The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Soldier's Home Is Battle, by Lowell Stone
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
using this eBook.
Title: A Soldier's Home Is Battle
Author: Lowell Stone
Release Date: September 12, 2021 [eBook #66282]
Language: English
Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SOLDIER'S HOME IS BATTLE ***
Jerry watched from his gun post as the city
vanished in a cloud of atomic smoke. His thoughts
were of his wife and son, but duty demanded that--
A Soldier's Home Is Battle
By Lowell Stone
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
March 1954
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
By the time the radar signal caught their eye it was too late to do
anything. Planes traveling faster than sound were already inside the
defense zone of the city.
Private First Class Jerry Conlon glanced from the radar screen to
the other five members of his Atomic Gun Post team on the outer
perimeter of the city. The look in their eyes was one of dazed alarm.
Automatically he joined them in zipping shut radiation suits, and then
they went for the gun controls, knowing it was too late.
A flash of intolerable brightness faded out the sun. One of the
boys--Conlon saw him still struggling with his radiation suit--didn't
make it in time. He paid for his slowness with his life.
In that instant of death before his eyes, Jerry thought of his wife
and baby son. It was all he had time for. Just the image in his mind.
An image of fear, because he wondered about them--were they dying even
now?
With the great flash Jerry dropped into the prone position that he'd
been taught. He was protected because the Gun Post had been holed into
the ground and re-enforced with steel-mesh concrete all around. If you
see the flash, it's too late, he'd been told. Well, he'd seen the flash
all right. When he dropped to the concrete base, the floor rose to meet
him halfway. A few seconds later, the suction raised him off the floor
and set him down next to the big gun.
Jerry crawled back to the protection of the bulwark. He had a hazy
glimpse of movement around him, but he couldn't see well enough out of
his blinded eyes to make out what the others were doing. Things were
beginning to rain down out of the sky now, and it continued to rain for
what seemed to Jerry like five or ten minutes. It was fantastic how
high some of the debris must have been blasted into the air, and he
was afraid to move for a long time lest a rock or bit of metal should
suddenly streak down.
It was mostly just the smaller pieces that got as far as the Post. The
biggest chunks had either been completely disintegrated or splattered
along the ground in all directions from the target area. It had been
a direct hit. It only took one blast, but that didn't mean it was the
only one in the country. When the attack came, every big city had
probably been marked for destruction.
Every big city! The thought struck him with sickening force. His wife
and little boy--Mildred and Billy! How about them? Had the blasts gone
inland?
"Conlon, are you all right?"
The sound of the voice stabbed at Jerry. He studied the wavering dark
form in front of his eyes, and recognition of the voice came slowly.
The white blob of the face must belong to Lieutenant Blake. Ordinarily
Jerry would have snapped to attention and saluted, but at the moment
the formality seemed ridiculous.
"I guess I'm all right, sir."
"Good!" That was all Blake said as he passed from Jerry's view.
* * * * *
In Jerry's earphones it sounded like a strong wind was blowing. It
could be the roar of a fleet of rocket planes. Was this the follow-up
attack? Why wasn't the order given to man the gun? He groped forward
and sprawled over a pile of debris. Where was everybody? Where was
Blake? He called out.
"Take it easy, Conlon," a voice said beside him.
"Who--who is it?" Jerry asked, trying to determine the source of the
voice.
"It's me--Adam Peterman. You'll be all right after awhile. What'd you
do--look into the flash?"
"I saw the flash. Good God! Am I going blind?"
"I once looked at a test blast with a radiation suit on. They still
haven't perfected these lenses to shut out all the glare. You'll be
like that for a couple of hours."
"How many of the boys did the blast get?"
Here he was, Jerry thought, asking about the six men in the gun crew
when there must have been thousands--maybe millions--dead in the city,
or what must be left of it.
"There's just three of us alive so far," Peterman said. "The
Lieutenant found Kroger, but he'd been crushed. The rest are either
buried or blown away."
"How about you? I still can't see where you are," Jerry said. "Are you
hurt?"
"My legs got messed up. I'm sitting on the ground. That's why you can't
see me."
"What about the city? What's left of it?"
"From where I'm sitting I should be able to see the tops of some of the
taller buildings over the concrete, but there's nothing there. I hate
to think about it."
"If there is anything left, the rocket planes will bring 'em down."
"What rocket planes?"
"Can't you hear 'em? That roar in the air. It almost drowns out the
geiger meter on my suit."
"Naw, Conlon, that isn't what you think! You're still hearing the sound
of the blast."
"After this long?"
"It doesn't die out for a long time."
Jerry thought about Mildred and Billy. It was this bad even in a
radiation suit with special lenses to protect the eyes; special braces
to minimize the shock wave effects; special material perfected during
the latter part of the century to deflect ultra-radiation. How would
Mildred and Billy fare back home where they were unprotected? They
might even be dead. But no! They couldn't be! They were all he had
left in life. They just had to be alive!
The shadowy blob which was Lieutenant Blake, moved into Jerry's line
of vision. Blake's form seemed to be getting smaller now; the haziness
around the edges seemed to be dwindling.
"How are you Peterman?" Blake asked the man with the wounded legs.
"I'll make it all right, Lieutenant. I might even be able to sight the
gun if you lift me into the seat."
"Good man, Peterman!" Blake turned to Jerry, "Well, Conlon, it looks
like you and I are the only ones on our feet. That means we've got work
to do."
"My eyes are bad, but I think they're clearing up now," Jerry said.
"Things are pretty rough," Blake said. "From what I've been able to
determine, the whole nation's been blasted."
"Lieutenant--no!" Jerry cried. He moved forward toward the Lieutenant
and clutched Blake by the shoulders. "I've got a wife and kid back
home!"
"We all have relatives back home, Conlon. You're no different than
anybody else. And it's just as bad for us as it is for you. You've got
to get a grip on yourself. There's nothing you can do for them one way
or the other."
"The hell there isn't! I'm going back to 'em!"
The Lieutenant's covered hand whipped out and slapped the front of
Jerry's helmet below the vision lens. Jerry went backwards and dropped
to the concrete floor.
"Sorry, Conlon," Blake clipped. "I didn't do that in anger. I merely
wanted to snap you back to your senses! You're still in the Army, and
I'm still your commanding officer. As far as the Army is concerned,
none of us have any relatives."
Jerry got to his feet. There was no question that the Lieutenant was
right. The Army was the big boss, and soldiers were not supposed to
have personal feelings. There were several million soldiers protecting
many millions of people and the only way that Mildred and Billy could
be protected was through the combined and strategic effort of these
soldiers. There were soldiers in the interior risking their lives to
protect people like Mildred and Billy--soldiers with relatives in the
city that Jerry was supposed to protect. It would be a sorry plight if,
at the first sign of trouble, all the men would run home to their own
little families.
It all seemed like a crazy nightmare to Jerry. No matter how big the
catastrophe, human beings still worried about the little problems
along with the big. It was a strange feeling to look over the top of
the bulwark and see nothing but the dirty gray sky where the forms of
big buildings should be. The shock was less horrible to him because
by the time his sight returned, he was accepting the awful scene of
destruction as an unchangeable fact.
* * * * *
It was several hours later before a small contingent of radiation
clothed soldiers arrived in several jeeps. A Colonel of the Army
stepped out. Blake and Conlon stood at attention as the officers
introduced themselves. The Colonel's name was Harrison.
"I'm trying to find out what we have to work with. Not much, I'm
afraid," the Colonel said. "The Government's gone. Communication is
disrupted."
"Did you say there was no more government, Colonel?" Jerry asked.
The Colonel nodded. "That's what I said."
"Then there's no hope--nothing left to fight for any more?"
"Nothing to fight for?" the Colonel snorted. "Soldier, as long as we
have our hills and valleys we'll have something to fight for!"
Lieutenant Blake said, "Private Conlon, no more of that defeatist talk!
Please excuse him, Colonel."
"That's all right," the Colonel shrugged. "It's been a shock to all of
us. Now, tell me, how are you fixed?"
"Two able, counting myself. One bad casualty. One dead. Three missing,"
Blake said.
"You'll have one man replacement."
"But, Colonel, that isn't enough to man the gun!"
"Apparently you don't realize what's happened to the country,
Lieutenant! We're not attempting to hold back the enemy. When they come
they're going to flow right over us as though we aren't here."
"Then what's the point of--"
"The point is this. We have not received an order to surrender. We
probably never will."
Blake said, "We'll do the best we can, Colonel."
The Colonel gave an order and one man crawled out of a jeep and strode
toward them. The soldier saluted.
"He is your replacement, Lieutenant," the Colonel said. Then he shook
hands with Blake. "Goodbye, and good luck!"
The jeeps growled into life. It was strange hearing them, Jerry
thought. Usually there was the hum of the city in the background, a
sort of whispering that made you realize a throbbing community was
nearby. Now it was only the silence broken by the raucous sound of jeep
motors. Eventually even this sound disappeared.
"All right, men, start clearing up this mess," Blake snapped. "The
gun has to have free traverse. After that, stay at your posts. It's
going to be tough to handle this assignment short-handed, and when the
secondary attack comes it's going to roll in like a tidal wave."
The replacement was hardly more than a kid. Jerry thought he looked
as though he could be pushed over with a heavy breath. Not much of a
replacement, but he pitched into work earnestly.
Jerry edged close to Peterman as he worked. The wounded man sat propped
against a pile with his legs stretched out uselessly in front.
"They didn't even offer to give you medical aid, Peterman," Jerry said.
"I didn't expect it at a time like this," Peterman said. "The men that
are left have their hands full."
"For what? You heard what the Colonel said, the Government is
gone--possibly the whole country! What we're doing isn't even a
delaying action. We're hardly going to harass the Enemy! What's the
good of hanging on? Why doesn't the Army turn us loose? I've got to
find out how my wife and kid are doing! Staying here only means one
thing--one foolish, stupid thing!"
"You've got a point, Conlon," Peterman said through his pain. "I've got
a family too. I'd be tempted to take off myself, if I had legs."
"Duty! Allegiance! What does it all mean now?" Jerry said bitterly.
"Not much I suppose, when they pull the curtain in front of you."
* * * * *
Jerry was breathing hard inside his radiation suit. "Peterman, I've got
a notion to make a break!"
"That decision you've got to make yourself, Conlon. Only remember, that
leaving your post gives the Lieutenant the right to shoot you in the
back!"
"I'll take that chance. I've got to see Mildred and Billy. You think
you'd do the same thing, Peterman, if you had legs? Would you?"
"I might. I don't know. I'm in no position to give it much thought."
"But don't you think this is stupid to wait for certain death when
there's no hope--when I've got the chance to see the ones I love, maybe
for the last time?"
"It's stupid all right I guess."
"You've got loved ones, haven't you, Peterman? You know how much it
means?" Peterman clammed and refused to talk.
Jerry went to the storage which was built into the side of the
concrete wall, opened the door, and brought out his rifle. He examined
the automatic weapon and found it undamaged. He looked around.
Lieutenant Blake was out of sight inside the dugout where he was still
trying to pick up messages. The replacement was mechanically heaving
debris away from the traverse frame of the big gun.
"Conlon." It was Peterman calling.
"What do you want?"
"There's only one thing I'd like you to do before you leave. You and
the replacement lift me to the gunner's seat, will you? I have a bad
dose of radiation on top of everything else. I don't know how long I
can hold out, but I might as well be doing some good for the time I
have left."
Jerry put the rifle down, called to the replacement. Together they
hoisted Peterman into the seat. Lieutenant Blake came out just as they
finished the job.
"That's what he wanted, sir," Jerry said. "You're so short-handed we
didn't think you'd object."
Blake said, "Peterman, you should be keeping yourself quiet."
Peterman failed to answer for a long moment. Finally he said, "Damn the
Enemy! Why don't they hurry up and get it over with?"
Jerry walked over to where he had stacked his automatic rifle. He swung
it under his arm and turned to face the Lieutenant.
"I'm leaving, sir. Don't try to stop me! What we're doing here is plain
stupid. I've got a wife and kid that I've got to see before I die! I'm
leaving, and I'll shoot to kill if anybody tries to stop me! Got that,
Lieutenant?"
"I'm not going to stop you, Conlon," Blake said quietly.
"I hope the rest of you can manage the gun while I'm gone!" Jerry cried.
"We'll manage all right until you get back."
A faint far-away roar sounded in Jerry's earphones. The sound became
rapidly louder. "No sense in me coming back, Lieutenant, because from
the sound of things, you won't be around much longer."
Jerry backed toward the concrete steps that would take him to ground
level. He climbed up, kicking away litter so that he would have places
for his feet. He kept the rifle pointed at the motionless, watching
men. The roar became louder.
Lieutenant Blake called up to him. "You're from the inland area, aren't
you, Conlon? I think the chances for your family were pretty good.
Emergency stations are starting to come through from the interior. The
guided missiles had a lot of near-misses."
Out of the corners of Jerry's eyes he detected a strange looking dark
cloud appearing along the horizon. From the west, not the east! That
was odd. The dark cloud spread across the horizon, coming closer.
Rocket planes! Hundreds of them!
Jerry was at ground level now. Up here there would be no protection. A
blast and shock wave could sweep across the flat ground unhindered. The
roar became deafening. Now he could recognize the ships. They were Army
Comets!
He wanted to leap with joy. His spine tingled with excitement. The
cloud was roaring overhead now. The Comets flashed onward, bent on a
purpose, a death-dealing, earth-shaking purpose! That's the way the
Enemy had wanted it. The Enemy had chosen its weapon, and the Army was
on its way to blow the Enemy so sky-high that its own attack on Jerry's
homeland would seem insignificant by comparison.
Jerry tossed his rifle over the edge of the bulwark. The thunder
overhead snuffed out the clatter of the rifle when it struck the
concrete below. Jerry went down the steps holding his hands over
his head. It was a full minute before he stumbled back to where he
had started. "I changed my mind about leaving, Lieutenant!" Jerry
shouted. He might as well have been trying to shout above the roar of a
hurricane.
The Lieutenant waved Jerry's arms down, and Jerry was close enough to
detect a smile inside the Lieutenant's helmet. Blake turned and walked
away in the direction of the dugout as though nothing had happened.
Jerry pointed skyward, and the men wagged their heads understandingly.
"Hell," Jerry cried, "this war isn't over yet!"
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SOLDIER'S HOME IS BATTLE ***
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the
United States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
provided that:
* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation."
* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
works.
* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
receipt of the work.
* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
www.gutenberg.org
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without
widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org
This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
