"Theodore Sturgeon - The Perfect Host" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sturgeon Theodore)

walks off rubbing his hands, which I can understand because he has made me feel good and made the
kid feel good and has me doing all the work while he gets all the credit.
Not that I felt good just at that particular moment, my stomach did a small flip-flop but that
has nothing to do with it; it must have been the marshmallow cake I had for my lunch, I should
remember to keep away from the marshmallow when I have gravy-and-mashed, at least on weekdays.
Anyway this kid was cute, with his pleases and his thank you's and his little almost-bows-from-
the-waist like a regular Lord Calvert. He asked me all sorts of questions and all smart too, but



file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Theodore%20Sturgeon%20-%20The%20Perfect%20Host.txt (7 of 23) [1/5/2005 11:16:11 PM]
 file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Theodore%20Sturgeon%20-%20The%20Perfect%20Host.txt

he never asked them right out, I mean, he would say, "Please tell me how you can find a number so
fast?" and then listen to every word I said and squiggle something down in his notebook. I showed
him the alphabeticals and the central indexes and the assonance file (and you can bet I called it
by its full name to that nice youngster) where we find out that a number for Meyer, say, is listed
as Maior. And he wanted to know why it was that we never give a street address to someone who has
the phone number, but only the other way around, and how we found out the phone number from just
the street address.
So I showed him the street index and the checking index, which has the numbers all in order by
exchanges with the street addresses, which is what we use to trace calls when we have to. And lots
more. And finally he said he wanted to pretend he was me for a minute, to see if he understood
everything. He even blushed when he said it. I told him to go ahead and got up and let him sit
down. He sat there all serious and bright-eyed, and said, "Now, suppose I am you, and someone
wants to know the number of--uh--Fred Zimmerman, who lives out at Bell Hill, but they have no
street number."
And I showed him how to flip out the alphabetical, and how to ask the customer which one he
wants if there should be more than one Fred Zimmerman. He listened so carefully and politely, and
made a note in his book. Then he asked me what happens if the police or somebody has a phone
number and wants the address, we'll say, out in Homeland, like Homeland 2050. I showed him the
numerical index, and he whipped it out and opened it like an old hand. My, he caught on quickly.
He made another note in his book ... well, it went on like that, and all in twenty minutes.
I bet he could take over from me any time and not give Mr. Parker a minute's worry, which is
more than I can say for some of the girls who have been working here for years, like that Patty
Mawson with her blonde hair and her awful New Look.
Well, that boy picked my brains dry in short order, and he got up and for a moment I thought
he was going to kiss my hand like a Frenchman or a European, but he didn't. He just thanked me as
if I had given him the crown jewels or my hand in marriage, and went out to do the same for Mr.
Parker, and all I can say is, I wish one-tenth of the customers showed as much good house
breaking.




V

As Told By
HELMUTH STOYE