condition of the country being the way it is now, almost any really popular idea would sweep in like wildfire. A new religion. More likely a new political theory, however far right or left.”
“Oh,” Ed said. He could understand the workings of politician Dwight Hopkins’ mind now. The administration had definite irons in the fire. Tubber’s efforts might threaten the political climate. However, Ed still didn’t see where he came in.
They weren’t long in enlightening him.
Hopkins said, “Mr. Wonder, time is running out on us. We must have some action. It will be necessary to contact this Ezekiel Joshua Tubber.”
“I think it’s a good idea. Go ahead. Maybe you can appeal to his patriotism, or something. No, come to think of it, patriotism is out. He thinks the country is being run by a bunch of idiots. He’s against the welfare state.”
“Little Ed,” Hopkins said smoothly, “I am afraid that it is going to have to be you who sees Tubber. I can think of no one else to whom we can entrust the assignment.”
“Oh, no you don’t. Listen, why not send a few of the F.B.I. boys? Or maybe the C.I.A. They’re
Hopkins was at his most persuasive. “If Tubber is at the root of our troubles, sending police officers of any description could well prove disastrous. If he is not, then it could only make us look foolish. No, you are the one. He knows you, his daughter is evidently attracted to you.”
“But you need me to handle my department, Project Tubber,” Ed said desperately.
“Mr. De Kemp can handle matters until your return.”
“I’m expendable, huh?” Ed said bitterly.
“If you must put it in that manner, yes,” Hopkins told him.
“Well, you’re just going to have to get another patsy. I’m afraid to get within miles of that old kook,” Ed Wonder told them definitely.
They had given him a highly detailed map of the Catskill area in which was located Elysium. It wasn’t too far from the Ashokan reservoir, nor from the once artist colony of Woodstock.
Ed passed through that town, on to Bearsville and beyond to a hamlet called Shady. From there a dirt side road led off some miles to the community of Elysium. There were a couple of signs along the way. Ed Wonder had never had the little Volkshover over a dirt road before. However, beyond churning up quite a screen of dust left behind, there seemed no special effect.
He passed a small cottage, laid back from the road. Perhaps cabin would be the better term. There was an extensive garden of both flowers and vegetables around it. Ed Wonder drove on, passing another, somewhat similar abode, though not an exact duplicate. In the back of his mind he identified the places as summer houses; someone who wanted to get away from it all, get back to nature during the warm months. The idea didn’t exactly appeal to him, although, come to think of it, there were desirable aspects to this sort of…
Then it came to him as another cottage appeared to the left.
This was Elysium.
There were little side roads going off in this direction and that. Obviously, to other habitations.
His face twisted. People lived here
It came to him that there were neither TV nor radio antennas. Nor, for that matter, telephone wires. It came to him, as a shock, that there couldn’t under the circumstances be any community distribution center. These people must actually cook their own food.
He let the Volkshover settle to the ground so that he could consider other aspects. Three of the cottages were in view now. And there wasn’t a hovercar in sight, aside from his own.
“You’d go batty,” he muttered.
There were some youngsters in a grove off a way, playing in the trees. They were scampering around the branches like a tribe of monkeys. Ed Wonder’s first response was to wonder why their parents were allowing them to risk their necks so obviously. Say what you wanted to against TV but at least it kept the kids off the streets and out of dangerous play. A kid could get himself in some risky situations if allowed to horse around as these were. Then something else came to him. Perhaps children should be exposed to a certain degree of danger in their play. Perhaps a broken arm or so, while going through the process of growing up, came under the head of education and had value in the way of experience.
He was going to go over to the youngsters to ask directions, but then, in the distance, saw someone he recognized. He dropped the lift lever and at slow speed proceeded in her direction. It was one of Tubber’s followers. One of the women who had acted as receptionist at the tent entrance there in Kingsburg, the first night Ed and Helen had come afoul of Ezekiel Joshua Tubber.
Ed pulled up aside her and said, “Ah… loved one…”
She stopped and frowned, evidently surprised to see a hovercar on the streets—if they could be called streets—of Elysium. She obviously didn’t recognize him. She said hesitantly, “Good afternoon, loved one. Could I be of assistance?”
Ed climbed out of the beetle and said, “You don’t remember me. I’ve attended a couple of the meetings of, ah, the Speaker of the Word.” He should have planned this out better. The fact of the matter was, he hadn’t a clue to what he was going to find here and was playing it by ear.
He said, “I thought I’d come and see Elysium.”
Her face lost stiffness. “You are a pilgrim?”
“Well, maybe not exactly. I’d just like to know more about it.” He fell in beside her, leaving the car where it was. Parking was no problem in Elysium. “I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?”
“Oh, no.” She continued to walk along. “I’m only delivering some of my things to the printer.”
“Printer?”
“That building there. It’s our print shop.”
Ed Wonder looked at that building there, which they were approaching. It looked little different from the cottages. “You mean you print…”
“Just about everything.” She didn’t look quite as grim as he’d remembered her at the tent meeting in Kingsburg. Come to think of it, Ed decided, he had
He said, even as they approached the door. “You mean books?” Ed Wonder’s conception of the printing of books involved acres of Rube Goldberg printing presses, entirely automated, with huge rolls of paper unwinding at flashing speed at one end and finished volumes flowing out, to be wrapped and boxed, again automatically, at the other. All at the rate of thousands per hour, if not per minute. This whole building couldn’t have been more than thirty by forty feet, at most.
He followed her through the door.
“Books, pamphlets, even a little weekly newspaper we send out to pilgrims throughout the nation who are not yet quite ready to join us in Elysium.” She greeted one of the two men who occupied the print shop. “Kelly, I’ve finally got the last two verses.”
Kelly had been standing before what Ed vaguely recognized to be a primitive type of printing press. With his left leg he was stomping up and down on a treadle, somewhat similar to the powering of the early sewing machine. At the same time he was picking up sheets of paper with his right hand, inserting them deftly into the moving press, removing them just as deftly with his left hand, repeating the process over and over again.
Kelly said, “Hi, Martha. Good. Norm can set them up.”
Ed was watching in fascination. If the other got his hand caught between that type and…
Kelly grinned at him. “Never saw a platen press before?”
“Well, no,” Ed said.
Martha said, “Kelly, this is a new pilgrim. He’s been to some of Josh’s meetings.”
They exchanged banalities. For a time, Ed watched in complete astonishment. He realized he couldn’t have been more surprised if he had come into a room where women were carding wool and then utilizing spinning wheels to make thread. Had he known it, that was going to come later.
While Martha and Kelly got into some technical discussion about the book they were evidently in the process
