The Project Gutenberg EBook of Postmark Ganymede, by Robert Silverberg

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Title: Postmark Ganymede

Author: Robert Silverberg

Release Date: May 27, 2008 [EBook #25629]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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POSTMARK
GANYMEDE

By
ROBERT
SILVERBERG

_Consider the poor mailman of the future. To "sleet and snow
and dead of night"--things that must not keep him from his
appointed rounds--will be added, sub-zero void, meteors, and
planets that won't stay put. Maybe he'll decide that for six
cents an ounce it just ain't worth it._

"I'm washed up," Preston growled bitterly. "They made a postman out of
me. Me--a postman!"

He crumpled the assignment memo into a small, hard ball and hurled it at
the bristly image of himself in the bar mirror. He hadn't shaved in
three days--which was how long it had been since he had been notified of
his removal from Space Patrol Service and his transfer to Postal
Delivery.

Suddenly, Preston felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw a
man in the trim gray of a Patrolman's uniform.

"What do you want, Dawes?"

"Chief's been looking for you, Preston. It's time for you to get going
on your run."

Preston scowled. "Time to go deliver the mail, eh?" He spat. "Don't they
have anything better to do with good spacemen than make letter carriers
out of them?"

* * * * *

The other man shook his head. "You won't get anywhere grousing about it,
Preston. Your papers don't specify which branch you're assigned to, and
if they want to make you carry the mail--that's it." His voice became
suddenly gentle. "Come on, Pres. One last drink, and then let's go. You
don't want to spoil a good record, do you?"

"No," Preston said reflectively. He gulped his drink and stood up.
"Okay. I'm ready. Neither snow n