Tad, like other young men, looked to the
spaceways for adventure. But George Barlow, like
other fathers, knew that disaster would end his—
WANDERLUST
By Alan E. Nourse
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
October 1952
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Somehow George Barlow had sensed that something was wrong the momenthis son drove into the barnyard that evening. He had been waitingimpatiently for Tad's return all afternoon; the men needed thosetractor bolts before they could do the mowing. But George had felt theuneasiness, quite suddenly, deep in his chest when he heard the boy'sthree-wheeler chugging up the rutted country road from town.
He sat quietly, waiting, stroking old Snuffy behind the ears. He heardthe little motor-car pop into silence as Tad drove it into the garage;then there was a long silence. George waited several minutes beforerunning a hand through his tawny hair. "What's that boy doing outthere, anyway?" he growled.
Florence Barlow glanced up through the kitchen window. "He's gone up onthe ridge," she said. "He's just standing up there, looking down thevalley." She turned back to the stove, pushing back an unruly whisp ofgraying hair.
George sat back in his chair, puffing his pipe, the uneasiness growing.Tad was usually back from town hours earlier. The oats had to becut this week—the shipment of Venusian taaro was due from the nextRocket, and they had to have a field free for it. But still, he knew itwas more than the tractor bolts that bothered him.
Then suddenly the door burst open and Tad was there, filling the roomwith his broad shoulders, whistling tunelessly to himself. A cool eastbreeze followed him in the door, and with it an aura of excitement.Tad's sunbaked hair was wild from the ride through the wind, his sharpeyes sparkling:
"Dad! The Rocket landed this afternoon. Out at Dillon's Landing. It'sthree weeks early this time!"
A chill swept up George's spine, tingling his scalp. "Then we shouldget the taaro in a couple of days," he said smoothly.
"We should." Tad's eyes were bright as he patted the dog's head. Hiswhole body seemed alive with excitement. "I walked up on the ridge toget a look at it, dad. It's a beauty—tall and slim—you should see itdown there. It catches the sunset like you never saw before—"
He was still talking as he walked out to the kitchen, stooping to kisshis mother on the forehead. "You ought to go up and take a look at it,mom—before the sun's gone."
"I've got plenty to do without going to gawk at a Rocket ship," hismother's voice was sharp. "You have too, for that matter. Did you getthe tractor bolts for your father?"
The boy frowned suddenly, and snapped his fingers. "Plumb forgot them.The ship was landing just as I got into town, so I went over to watchit—" he took his place opposite his father at the table, his facebrightening again. He didn't see the cloud on his father's face. "Andthey let us go inside it to look around, dad. I never saw anythinglike it. You wouldn't believe that they could get such a ship off theground. Why, even I can remember when it was all they could do to blastoff with a little ten-man ship, and now—why, this one is like a yacht.It's the STAR KING, the newest one in Dillon's fleet."
George Barlow scowled, the tightness in the pit of his stomach suddenlymaking his food tasteless. "That's lovely," he