buck."
"You'll have to go alone. I can't walk fast enough."
"You can ride Buck too. Pop says a burro is one of the strongest animals there is. And it isn't far. Hurry. You've got to help me."
Somehow they pulled and tugged the body onto the back of the sleepy burro. Then Davey clambered on, balancing precariously on the animal's hips. Biddy took the reins and pulled Buck into movement and the strange cavalcade moved off across the desert.
Half an hour later, Biddy cried, "There's the cave and some people are there. ”

“ Used my head, I did."
"Old blind Haney led you right to the stop, huh?"
"Almost as close as I am to you. Now nobody'd think a blind man could do a thing like that—nobody but a man who uses his head like I do."
"You sure are smart Ceec. You say you actually saw the machine he's going to blow us up with?"
"Not us, I don't think. I think the rat's after our space station. Now what better spot could they pick? Visibility clear as a bell out here—"
"Think he's from the Eastern Bloc, Ceec?" ”

“ It will be obliterated completely as we have no intention of leaving a dangerous dead hulk floating through space. It and you and possibly your whole solar system will go at once because—no matter what your opinions on the subject are, let me tell you this—you are expendable—your planet is expendable—your solar system is expendable—and on the day after obliteration—you will not even be missed. ”

“ And while the others stood back with their arms folded, he turned several dials and then spoke into a screened speaker in the machine.
"People of the world—for the last hour your planet has not been functioning. All mechanical means of transportation has been at a standstill. Your electric currents from pole to pole have ceased their flow. Your homes have been dark. This inaction stems from a force-barrier we have thrown up around your planet. As a result, your generators have stopped producing electricity—"
Wide-eyed, Davey whispered to Biddy. "That was why the jeep's motor died." ”

“ He can't walk on it either."
"Does he live in Sage Bend?"
"No. He lives on the ranch where my Pop works. I think it would be awfully nice if you fixed his leg too."
"Perhaps I can."
Biddy clapped her hands and looked at Joe through bright eyes. "I think you're wonderful, Joe—just wonderful—and there's old Mr. Haney. He's blind, so maybe you could—"
Joe laughed. "Now wait a minute, Biddy. I'm no miracle man. I can't reconstruct people's minds."
"But Mr. Haney's mind is fine. It's just his eyes that are no good." ”

“ A spindly, pipe-stem little leg doesn't grow normal overnight."
"But we saw Biddy's deformed leg. All of us."
"I got that figured out too."
"Then tell me."
"Illusion," Cecil said wisely. "A kind of optical illusion. We see a girl limping with a big brace on her leg. We really don't look any further than that. We take it for granted the leg's bad. That's human nature, Nick." ”

“ I'll hobble along and make it myself. A blind man doesn't like to think he's dependent on everybody. Tries to do the best he can."
"Okay. See you later."
"Sure, but I won't see you, Dan. Could of once, but can't any more."
Dan Parker jammed down the gas pedal and the jeep rammed forward kicking up a cloud of dust that left Art Haney coughing. Dan immediately felt guilty. Mean trick, but he hadn't done it on purpose. Just thoughtless.
He rolled the jeep into town and lifted a hand as he passed the jail. Cecil Bates, sheriff of the county, lifted one in return but his expression never changed. ”

“ They streamed out of town behind Cecil Bates' car, not stopping to get other cars or mount horses for fear of being left behind. There was no danger of that however. Bates was not eager to face the strange man in the cave without some show of force in his wake so he traveled slowly enough for all to follow....
Dan and Jane Parker stood on their porch watching the town empty out into the desert. Jane said, "Dan! You must do something. They're—they're dangerous!" ”

“ The Eastern Bloc is going to use it to blow our station out of the sky."
Dan shrugged. "Kids live in their own world, honey. Isn't sending her to her room a little rough?"
"I had to. She was going down to tell Cecil Bates about it. Can you imagine what—?"
Dan laughed. "He'd have probably arrested her for spreading rumors. I'll take her out on the porch and talk to her, okay?"
"Just so you keep her out of my hair until I get supper ready."
Dan opened the door of Biddy's room and said, "Hi, pigeon. Hot in there?"
"Not bad, Pop. There's a breeze through the window." ”