Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from Planet Stories July 1952. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
Bracing themselves, Bryce and Pierce gave the body acombined strong shove toward Earth. Two gone.
THE MAN WHO STAKED THE STARS
By CHARLES DYE
Bryce Carter could afford a smug smile. For hadn't he risengloriously from Thieves Row to director of famed U.T.? Wasnot Earth, Moon, and all the Belt, at this very momentawaiting his command for the grand coup? And wasn't hiscousin-from-Montehedo a star-sent help?
hat do I do for a living?" repeated the slim dark-skinned young manin the next seat of the Earth-Moon liner. "I'm a witch doctor," heanswered with complete sincerity.
"What do you do? I mean, what do they hire you for?" asked Donahuewith understandable confusion and a touch of nervousness.
"I'm registered as a psychotherapist," said the dark-skinned youngman. He looked too young to be practicing a profession, barelynineteen, but that could be merely a sign of talent, Donahuereflected. The new teaching and testing methods graduated them young.
"I know I am a witch doctor because my grandfather and his father andhis father's father were witch doctors and I learned a specialtechnique from my uncles who are registered therapists with medicaldegrees like mine. But the technique is not the one you find in thebooks, it is ... unusual. They don't say where they learned it butit's not hard to guess." The dark youth shrugged cheerfully. "So—I'ma witch doctor."
"That's an interesting thought," said Donahue. It would be a longthree day trip to the Moon and he had expected to be bored, but thisconversation was not boring. "What do you do?" he again asked."Specifically." Donahue had rugged features, a dark tan andattractively sun-bleached hair worn a little too long. He exuded asort of rough charm which branded him one of the class of politicians,and he knew how to draw people out, so now he settled himself morecomfortably for an extended spell of listening. "Tell me more and joinme in a drink." He signalled the hostess and continued with the rightmixture of admiring interest and condescending scepticism. "You don'tchant spells and hire ghosts, do you?"
"Not exactly." The dark innocent looking young face smiled with acheerful flash of white teeth. "I'll tell you what I did to a man, aman named Bryce Carter."
group of men sat in a skyscraper at Cape Hatteras, with their tabler