The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Vilbar Party, by Evelyn E. Smith

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Title: The Vilbar Party

Author: Evelyn E. Smith

Illustrator: KOSSIN

Release Date: March 15, 2010 [EBook #31626]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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The Vilbar Party

By EVELYN E. SMITH

Illustrated by KOSSIN

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction
January 1955. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

[Sidenote: _"Nuts to you!" was what Narli knew Earthmen would tell
him ... only it was frismil nuts!_]

"The Perzils are giving a vilbar party tomorrow night," Professor Slood
said cajolingly. "You _will_ come this time, won't you, Narli?"

Narli Gzann rubbed his forehead fretfully. "You know how I feel about
parties, Karn." He took a frismil nut out of the tray on his desk and
nibbled it in annoyance.

"But this is in your honor, Narli--a farewell party. You must go. It
would be--it would be unthinkable if you didn't." Karn Slood's eyes were
pleading. He could not possibly be held responsible for his friend's
anti-social behavior and yet, Narli knew, he would somehow feel at
fault.

Narli sighed. He supposed he would have to conform to public sentiment
in this particular instance, but he was damned if he would give in
gracefully. "After all, what's so special about the occasion? I'm just
leaving to take another teaching job, that's all." He took another nut.

"That's _all_!" Slood's face swelled with emotion. "You can't really be
that indifferent."

"Another job, that's all it is to me," Narli persisted. "At an
exceptionally high salary, of course, or I wouldn't dream of accepting a
position so inconveniently located."

Slood was baffled and hurt and outraged. "You have been honored by being
the first of our people to be offered an exchange professorship on
another planet," he said stiffly, "and you call it 'just another job.'
Why, I would have given my right antenna to get