re. They had pensioned
him off. Part of the deal was the dilapidated old house in Spacertown
which he operated as a boarding-house for transient Spacers.

"What do you want to do that for?" Kanaday asked. "Haven't those
Earthers pushed you around enough, so you have to go dance at one of
their wild parties?"

"Leave me alone," Rolf muttered.

"You like this filth you live in? Spacertown is just a ghetto, that's
all. The Earthers have pushed you right into the muck. You're not even
a human being to them--just some sort of trained ape. And now you're
going to go and entertain them. I thought you had brains, Rolf!"

"Shut up!" He dashed his glass against the table; it bounced off and
dropped to the floor, where it shattered.

Kanaday's girl Laney entered the room at the sound of the crash. She was
tall and powerful-looking, with straight black hair and the strong
cheekbones that characterized the Spacers. Immediately she stooped and
began shoveling up the broken glass.

"That wasn't smart, Rolf," she said. "That'll cost you half a credit.
Wasn't worth it, was it?"

Rolf laid the coin on the edge of the table. "Tell your pal to shut up,
then. If he doesn't stop icing me I'll fix his other foot for him and
you can buy him a dolly."

She looked from one to the other. "What's bothering you two now?"

"A couple of Earthers were here this morning," Kanaday said. "Slumming.
They took a fancy to our young friend here and invited him to one of
their parties. He accepted."

"He _what_? Don't go, Rolf. You're crazy to go."

"Why am I crazy?" He tried to control his voice. "Why should we keep
ourselves apart from the Earthers? Why shouldn't the two races get
together?"

* * * * *

She put down her tray and sat next to him. "They're more than two
races," she said patiently. "Earther and Spacer are two different
species, Rolf. Carefully, genetically separated. They're small and weak,
we're big and powerful. You've been bred for going to space; they're the
castoffs, the ones who were too weak to go. The line between the two
groups is too strong to break."

"And they treat us like dirt--like animals," Kanaday said. "But
_they're_ the dirt. They were the ones who couldn't make it."

"Don't go to the party," Laney said. "They just want to make fun of you.
Look at the big ape, they'll say."

Rolf stood up. "You don't understand. Neither of you does. I'm part
Earther," Rolf said. "My grandmo