The Year When Stardust Fell Read online

  Chapter 5. _Thief_

  The hall was already filled. Several scores of chairs had been placed inthe corridors, and these were occupied also. People were being usheredto nearby classrooms where they would hear the proceedings over theschool's public-address system.

  "It looks as if we'll have to get it by remote pickup," said Ken. Atthat moment Sally Teasdale, the Mayor's secretary, spotted their groupand hurried over.

  "Mayor Hilliard told me to watch for you," she said. "He wants you tosit on the platform, Professor Maddox, and also Dr. Douglas and Dr.Larsen. The others of your party can sit in the wings."

  Professor Maddox agreed and they followed Sally to the stage entrance.The platform was already occupied by the Mayor and the town councilmen,the college department heads, and leading citizens of Mayfield. Theprofessors took their places, while Ken and the others found chairs inthe wings. It was the best seat in the house, Ken decided. They couldsee both the platform and the audience below.

  It was undoubtedly the largest group that had ever gathered in one placein Mayfield. In spite of the enormous number present it was a solemngroup. There was almost no talking or jostling. To Ken, it seemed thefaces about him had a uniform appearance of bewildered searching forreassurance that nothing could really destroy the way of life they hadalways known.

  Mayor Hilliard arose and called the meeting to order. "I think everyoneknows why we've been called here," he said. "Because of the nature ofthe circumstances I think it appropriate that we ask Dr. Aylesworth,pastor of the Community Church, to offer prayer."

  Heads were bowed in reverent silence as Dr. Aylesworth stood before theassembly and offered a solemn invocation that their deliberations mightreceive divine guidance, and their minds be filled with wisdom to combatthe evil that had come upon them.

  The minister was a big, ruddy-faced man with a lion's mane of whitehair. The unwavering authority of his voice filled the audience with theconviction that they were better prepared to face their problems when hehad resumed his seat.

  Mayor Hilliard outlined the worldwide situation as he had obtained itthrough news reports up to an hour ago. He described the desperatesituation of the nation's larger cities. Their food supplies weresufficient for only a few days without any replenishment by rail andtruck transportation. Ninety percent of automobile traffic had ceased.The railroads were attempting to conserve their rolling stock, but 70percent of it was out of commission, and the remainder could not beexpected to operate longer than a few days. Air traffic had stoppedentirely. On the oceans, only sailing vessels continued to move.

  "Mayfield is already cut off," the Mayor went on. "Our last train wentthrough here 30 hours ago. The trucking companies out of Frederick havesuspended operations. We have no cars or trucks of our own here in town,on which we can depend. We're on our own.

  "So far, the scientists have found no solution. Tomorrow, they may findone. Or it may be 10 years before they do. In the meantime, we have tofigure out how we, here in Mayfield, are going to carry on.

  "Our first consideration is, of course, food supplies. The Council metthis morning, and we have appointed a committee to take immediatepossession of all foodstuffs and every facility for food productionwithin the entire valley. Beginning tomorrow morning, this committeewill begin to accumulate all food supplies into one or more centralwarehouses where they will be inventoried for rationing.

  "All stocks of fresh meat will be salted and cured. Home supplies willbe limited to no more than a week's needs of any one item. Hoarders whopersist in their unfair activities will be ordered to leave thecommunity.

  "My fellow citizens, these are stringent and severe regulations, but weare not facing a time of mild inconvenience. It may well be that in thiscoming winter we shall be literally fighting for our very lives. We, asyour leaders, would like a vote of confidence from you, the citizens ofMayfield, as an assurance that you will co-operate with our efforts tothe best of your ability."

  Instantly, nearly everyone in the auditorium was on his feet shoutinghis approval of the Mayor's program.

  Mayor Hilliard had known he was taking a long chance in presenting sobluntly such a severe program, but long experience had taught him thebest way into a tough situation was a headlong plunge that ignoredconsequences. The ovation surprised him. He had expected substantialopposition. Visibly moved, he held up his hand for quiet once more.

  "Our farms and our livestock will be our only means of salvation afterpresent food stocks are gone," he said. "A separate subcommittee willinventory all farmland and cattle and dairy herds and plan for theirmost efficient use in the coming season. Crops will be assigned as thecommittee sees fit. Farm labor will be taken care of by all of us, on acommunity basis.

  "A third program that must begin immediately is the stockpiling of fuelfor the coming winter. Wood will be our only means of heating andcooking because the nearest mines are too far away for us to haul coalfrom them by teams. The same is true of fuel oil stocks.

  "Heating will be at a minimum. Most of you do not have wood stoves. Whatyou have must be converted to use of wood. An additional committee willbe appointed to supervise this conversion and the construction, wherenecessary, of makeshift stoves out of sheet metal, old oil barrels, andanything else of which we can make use."

  Item by item, he continued down the list of problems the Council hadconsidered that day. He mentioned Ken's suggestion for conservation ofbatteries. He spoke of the problems of medical care without adequatehospital facilities, of police activities that might be required in aperiod of stress such as they could expect that winter.

  When he had finished, members of the Council detailed plans of theseparate programs over which they had charge. President Lewis spoke topledge support of the college staff. He pointed out the fortunate factthat they had some of the best minds in the entire country in theirscientific departments, and also had Professor Larsen visiting withthem.

  The floor was turned over then to members of the audience for commentand questions. Most of them were favorable, but Sam Cluff, who owned ahundred and sixty of the best acres in the valley, stood up red-facedand belligerent.

  "It's all a pack of nonsense!" he declared. "This is just an excuse forcertain people in this town to get their hands in somebody else'spockets, and to tell other people what to do and how to live.

  "I'm not going to have anything to do with it. Anybody who sets foot onmy land to tell me what to raise or to take my goods away is going tohave to reckon with a double-barreled, 12-gauge shotgun.

  "If there is any real problem, which I doubt, them Government scientistswill be on the job and get things straightened out so that trains andautomobiles will be running by next week. My advice is for everybody togo home and let them take care of it."

  Mayor Hilliard smiled tolerantly. "I shouldn't have to remind you, Sam,that some of the best scientists in the world are right here in our owntown, and they say the situation is serious enough for emergencymeasures. I hope you won't be foolish with that shotgun, but we'recoming out to see you, tomorrow, Sam."

  Granny Wicks seemed to erupt from her place to which she had crowded inthe center of the hall. All eyes turned at the sound of her scratchy,birdlike voice. "I told you," she shrieked. "I told you what was coming,and now maybe you'll believe me. There's nothing you can do about it,Bill Hilliard. Nothing at all. There's death in the air. The stars havespoken it. The signs are in the sky."

  Mayor Hilliard interrupted her. "Perhaps you're right, Granny," he saidgently. "I don't think any of us are going to argue with you tonight.We're here to do what we can, and to make plans to stay alive just aslong as possible."

  At the close, Dr. Aylesworth took the stand. His commanding presenceseemed to draw an aura of peace once more around the troubled group. "Weare civilized men and women," he said. "Let us see that we act as suchduring the months that are ahead of us. Let us remember that we may seea time very soon when there will not be enough food, fuel and clothingfor all of us. When and if that time comes, let u
s prove that we areable to be our brother's keeper, that we are able to do unto others aswe would have others do unto us. Above all, may we be able to continueto call on divine assistance to bring a speedy end to this disaster, sothat when it is over we can look back and be proud that we conductedourselves as men and women worthy to be called civilized, and worthy ofthe divine approval and aid which we now seek."

  It was decided to keep classes going in the various schools as long aspossible, releasing those students who were needed to take assignmentsin the emergency program. Ken and the rest of the science club membersobtained immediate permission to devote their full time to the researchprogram.

  On the morning after the town meeting, Ken dressed early and rode hisbicycle toward Art's garage to arrange with the mechanic the details ofthe gathering and storage of automobile batteries. On the way he passedby Frank Meggs Independent Grocery Market, the largest in Mayfield.

  Although it was only a little after 7 o'clock, an enormous crowd hadcollected outside and inside the store. Curious and half-alarmed, Kenparked his bicycle and made his way through the crowd. Inside, he foundFrank Meggs ringing up sales of large lots of food.

  A red-faced woman was arguing with him at the check-out stand. "A dollara pound for white beans! That's ridiculous, Frank Meggs, and you knowit!"

  "Sure I know it," the storekeeper said calmly. "Next winter you'll beglad I let you have them for even that price. If you don't want them,Mrs. Watkins, please move along. Others will be glad to have them."

  The woman hesitated, then angrily flung two bills on the counter andstalked out with her groceries. Ken shoved his way up to the stand. "Mr.Meggs," he exclaimed. "You can't do this! All foodstuffs are beingcalled in by the Mayor's committee."

  He turned to the people. "Private hoards of food will be confiscatedand placed in the community warehouse. This isn't going to do you anygood!"

  Most of the shoppers looked shamefaced, at his challenge, but Meggsbristled angrily. "You keep out of this, Maddox! Nobody asked you tocome in here! These people know what they're doing, and so do I. Howmuch do you think any of us will eat if townhall gets its hands on everyscrap of food in the valley? If you aren't buying, get moving!"

  "I will, and I'll be back just as soon as I can find the Sheriff!"

  With telephone service now cut off to conserve battery power, Kenhesitated between seeking Sheriff Johnson at his office or at home. Hechecked his watch again and decided on the Sheriff's home.

  He was fortunate in arriving just before the Sheriff left. He explainedquickly what was happening at Meggs' store. Johnson had been assignedone of the few remaining cars that would run. With Ken, he droveimmediately to the store. They strode in, the shoppers fanning outbefore the Sheriff's approach.

  "Okay, that's all," he said. "You folks leave your groceries right wherethey are. Tell the others they had better bring theirs back and gettheir money while Meggs still has it. Not that anybody is going to havemuch use for money, anyway."

  "You've no right to do this!" Meggs cried. "This is my private propertyand I'm entitled to do with it as I choose!"

  "Not any longer it isn't," said Sheriff Johnson. "There isn't such athing as private property in Mayfield, any more. Except maybe the shirton your back, and I'm not sure of that. At any rate, you're not sellingthese groceries. Accounts will be kept, and when and if we get back tonormal you'll be reimbursed, but for now we're all one, big, happyfamily!"

  Most of the crowd had dispersed. The armloads and pushcarts full ofgroceries had been abandoned. Ken and the Sheriff moved toward the door.

  "Another trick like that and you'll spend the time of the emergency as aguest of the city. Incidentally, we don't intend to heat the jail thiswinter!"

  Meggs turned the blaze of his anger upon Ken. "This is your fault!" hesnarled. "You and that bunch of politicians know there's not going to beany shortage this winter just as well as I do. In a week this wholething will be straightened out. I had a chance to make a good thing ofit. I'm going to get even with you if it's the last thing I ever do!"

  "That's enough of that!" said Sheriff Johnson sharply. "Come along,Ken."

  Ken was not disturbed by Meggs' threat of personal retaliation, but hewas frightened by the realization that Meggs wasn't the only one of hiskind in Mayfield. His patrons were only a shade less unstable. Whatwould such people do when things really got tough? How much could theybe depended on to pull their own weight?

  After he had seen Art Matthews about collecting and storing thebatteries, Ken went up to Science Hall where the rest of the clubmembers were already at work. Under the direction of Al Miner, who wasthe best qualified to plan the alterations of the ventilation ducts,they made the necessary changes and installed one of the motorcycleengines to drive the blower. At the same time, three of them built up ahigh-voltage, battery-operated power supply to charge the filterelements.

  By evening the assembly was operating. The motorcycle engine chuggedpleasantly. "I wonder how long before that one freezes up," Al saidpessimistically.

  "We ought to get more," said Joe. "The way the cars have gone we'll belucky to get more than 2 days out of each one of these."

  During the day, Ken's father had directed the preparation of metallicspecimens from samples the boys had brought from Art's garage and fromthose the men brought back from the power plant. With the high-poweredelectron microscope, photographs were taken.

  As they finished their work the boys went with Ken to the laboratory.Professor Maddox looked up. "Hello, Fellows," he said. "Have you gotyour piece of machinery running?"

  "Purring like a top," said Ken.

  "Expected to run about as long," said Al.

  "Have you finished any photomicrographs?" Ken asked. "Do they showanything?"

  His father passed over a wet print. The boys gathered around it.

  "It doesn't mean much to me," said Dave Whitaker. "Can you tell us whatit shows?"

  Ken's father took a pencil from his pocket and touched it lightly to abarely perceptible line across the center of the picture. "That is theboundary," he said, "between the cylinder wall and the piston taken fromone of the samples you brought in."

  "I can't see anything that looks like a line between two pieces ofmetal," said Ted Watkins. "It looks like one solid chunk to me."

  "That is substantially what it is," said Professor Maddox. "There is nolonger any real boundary as there would be between two ordinary piecesof metal. Molecules from each piece have flowed into the other, mixingjust as two very viscous liquids would do. They have actually become onepiece of metal."

  He took up another photograph. "Here you can see that the same thing hashappened in the case of the shaft and bearing samples we obtained fromthe Collin's Dam power plant. Molecules of the two separate pieces ofmetal have intermingled, becoming one single piece."

  "How could they do that?" Ken exclaimed. "Metals can't flow likeliquids."

  "They can if the conditions are right. When steel is heated to asufficiently high temperature, it flows like water."

  "But that's not the case here!"

  "No, it isn't, of course. At lower temperatures the molecules of a soliddo not possess the energy of motion which they have in a liquid state.The metallic surface of a piece of cold steel has a certain surfacetension which prevents the escape of the relatively low-energymolecules; thus it has the characteristics we ascribe to a solid."

  "Then what has happened in this case?" Joe asked. "Are you able totell?"

  Professor Maddox nodded. "The photographs show us what has happened, butthey reveal nothing about how or why. We can see the surface tension ofthe two pieces of metal has obviously broken down so that the smallenergy of motion possessed by the molecules has permitted them to movetoward each other, with a consequent mixing of the two metals. It hasturned them quite literally into a single piece, the most effective kindof weld you can imagine."

  "What would cause the surface tension to break down like that?" Kenasked.

  "That is what r
emains for us to find out. We don't have the faintestidea what has caused it. It becomes especially baffling when we recallthat it has happened, not in a single isolated instance, but all overthe world."

  "You would think the metals would have become soft, like putty, orsomething, for a thing like that to happen to them," said Joe.

  "It would be expected that the hardness would be affected. This is nottrue, however. The metals seem just as hard as before. The effect ofmixing seems to take place only when the metals are in sliding motionagainst one another, as in the case of a piston and cylinder, or a shaftand a bearing. The effect is comparatively slow, taking place over anumber of days. The two surfaces must break down gradually, increasingthe friction to a point where motion must cease. Then the mixingcontinues until they are welded solidly to each other."

  Ordinarily, the dusk of evening would have fallen over the landscape,but the blaze of the comet now lit the countryside with an unnaturalgold that reflected like a flame through the windows and onto the facesof the men and boys in the laboratory.

  "As to the cause of this phenomenon," Professor Maddox said with anobviously weary deliberation in his voice, "we can only hope to find anexplanation and a cure before it is too late to do the world any good."

  "There can't be any question of that!" said Ken intensely. "Theresources of the whole scientific world will be turned on this oneproblem. Every industrial, university, and governmental laboratory willbe working on it. Modern science can certainly lick a thing like this!"

  Professor Maddox turned from the window, which he had been facing. Afaint, grim smile touched the corners of his lips and died as heregarded the boys, especially Ken. His face took on a depth of sobernessKen seldom saw in his father.

  "You think nothing is immune to an attack by so-called modern science?"he said.

  "Sure!" Ken went on enthusiastically, not understanding the expressionon his father's face. "Look at the problems that have been licked assoon as people were determined enough and willing to pay the cost. Giantcomputers, radar eyes, atomic energy. Everybody knows we could have madeit to Mars by now if governments had been willing to put up thenecessary money."

  "You still have to learn, all of you do," Professor Maddox said slowly,"that the thing we call science is only a myth. The only realityconsists of human beings trying to solve difficult problems. Theirresults, which seem to be solutions to some of those problems, we callscience. Science has no life of its own. It does not deserve to bespoken of as an entity in its own right. There are only people, whom wecall scientists, and their accomplishments are severely limited by theirquite meager abilities. Meager, when viewed in comparison with themagnitude of the problems they attack."

  Ken felt bewildered. He had never heard his father speak this waybefore. "Don't you believe there are scientists enough--scientists whoknow enough--to lick a thing like this in time?"

  "I don't know. I'm quite sure no one knows. We became conscious long agoof the fallacy of assuming that the concentration of men enough andunlimited funds would solve any problem in the world. For every greataccomplishment like atomic energy, to which we point with pride, thereare a thousand other problems, equally important, that remain unsolved.Who knows whether or not this problem of weakened surface tension inmetals is one of the insoluble ones?"

  "We have to find an answer," said Ken doggedly. He could not understandhis father's words. "There's nothing science can't accomplish if it setsabout it with enough determination. Nothing!"