t makes eleven from him this month. He really has
his problems."

Colihan grunted. _He deserves them_, he thought.

"How did the meeting go?"

"Huh?" Colihan looked up. "Oh, fine, fine. Boss was in good voice, as
usual."

"I think there's an envelope from him in the stack."

"What?" Colihan hoped that his concern wasn't visible. He riffled
through the papers hurriedly, and came up with a neat white envelope
engraved with the words: OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT.

Miss Blanche watched him, frankly curious. "That will be all," he told
her curtly.

When she had left, he ripped the envelope open and read the contents. It
was in Moss's own cramped handwriting, and it was a request for a three
o'clock "man-to-man" talk.

_Oh, Lord_, he thought. _Now it's going to happen._

* * * * *

President Moss was eating an apple.

He ate so greedily that the juice spilled over his chin.

Sitting behind his massive oak desk, chair tilted back, apple juice
dappling his whiskers, he looked so small and unformidable, that Colihan
took heart.

"Well, Ralph--how goes it?"

_He called me Ralph_, thought Colihan cheerfully. _He's not such a bad
old guy._

"Don't grow apples like they used to," the President said. "This
hydroponic stuff can't touch the fruit we used to pick. Say, did you
ever climb a real apple tree and knock 'em off the branches?"

Colihan blinked. "No, sir."

"Greatest thrill in the world. My father had an orchard in
Kennebunkport. Apples by the million. Green apples. Sweet apples.
Delicious. Spy. Baldwin." He sighed. "Something's gone out of our way of
life, Ralph."

_Why, he's just an old dear_, thought Colihan. He looked at the boss
with new sympathy.

"Funny thing about apples. My father used to keep 'em in barrels down in
the basement. He used to say to me, 'Andrew,' he'd say, 'don't never put
a sour apple in one of these barrels. 'Cause just one sour apple can
spoil the whole derned lot.'" The boss looked at Colihan and took a big
noisy bite.

Colihan smiled inanely. Was Moss making some kind of point?

"Well, we can't sit around all day and reminisce, eh, Ralph? Much as I
enjoy it. But we got a business to run, don't we?"

"Yes, sir," said the Personnel Manager.

"Mighty big business, too. How's your side of it, Ralph? Old
Personnelovac hummin' along nicely?"

"Yes, sir," said Colihan, wondering if he should voice his fears about
the Brain.

"Marvelous machine