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rate beds…then to see to it that Libby； does not make a bad de？ision。 Any reason Libby can't go with me to Skyhaven and visit Pattycake？ And how about J。A。； Joe； can you get along without him a while？ Lots of room； dears。 Libby can room with Pattycake； and J。A。 can bunk with George and Woodrow and maybe teach 'em manners。'
〃Llita said something about imposing on Laura； Minerva； which I answered with a rude negative。 'Laura likes kids； dear； she is one ahead of you； yet she started a year later。 She doesn't keep house； she simply bosses her staff； she's never had to work harder than suited her。 Furthermore； she wants all of you to pay us a visit…an invitation I heartily second； but I don't think you two can get away until we find a buyer for this place。 But I want Libby and J。A。 now…so that I can give them blunt and practical instruction in geics； using stock I've been inbreeding to show what I mean。'
〃Minerva； this particular breeding schedule I had started to teach my own offspring the bald truth about geics； with careful records and grisly photographs of bad culls。 Since you manage a pla which has over niy percent Howards and the remaining mixed fraction mostly following Howard customs； you may not know that non…Howard cultures don't necessarily teach such things to their kids even in cultures open about sex。
〃Landfall was then mostly short…lifers； only a few thousand Howards…and to avoid friction we did not advertise our presence even though it wasn't a secret…couldn't be； the pla had a Howard Clinic。 But with Skyhaven a Daniel…Boone distance from the nearest big town； if Laura and I wanted our children to have a Howard…style education； we had to teach them ourselves。 So we did。
〃When I was a kid； the grownups of my home country tried to pretend to kids that sex did not exist…believe it if you can！ Not true of the little hellions Laura and I raised。 They had not seen human copulation…I don't think they had…because it puts me off stride to have spectators。 But they had seen it in other animals and had bred pets and kept records。 The older two； Pattycake and George； had seen the birth of our youngest of the time because Laura had invited them to watch。 This I strongly approve of； Minerva； but I have never urged one of my wives to permit it because I figure that a woman in labor should be indulged in every possible way。 However； Laura had a streak of exhibitionism in her makeup。
〃Anyhow； our kids could discuss chromosome reduction and the merits and demerits of linebreeding as knowledgeably as my own contemporaries when I was a kid could discuss the World Series…〃
〃Excuse me； Lazarus…that last term's referent？〃
〃Oh。 Nothing important。 One of the mercially induced surrogate interests of my childhood。 Forget it dear； it is not worth cluttering your memories。 I was about to say I asked Joe and Uita what J。A。 and Libby knew about sexual matters
…since Landfall had so diversified a background that it could be anything and I wanted to know where to start…especially as my oldest； Pattycake； had turned twelve and reached menarche at the same time and was smug about it； likely to boast。
〃Turned out that Libby and J。A。 were sophisticated in an ignorant； unscientific fashion about matching their parents。 They were one up on my kids in one respect： copulation they had seen from birth； at least to the time Estelle's Kitchen had moved uptown…which I should have figured out from recalling the still more cramped living quarters of the original Estelle's Kitchen。〃
第28节
（7；200 words omitted）
〃Laura was sharp with me and insisted that I not see them until I calmed down。 She pointed out that Pattycake was almost as old as J。A。； that it was nothing but play as Pattycake had had her four…year sterilization after menarche； and that； in any event； Pattycake had been on top。
〃Minerva； I would not have spanked the kids no matter who had been on top。 Intellectually I knew that Laura was right； and I had to agree that fathers tend to be possessive about daughters。 I was pleased that Laura had gained the confidence of both kids so fully that they had neither tried very hard to keep from being caught； nor had they been scared when she happened… to catch 'em at it。 Perhaps J。A。 was scared but Pattycake just said； 'Mama； you didn't knock。'〃
（Omitted）
〃…so we traded sons。 J。A。 liked farm life and never did leave us； whereas George turned out to have this perverse taste for cities； so Joe took him on and made a chef out of him。 George was sleeping with Elizabeth…Libby； that is…I forget how long before they decided to hatch one and were married。 A double wedding； the four youngsters remained close。
〃But J。A。's decision solved a problem for me： what to do with Skyhaven later。 By the time Laura decided to leave me； all of my sons by her had heard the wild goose one way or another； George was the only one still on pla； and our daughters were married and not one of them to a farmer。 Whereas J。A。 had bee my overseer and was de facto boss of Skyhaven the last ten years I was there。
〃I might have worked some promise with Roger Sperling if he hadn't tried to grab the place。 As it was； I deeded a half interest to Pattycake； sold the other half to my son…in…law J。A。 on a mortgage；then discounted the paper to a bank and bought a better ship than I would have had I given that half interest to Roger and Laura。 I made a similar deal； part gift and part sale； with Libby and George； of my share in Maison Long… and Libby changed her name to Estelle Elizabeth SheffieldLong； there was continuity there as well…which pleased both me and her parents。 It worked out well。 Laura even came down and kissed me good…bye when I left。〃
〃Lazarus； I do not understand one factor。 You have said that you do not favor marriage between Howards and ephemerals。 Yet you let two of your children marry outside the Families。〃
〃Uh； correction； Minerva。 One does not let children get married； they do get married； when and as and to whom they choose。〃
〃Correction noted； Lazarus。〃
〃But let's go back to the night I intervened for Libby and J。A。 That night I gave Llita and Joe everything that slave factor had turned over to me as proof of their old heritage…even the bill of sale…with a suggestion that they destroy the
stuff or lock it up。 Among those items was a series of photographs showing them growing up； year by year。 The last one seemed to have been taken just before I bought them； and they confirmed it…two fully grown youngsters； one in a chastity girdle。
〃Joe looked at that picture and said； 〃What a couple of clowns！ We've e a long way； Sis~…thanks to the Skipper。'
〃'So we have；' she agreed； and studied the picture。 'Brother； do you see what I do？'
〃'What？' he said； looking again。
〃'Aaron will see it。 Brother； take off your clout；' she said； while starting to unwrap her sarong； 'and pose with me against the wall。 Not the selling pose； but the way we used to stand against a grid for these record pictures。' She handed me that last picture in the series； and they stood and faced me。
〃Minerva； in fourteen years they had not changed。 Llita had had three kids and was just pregnant with her fourth and both of them had worked themselves silly 。 。 but； stripped naked； no makeup on her and her hair down； they looked as they had the first time I saw them。 They looked like that last record shot…end of adolescence； somewhere between eighteen and twenty in Earth terms。
〃Yet they had to be past thirty。 Thirty…five Earth years old if those Blessed records were to be trusted。
〃Minerva； I have just one thing to add。 When I last saw them； they were past sixty in Earth years； about sixty…three if you accept the records from Blessed。 Neither one had a gray hair； both had all their teeth…and Llita was pregnant again。〃
〃Mutant Howards； Lazarus？〃
The old man shrugged。 〃Isn't that a question…begging term； dear？ If you use a long enough time scale； every one of the thousands of genes a flesh…and…blood