large/8902/astounding_stories_07_1405_librivox_64kb_mp3/astoundingstories07_17_64kb_8
large/8902/astounding_stories_07_1405_librivox_64kb_mp3/astoundingstories07_17_64kb
English
8902
The figure of Avery slumped suddenly upon a chair; his face was buried in his hands. "And I would have been," he groaned, "the greatest man in the world." "You shall be greater," said the Professor, "though only we shall know it  you and I.... You will save the world  from itself." THE FIGURE OF AVERY SLUMPED SUDDENLY UPON A CHAIR HIS FACE WAS BURIED IN HIS HANDS AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN HE GROANED THE GREATEST MAN IN THE WORLD YOU SHALL BE GREATER SAID THE PROFESSOR THOUGH ONLY WE SHALL KNOW IT YOU AND I YOU WILL SAVE THE WORLD FROM ITSELF
 he said, "crumbling to ruins under the cold stars? The fields? They are rank with wild growth, torn and gullied by the waters; a desolate land where animals prowl. And the people--the people!--wandering bands, lower, as the years drag on, than the beasts themselves; the children dying, forgotten, in the forgotten lands; a people to whom the progress of our civilization is one with the ages past, for whom there is again the slow, toiling road toward the light. "And somewhere, perhaps, a conquering race, the most brutal and callous of mankind, rioting in their sense of power and dragging themselves down to oblivion...." * * * * * His gaze came slowly back to the room and the figure of the man still fighting for his dream. "They would not," said Avery hoarsely; "they'd use it for good." "Would they?" asked Professor Eddinger. He spoke simply as one stating simple facts. "I love my fellow men," he said, "and I killed them in thousands in the last war--I, and my science, and my poison gas. SS THE MAN'S WORDS CAME HARSH AND COMMANDING DO YOU SEE THE CITIES HE SAID CRUMBLING TO RUINS UNDER THE COLD STARS THE FIELDS THEY ARE RANK WITH WILD GROWTH TORN AND GULLIED BY THE WATERS A DESOLATE LAND WHERE ANIMALS PROWL AND THE PEOPLE THE PEOPLE WANDERING BANDS LOWER AS THE YEARS DRAG ON THAN THE BEASTS THEMSELVES THE CHILDREN DYING FORGOTTEN IN THE FORGOTTEN LAND A PEOPLE TO WHOM THE PROGRESS OF OUR CIVILIZATION IS ONE WITH THE AGES PAST FOR WHOM THERE IS AGAIN THE SLOW TOILING ROAD TOWARD THE LIGHT AND SOMEWHERE PERHAPS A CONQUERING RACE THE MOST BRUTAL AND CALLOUS OF MANKIND RIOTING IN THEIR SENSE OF POWER AND DRAGGING THEMSELVES DOWN TO OBLIVION HIS GAZE CAME SLOWLY BACK TO THE ROOM AND THE FIGURE OF THE MAN STILL FIGHTING FOR HIS DREAM THEY WOULD NOT SAID AVERY HOARSELY THEY'D USE IT FOR GOOD WOULD THEY ASKED PROFESSOR EDINGER HE SPOKE SIMPLY AS ONE STATING SIMPLE FACTS I LOVE MY FELLOW MEN HE SAID AND I KILLED THEM IN THOUSANDS IN THE LAST WAR I AM MY SCIENCE OF MY POISON GAS
large/8902/astounding_stories_07_1405_librivox_64kb_mp3/astoundingstories07_17_64kb
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