The Project Gutenberg EBook of At the Post, by Horace Leonard Gold

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Title: At the Post

Author: Horace Leonard Gold

Illustrator: VIDMER

Release Date: May 18, 2010 [EBook #32413]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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AT THE POST

By H. L. GOLD

Illustrated by VIDMER

[Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction
October 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

[Sidenote: How does a person come to be scratched from the human race?
Psychiatry did not have the answer--perhaps Clocker's turf science did!]

When Clocker Locke came into the Blue Ribbon, on 49th Street west of
Broadway, he saw that nobody had told Doc Hawkins about his misfortune.
Doc, a pub-crawling, non-practicing general practitioner who wrote a
daily medical column for a local tabloid, was celebrating his release
from the alcoholic ward, but his guests at the rear table of the
restaurant weren't in any mood for celebration.

"What's the matter with you--have you suddenly become immune to liquor?"
Clocker heard Doc ask irritably, while Clocker was passing the gem
merchants, who, because they needed natural daylight to do business,
were traditionally accorded the tables nearest the windows. "I said the
drinks were on me, didn't I?" Doc insisted. "Now let us have some bright
laughter and sparkling wit, or must we wait until Clocker shows up
before there is levity in the house?"

Seeing the others glance toward the door, Doc turned and looked at
Clocker. His mouth fell open silently, for the first time in Clocker's
memory.

"Good Lord!" he said after a moment. "Clocker's become a _character_!"

Clocker felt embarrassed. He still wasn't used to wearing a business
suit of subdued gray, and black oxfords, instead of his usual brilliant
sports jacket, slacks and two-tone suede shoes; a tie with timid little
figures, whereas he had formerly been an authority on hand-painted
cravats; and a plain wri