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ost every remedy was tried…and none worked。 That depression continued until the country blundered into a war…which didn't cure what was wrong； it just masked the symptoms with a high fever。〃
〃Well 。 。 what was wrong； Grandfather？〃 I persisted。
〃Do I look smart enough to … answer that； Ira？ I've gone broke many times。 Sometimes financially； sometimes through abandoning my baggage to save my skin。 Urn。 Be durned if I'll offer any fancy explanations but…what happens when you control machinery by positive feedback？〃 …
I was startled。 〃Fm not sure I understand you； Lazarus； One doesn't control machinery by positive feedback…at least' I can't think of a case。 Positive feedback will cause any system to oscillate out of control。〃
〃Go to the head of the class。 Ira； I'm suspicious of arguments by analogy…but from what I've seen over the centuries； there doesn't seem to be anything that a government can do to an economy that does not act as positive feedback； or as a brake。 Or both。 Maybe someday； somewhere； someone smart as Andy Libby will figure out a way to tinker with the Law of Supply and Demand to make it work better； instead of letting it go 'its own cruel way。 Maybe。 But I've never seen it。 Though God knows everybody has tried。 Always with the best of intentions。
〃Good intentions are no substitute for knowing how a buzz saw works； Ira； the worst criminals in history have been loaded with good intentions。 But you got me sidetracked into making a speech when I was telling you hcw I happened not to get married。〃
〃Sorry； Grandfather。〃
〃Hummpht Can't you be rude occasionally？ rm a garrulous old man who has crowded you into wasting time listening to trivia。 You ought to resent it。〃
I grinned at him。 〃So I resent it。 You are a garrulous old man who demands that I cater to your every whim 。 。 and I am a very busy man with serious matters worrying me and you've wasted half a aay of my time telling me a yarn… pure fiction； I feel certain…about a man who was so lazy he always succeeded。 Intended to irritate me； I think。 When you implied that this fictional character was a long…lifer； you evaded a simple question about it and started talking about your grandfather。 This…Admiral Ram； you ~said？…was he redheaded？〃
〃'Lamb；' Ira…'Donald Lamb。' Or was that his brother？ It's been a long time。 Odd that you should ask about his hair
…as that reminds me of another naval officer in that same war who was just the opposite of…Donald？ No； 'David。' Just the opposite of David in every respect save that tIe had hair so red that Loki would have been proud of it。 Tried to choke a Kodiak bear to death。 Didn't work of course。 It doesn't seem possible that you've ever seen a Kodiak bear； Ira。
〃The fiercest carnivore that ~im ever spawned； and Outweighed a man ten to one。 Claws' like scimitars； long yellow teeth； bad breath…and a worse disposition。 Yet Lafe tackled
him with bare hands。。。； and mind you； when he had no need
…to。 I would have faded over the horizon。 Want'to hear about Lafe and the bear and the Alaskan salmon？〃
〃Not now。 It sounds like another whopper。。。You were telling
…me why you didn't get married。〃
〃So I was。 Gramp had just asked me； 'Well； Woodie； how long has she been pregnant？'〃
〃No； he was explaining that you couldn't support a wife。〃
〃Son；… if you know this story； you tell it to me。 I emphatically denied any such thing…to which Gramp replied that I lied in my teeth… because that was the only reason a seventeenyear…old boy ever wanted to get married。 His answer i~iade me especially angry because I had a note in my pocket reading：
〃'Woodsie dearest… You have knocked me up and all is Chaos。'
〃Gramp persisted； and I deni？d it three times； getting angrier and angrier； se骾ng as how it was true。 Finally he 'says； 'Okay； you've just been holding hands。 Has she shown you ~ pregnancy test report； signed by a doctor？ … … …
〃Ira； I accidentally … told the truth。 'Why； no；' I admitted。
〃'All right；' he said。 'I'll take care of it。 But only this oti鑕。 From here on always use Merry Widows； even if a sweet little darling tells you not to bother。 Or haven't you found a drugstore that'll sell them to you？' Then； after swearing me to secrecy； he told me about the Howard Foundation and what it would pay if I married a girl on their approved list。
〃And 'that was that； as I got this letter from a lawyer on my eighteenth birthday； just as Gramp had predicted； and it turned out that I fell madly in love with a girl on their list。 We got married and had a slough of kids； before she turned me in on another model。 Your ancestress； no doubt。〃
〃No； sir。 I'm descended from your fourth wife； Grandfather。〃
〃My fourth； eh？ Let me see…Meg Hardy？〃
'~I think she was your …third； Lazarus。 Evelyn Foote。〃
〃Oh； yes！ A fine girl； Evelyn。 Plump； and pretty； and sweetnatured； and fertile as a turtle。 A good cook and never a harsh word。 They don't hardly make 'em anymore。 Maybe fifty years younger than I was； but it barely showed； my hair didn't
… start to gray until I was a hundred and fifty。 No secret about my age； since birth date； and Lrack record； and so forth were on file for each of us。 Son； thank you for … reminding me of Evelyn； she restored my faith in matrimony when I was getting
a little sour on it。 Do the Archives show anything else about her？'
〃Just that you were her second husband and that she had seven children by you。〃
〃I was hoping that there was a photograph。 Such a pretty thing； always smiling。 She was married to one of my cousins； a Johnson； when I met her； and I was in business with him a while。 He and…I； Meg and Evvie； used to get together Saturday nights for pinochle and beer； or such…and after a while we traded； legal and proper and through the courts； when Meg decided that she…llked…Jack？…yes； Jack；… that well； and Evelyn wasn't avei％e。 Didn't affect our business relations； didn't even break up our pinochle game。 Son； one of the best things about the Howard Families is that we got cured of the poisonous vice of jealousy generations ahead of the rest of the race。 Had to…things being the way they were。 Sure there ain't a stereopic of her around？ Or a hologram？ The Foundation …started taking record pictures for marriage physical exams somewhere around then。〃
〃I'll look into… it；〃 I told him。 Then I had what seemed a
… brilliant idea。 〃Lazarus； as we all know； the same physical types show up time and slain in the Families。 I'll ask Archives for a list of … Evelyn Foot~'s female descendants living on Secundus。 It is highly probable that one of them will seem like her identical twin…even to the happy smile and the sweet disposition。 Then…if… you consent to full rejuvenation…I'm sure she would be as willing as Ishtar to dissolve any present contractual…〃 …
The Senior chopped me off。 〃I said something new； Ira。 There's no going back； ever。 Sure； you might find such a girl； one who would match my memory of Evelyn to ten significant figures。 But it would lack an important factor。 My youth。〃
〃But if you finish rejuvenation…〃
〃Oh； hush up！ You can give me new kidneys and a new liver and a new heart。。 You can wash the brown stains of age out of my brain and add tissue from my clone to make up for what I've lost…you can give me a whole new clone body。 But it won't make me that young fellow who took innocent pleasure in beer and pinochle and a pretty plump wife。 All I have in mon with him is continuity of memory…and not much of that。 Forget it。〃
I said quietly； 〃Ancestor； whether you wish to be married to Evelyn Foote again or not； you know and I know…for I've been through it； too； twice…we both know that the full routine
restores youthful zest In life as well as restoring the body a a machine。〃 …
Lazarus Long looked gloomy。 〃Yeah； sure。 It cures every thing but boredom。 Damn it； boy； you had no right to interfen with my …karma。〃 He sighed； 〃But I can't hang