At intervals, there were musical chimes, followed by the calling out of names. Presently those of this pair.
They stood up, again in their frayed, blue coveralls—their fine clothes left behind, useless and frivolous. Yet not poor, Horton thought, in their shared eagerness and courage, and their natural keeping together. Like few in their restless clan in this struggling age. Solid. A talisman... Aware, too, that within perhaps three hours, they'd be inert cargo ready for the starship awaiting in Earth-orbit.
Horton walked with them the few steps.
"You just might come to us again, Chester," Arnold remarked.
"Yeh—like once before," Horton mused. "Long chance. Within—say—two hundred years?... Unless, by my time, the main goal will be some other star-system than Sirius?... Procyon?..." He paused.
"Yes, Chet?" the girl prompted. "We have to break the spell—or complete it. Bring the funny, crooked pieces together... No secret—never was. And it has been out, now, for quite a while, in our talk... So the bit we avoided speaking of—because it seemed too weird to accept—too strange to disenchant... Out loud. Plain... Even if we're not quite ready? Last chance..." Her lips were parted.
It still didn't exactly fit. He—Horton—old. And this smiling, teasing girl. This fierce youth... Though there were clear signs... Something his guts balked at grasping, even yet. In part as if it might offend them. A comedy thing... Yet a dark charm! This impossible becoming common. Best symbol of this wondrous, dangerous, distorted era. To appreciate. Though the risks were more splendid than ever.
In a moment these two would leave him, for their prolonged, personal Ice Age, and a distant chance. Horton began speaking:
"Goodbye, good fortune. And is it all right to add—"
The arcane words had been inscribed playfully on the exchanged gift-packages. Now Horton said them:
"Gram and Gramps?"
A hard hand tightened briefly on his shoulder. The rough laugh was almost remembered: "...Some joke, hey, Chester, Old Lad?"
The girl kissed Horton's cheek lightly.
"As long as it's true," she said.
The End
*********************************
Here are five collections of Gallun fiction with no overlap between them:
The Old Faithful Saga, Raymond Z. Gallun, Renaissance eBooks 2004 (c, ebook) - 46800 words
Introduction, Jean Marie Stine, (in) *
Old Faithful [*Old Faithful], (nv) Astounding Dec. 1934 - 14768
The Son of Old Faithful [*Old Faithful], (nv) Astounding July 1935 - 14207
Child of the Stars [*Old Faithful], (na) Astounding April 1936 - 17913
A First Glimpse and Other SF Classics, Raymond Z. Gallun, Renaissance eBooks 2006 (c, ebook) - 94,500 words or so
Introduction, Jean Marie Stine, (in) *
Comet’s Burial, (ss) Science Fiction Stories #1 1953 – 6766
Hotel Cosmos, (ss) Astounding July 1938
Prodigal’s Aura, (nv) Astounding April 1951
Stamped Caution, (nv) Galaxy Aug. 1953 – 11618
Davy Jones’ Ambassador, (nv) Astounding Dec. 1935
Brother Worlds, (nv) Thrilling Wonder Stories Feb. 1951
Seeds of the Dusk [*When Earth is Old], (nv) Astounding June 1938 – 10703
Invaders of the Forbidden Moon, (nv) Planet Stories Summer 1941 – 16507
A First Glimpse, (nv) Analog Feb. 1980
Mind Over Matter: A Collection of Short Fiction, Raymond Z. Gallun, Tom's eBooks May 2021 (c, ebook) - 110,900 words
Introduction, Tom Dean, (in) *
The Crystal Ray, (ss) Air Wonder Stories Nov. 1929 – 5917
Space Flotsam, (ss) Astounding Feb. 1934 - 3606
The Machine from Ganymede, (ss) Astounding Nov. 1934 - 3926
Mind Over Matter, (ss) Astounding Jan. 1935 - 4324
Blue Haze on Pluto, (ss) Astounding June 1935 - 4382
Saturn’s Ringmaster, (ss) Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec. 1936 – 3881
Eyes That Watch, (ss) Comet Dec. 1940 - 5449
The Raiders of Saturn’s Ring, (nv) Planet Stories Fall 1941 - 11941
Space Oasis, (ss/nv) Planet Stories Fall 1942 - 9579
The Eternal Wall, (ss) Amazing Nov. 1942 – 4144
Operation Pumice, (ss) Thrilling Wonder Stories April 1949 - 5126
Asteroid of Fear, (nv) Planet Stories March 1951 – 13896
ü Return of a Legend, (ss) Planet Stories March 1952 - 5529
ü Big Pill, (nv) Planet Stories Sep. 1952 – 7705
Captive Asteroid, (nv) Science-Fiction Plus April 1953 - 11231
Give Back a World, (nv) Planet Stories May 1953 - 8837
Bonus Story:
Bright Message, (vi) Collier's Weekly May 18 1946 - 1493
Godson of Almarlu: A Collection of Science Fiction Novellas, Raymond Z. Gallun, Tom's eBooks May 2021 (c, ebook) - 115,100 words
Introduction, Tom Dean, (in) *
The Revolt of the Star Men, (na) Wonder Stories Quarterly Winter 1932 - 27606
Godson of Almarlu, (na) Astounding Oct. 1936 - 18984
Fires of Genesis, (na) Astounding March 1937 - 16777
Iszt—Earthman, (nv) Astounding April 1938 - 16072
Coffins to Mars [*Demigods], (na) Thrilling Wonder Stories June 1950 - 20015
Legacy from Mars, (nv) Science Fiction Adventures July 1953 - 15666
Bibliography of Gallun collections
Ten (Stories) to the Stars: Another Collection of Short Fiction, Raymond Z. Gallun, Tom's eBooks June
2021 (c, ebook) - 109,100 words
Introduction, Tom Dean, (in) *
P.S.’s Feature Flash, (bg) Planet Stories Summer 1941
Meet the Authors: Raymond Z. Gallun, (bg) Amazing Stories June 1942
The Space-Dwellers, (ss) Science Wonder Stories Nov. 1929 - 6259
Avalanche, (ss) Astounding Dec. 1935 {as by "Dow Elstar"} - 3455
SFE3: basis for "Dawn of the Demigods", unconfirmed
Terror Out of the Past, (nv) Amazing Stories March 1940 - 14590
Stepson of Space, (ss) Astonishing Stories Oct. 1940 - 5687
The Achilles Heel, (ss) Amazing Stories Nov. 1940 - 3093
Ten to the Stars, (na) Science Fiction Adventures March 1953 - 22030
Dawn of the Demigods [*Demigods], (na) Planet Stories Summer 1954 - 25287
later expanded, as People Minus X, Simon & Schuster 1957 / Ace 1958 - 52500
Trail Blazer, (ss) Fantastic Story Magazine Fall 1951 - 7218
A Step Farther Out, (nv) Super Science Stories March 1950 - 13225
Sort of Like Atlas, (ss) Astro-Adventures #7 April 1989 - 7007
Final Rite, (vi) Collier's Weekly July 6 1946 - 1294
Interview: Raymond Gallun, Jeffrey M. Elliot, (iv) Thrust #17 Summer 1981
Bibliography of Gallun collections
Then and Now: Another Collection of Science Fiction, Raymond Z. Gallun, Tom's eBooks June 2021
(c, ebook) - 105,200 words
Introduction, Tom Dean, (in) *
The Lunar Chrysalis, (nv) Amazing Sep. 1931 - 14334
Waves of Compulsion, (nv) Wonder Stories March 1932 - 15929
Derelict, (ss) Astounding Oct. 1935 - 5303
Nova Solis, (ss) Astounding Dec. 1935 {as by "E. V. Raymond"} - 5078
The Scarab, (ss) Astounding Aug. 1936 - 3790
A Menace in Miniature, (ss) Astounding Oct. 1937 - 6761
Magician of Dream Valley, (ss) Astounding Oct. 1938 - 5692
The Shadow of the Veil, (ss) Astounding Feb. 1939 - 4300
Guardian Angel, (ss) Super Science Stories May 1940 – 5651
The First Long Journey [*Demigods], (ss) Thrilling Wonder Stories April 1951 - 5117
The Restless Tide [*Demigods], (ss) Marvel Science Fiction Nov. 1951 - 6437
Double Identity, (nv) Dynamic Science Fiction June 1953 - 14984
Then and Now [*Demigods], (nv) Analog Dec. 1977 - 11799
Bibliography of Gallun collections
************************************
Other collections by Raymond Z. Gallun:
The Best of Raymond Z. Gallun, ed. John J. Pierce, Ballantine Aug. 1978 (c, pb)
Raymond Z. Gallun, The Quiet Revolutionary, John J. Pierce, (in) *
Old Faithful [*Old Faithful], (nv) Astounding Dec. 1934
Derelict, (ss) Astounding Oct. 1935
Davy Jones’ Ambassador, (nv) Astounding Dec. 1935
Godson of Almarlu, (na) Astounding Oct. 1936
A Menace in Miniature, (ss) Astounding Oct. 1937
Seeds of the Dusk [*When Earth is Old], (nv) Astounding June 1938 – 10703
Hotel Cosmos, (ss) Astounding July 1938
Magician of Dream Valley, (ss) Astounding Oct. 1938
The Shadow of the Veil, (ss) Astounding Feb. 1939
The Lotus-Engine, (ss) Super Science Stories March 1940
Prodigal’s Aura, (nv) Astounding April 1951
The Restless Tide [*Demigods], (ss) Marvel Science Fiction Nov. 1951
Return of a Legend, (ss) Planet Stories March 1952 - 5529
Afterword, (aw) *
that has collected all of Gallun's Project
Gutenberg fiction into an eBook that it has
the gall to call The Best of Raymond Z.
Gallun! These assholes have done the
same thing to Mack Reynolds and Robert
Silverberg, among others. Beware!
Old Faithful and Other Stories: The Best of Raymond Z. Gallun, Volume 1, ed. John Pelan, Ramble House 2012 (c, tp)
The Golden Age of Gallun, John Pelan, (in) *
13 Old Faithful [*Old Faithful], (nv) Astounding Dec. 1934
57 Brother Worlds, (nv) Thrilling Wonder Stories Feb. 1951
89 Iszt—Earthman, (nv) Astounding April 1938
137 The Achilles Heel, (ss) Amazing Nov. 1940
147 Hotel Cosmos, (ss) Astounding July 1938
165 Prodigal’s Aura, (nv) Astounding April 1951
195 Bluff Play, (ss) Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec. 1950
209 Asteroid of Fear, (nv) Planet Stories March 1951 – 13896
251 The Eternal Wall, (ss) Amazing Nov. 1942 – 4144
265 Davy Jones’ Ambassador, (nv) Astounding Dec. 1935
302
The 25th Golden Age of SF Megapack: Raymond Z. Gallun, Wildside Press 2015 (c, ebook) - 498 pp. NOOK
A Note from the Publisher, John Gregory Betancourt, (in) *
10 The Revolt of the Star Men, (na) Wonder Stories Quarterly Winter 1932 - 27600
76 The Eternal Wall, (ss) Amazing Nov. 1942 – 4144
88 Asteroid of Fear, (nv) Planet Stories March 1951 – 13896
123 Big Pill, (nv) Planet Stories Sep. 1952 – 7705
144 Return of a Legend, (ss) Planet Stories March 1952 - 5529
160 Comet’s Burial, (ss) Science Fiction Stories #1 1953 – 6766
179 Stamped Caution, (nv) Galaxy Aug. 1953 – 11618
208 People Minus X [*Demigods], Simon & Schuster 1957 (n, hc) / Ace 1958 (dos, pb) - 52500
expanded from “Dawn of the Demigods”, (na) Planet Stories Summer 1954
SFE3, unconfirmed: from "Avalanche" (as by "Dow Elstar"), (ss) Astounding Dec. 1935
334 - The Planet Strappers, Pyramid Oct. 1961 (n, pb) - 65800
498