Sam Merwin

“ It is perhaps only natural that, having already settled the Jovian moons, Mars' more aggressive citizens should eye greedily the moons of Saturn, left fallow by their Venerian owners."
Juan Kurtz' chin set stubbornly and again he opened his mouth to speak. But Rutherford quelled the bristling Venerian with a smile and a gesture, went on to say, "The people of Venus, with its heavier gravity, resent any attempt to regulate the power of their space-drives in the name of safety on Earth. ”

“ Half-listening to the speaker, who had just moved from Raymond Chandler to Mickey Spillane, Rutherford considered how complete was the democracy of the Mystofans, who hid their outside names and stations beneath the alias of a favorite author or character. Thus the tattersall-vested doorman, a disciple of Philo Vance, became S. S. van Dyne while Rutherford, who delighted in the indolent brilliance of Nero Wolf, was Archy Goodwin, the names of Wolf as well as of Rex Stout, his creator, having already been preempted. ”

“ Earth, the delegates insisted, was a rich planet on which life was easy. It was nothing like hacking our existence on globes never meant for human habitation. Hardship had bred pioneers of tougher cast than the billions at home, men and women who could not be curbed by laws to them unreasonable. And so on.
At noon Rutherford presided over the luncheon of official greeting for the Venerian legates, whose arrival the night before had caused the Newark holocaust. ”

“ Rutherford asked, "when it means destruction of life?" He looked ruefully at his broken pipe, needing a smoke to restore his own emotional balance.
Kurtz snorted, then said, "If the men and women who risk constant death in the Great Desert of Venus raising colla-cactus for snug Earthfolk ever heard such sentiments from you—"
"I am fully aware of how they would feel," Rutherford told him firmly. "Yet they risk their lives deliberately, seeking assured profit. What profit is there for those who died tonight in Newark—or earlier in Hoboken and Jersey City?" ”

“ No one knows better than you how different from life on Earth is existence on Mars or Venus or the Jovian moons or the rough-and-ready asteroids. Each planet and satellite has, in its own way, proved inhospitable to Man, has induced in its inhabitants a return in some form to more primitive ways of life to insure survival. ”

“ Venus threatens to bypass Earth entirely in favor of direct trade with Mars and Ganymede. Mars and Ganymede threaten to occupy Titan and other Saturnian satellites by force unless mandate restrictions are changed."
"Which my people will never permit," growled Kurtz sotto voce.
Rutherford ignored him, said, "These conflicts, serious as they are, in themselves present no insoluble problems. Wise concessions by all parties involved, including Earth, could until two days ago have settled them to the satisfaction of all—perhaps may yet do so. Any other course, ladies and gentlemen, is unthinkable. ”

“ If they don't replace their Kennelleys with Schupps Drives they may find themselves boycotted."
"They'll never do it," said the space-aide somberly. "They can't see themselves cutting profits for the sake of a few lives. They may try to boycott Earth if you seek to enforce the rules."
Rutherford sighed and said, "Don't remind me, Jacques. But popular opinion will cut the ground out from under me if I don't try." He shrugged, added, "Perhaps science will come up with an answer—or perhaps poor Chen-Smith has a solution tucked away in that big brain of his. ”

“ The flame flickered out as the globular ship came none-too-gently to rest on the landing area—yet its afterglow persisted and brightened ruddily as molten steel and stone were transmuted into flame.
The globular ship landed none-too-gently.
"That tears it," said the uniformed space-aide tersely. "They'll never stand for three in a row."
Rutherford took the bitten-off stem of his pipe from between his lips, picked up the pipe itself from the plastoleum floor. ”

“ Rutherford replied. "Our chief conspirator is a man who, through sublimation of his craving to rule the System, is willing in the name of the highest possible motives to let part of that System destroy itself so that he can seize the reins. He is socially as dangerous as a Communist—or a Puritan."
"Who is this murderer?" the woman from Ganymede was beginning to glow with anger.
"Why"—Rutherford looked around the table blandly, "I'm afraid it's my somewhat too-efficient secretary, Mahmoud Singh. He thought of every factor but one when he brewed his unpleasant little brew—a man who never lived. ”

“ I want you to get somebody from the Astarte drunk. Find out why the ship spun in if you can—and find out how it happened that only poor Chen-Smith got carrot-sickness."
"Can do," said the space-aide, sitting up. "Anything else, sir?"
Rutherford smiled at his aide's eagerness even though matching excitement burned within himself. He said, "Perhaps you'll assign the Astarte investigation to someone you can trust—because I want you to look up a girl. The name she uses—or used—is Turina Vascelles. She came to see me this afternoon. ”

“ It was ultimatum, Rutherford realized, as the Venerians bowed their way out with stiffness unusual even for them. Coupled with the war-threat of the morning from the Martian and Jovian Satellite delegations, to say nothing of the tragic death of Chen-Smith, it represented for Rutherford the most desperate crisis either he or the United Planet Secretariat had ever faced. ”

“ However, the life or death of Ambassador-at-Large Chen-Smith is not the purpose of our visit."
He paused to look quickly at the Venerian Ambassador, Yamurai Corrigan, whose hair flamed redder than ever thanks to the unusual pallor of his face. Rutherford, applying all the Nero Wolf psychological acuteness he could muster, sought vainly to read the quick disturbed glance the two official visitors exchanged. Mere anger, in men so disciplined to the niceties of interplanetary diplomacy, could not account for their disturbed state. ”

“ It's an endless job. Builders today no longer seem to care about doing the sort of work they did so lovingly back in the nineteen fifties. And the expenses! You can understand why selling this manuscript should prove a real windfall."
"Of course, my dear," said Rutherford benignly. The lift he got from the encounter stayed with him all the way back to his suite and, later, through the three-hour vigil he and Commodore Willis maintained, listening to reports of the Lackawanna disaster, which grew worse every few minutes. ”

“ Mahmoud cleared his throat to bring Rutherford out of his abstraction, said, "I regret intruding at this moment but the Venerian delegation has been awaiting your presence in the large drawing room—since three-fifteen. They may resent...."
They did resent. The Permanent Secretary found himself with a thoroughly disgruntled delegation on his hands. Rutherford apologized, explained briefly that Chen-Smith was dead. But Kurtz, the Venerian Plenipotentiary, said stiffly, "On behalf of my planet I can only express my deepest sympathies. ”

“ Interplanetary problems faded from Rutherford's consciousness—as he studied first the authentications, then the manuscript itself, his interest and excitement mounted. Pending comparison tests with other Wolf manuscripts, typewriter and fingerprint and radioactive tracer tests, he could not definitely name it a genuine Rex Stout. ”

“ Hardship has bred impatience and exasperation, especially since Earth, with its vast population, has remained the chief market.
"On Mars, with its immense desert areas, new soil is demanded to feed a growing population. ”

“ But we shall get it, never fear."
"Let's look at the record," said Rutherford. He quoted from a paper Mahmoud Singh slipped deftly in front of him. "Mars, according to the most recent census, has a population of two hundred forty-six million, Ganymede five and a half, the other satellites a total of less than two. Yet Earth is self-sufficient with a population exceeding six billions. ”

“ In the near-total rebuilding of New York that ran parallel with its development as Interplanetary capital, the city planners had wisely left a charming segment of the old city, extending from the Plaza north, along Central Park East to Ninety-sixth Street and east to Lexington Avenue, intact. ”

“ For instance, the use of carrot-poison to keep poor Chen-Smith from talking to me caused us to suspect a branch of the conspiracy aboard the Astarte, which in turn caused us to suspect the nature of the recent Lackawanna accidents. We have reason, if not proof, to feel certain that the last two were the result of deliberate sabotage. In this instance truth sera are being applied to the crew voluntarily, and should turn up the culprits in short order. ”

“ Kurtz actually beamed and said, "Then the spaceport suspension—"
"Will be relaxed as soon as the facts are learned," Rutherford told him. "But to get back—this discovery suggested that Chen-Smith was made ill, later killed, because he had the misfortune to learn that someone was tampering with the Kennelleys." ”