to explain to one
another the working of machine carbines and burp guns. Yetsko
shouldered through them and turned down the sound volume of the TV.

"This is absolutely outrageous!" Literate Martha Collins stormed at
him. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, taking these children to a
murderous battle like that--"

"Well, maybe it ain't right, using savages in a civilized riot,"
Yetsko admitted, "but I don't care. The captain's in a jam, and I'd
use live devils, if I could catch a few." He took a burp gun from one
of the boys, who had opened the action and couldn't get it closed
again. "Here; you kids don't want this kinda stuff," he reproved.
"Sono guns, and sleep-gas guns, that's all right. But these things are
killing tools!"

"It's what we'll have to use, Doug," Ray told him. "Things have been
happening, since you went out. Look at the screen."

Yetsko looked, and swore blisteringly. Then he gave the burp gun back
to the boy.

"Look; you gotta press this little gismo, here, to let the action shut
when there's no clip in, or when the clip's empty. When you got a
loaded clip in, you just pull back on this and let go--"

* * * * *

Frank Cardon looked at his watch, and saw that it was 1345, as it had
been ten seconds before, when he had last looked. He started to drum
nervously on his chair arm with his fingers, then caught himself as he
saw Lancedale, who must have been every bit as anxious as himself,
standing outwardly calm and unruffled.

"Well, that's the situation which now confronts us, brother
Literates," the slender, white-haired man was finishing. "You must
see, by now, that the policy of unyielding opposition which some of
you have advocated and pursued is futile. You know the policy I favor,
which now remains the only policy we can follow; it is summed up in
that law of political strategy: If you can't lick 'em, join 'em, and,
after joining, take control.

"In spite of the Radical-Socialist victory in this state at tomorrow's
election, it will not be possible, in the next Congress, to enact
Pelton's socialized Literacy program into law. The Radicals will not be
able to capture enough seats in the lower house, and there are too many
uncontested seats in the Senate now held by Independent-Conservatives.
But, and this is inevitable, barring some unforeseen accident of the
order of a political cataclysm, they will control both houses of
Congress after the election of