The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pioneer, by William Hardy

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Title: Pioneer

Author: William Hardy

Release Date: May 20, 2010 [EBook #32457]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Imagination Stories of Science and
Fantasy February 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence
that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.

PIONEER

_By William Hardy_

If you could travel through time to a few years hence you'd
find a stone monument in honor and memory of a brave deed
you may shy away from!

* * * * *

I didn't much like the way Max--that's the guy who trained
me--fastened the broad leather straps over my body. There was a smell
of nervous excitement in the air and Max's hand trembled as he fumbled
with the buckles. Thinking back on it, the whole morning had been like
that. Nervous and excited.

Right after breakfast, Max had given me a good bath and loaded me in
the car. I always like to ride in the car and this time Max even
allowed me to stick my head out the window. He doesn't usually let me
do that, but I was too engrossed in the exhilarating rush of air to
pay any attention to the change of routine. When we drew up in front
of a large brick building a multitude of strange and peculiar odors
assailed my nose, tantalizingly anonymous. Max's big hand caught me
before I got halfway through the window. That disgusted me, because I
wanted to investigate the funny smells, and I pouted all the way into
the building. As the events of the next hour progressed I got madder
and madder.

First there was the doctor, poking around in my mouth, stabbing my
eyes with a blinding beam of light, and prodding and squeezing my
body. It reminded me of the day I came to live with Max and I was
tempted to take a hunk out of this doctor's hand like I did the othe