"Yep."
The _Post_ said: "Can it, Carmichael. The last time you sent us north,
the south end of the Battery collapsed."
"This is no gag. I'm giving it to you straight."
"Yeah?" The _Post_ was belligerent. "I say Gowan!"
"Gowan yourself," the _Ledger_ said. "This side of the opposition is
credible."
"You mean gullible."
I said: "The word this time is sensational. Four hundred police on
the march. Tramp-tramp-tramp--the beat of the drum--boots--et cetera.
Better get moving if you want to tag along."
The _News_ gave me a nasty smile and said: "Brother, for your sake it
better be good--because I'm preparing a little sensation of my own to
hand over."
I said: "Make it a quick double cross, Newsy. I'm in a hurry," and I
clicked off. It's funny how sometimes you can't get along right with
wrong people.
* * * * *
You know how fast night comes on in February. The blackness gathers in
the sky like a bunched cape. Then someone lets it drop and it sinks
down over you with swiftly spreading black folds. Those dusky folds
were just spreading out toward the corners of the sky when we got
to the park. The cops didn't even bother to park their helios. They
vaulted out and left them blocking the streets. In less than half
a minute, two hundred were beating through the park in a long line,
driving everyone out. The rest were forming the skeleton of the cordon.
It took an hour to make sure the park was clear. Somehow, if you tell
a hundred citizens to do something, there will always be twenty who'll
fight you--not because they really object to doing what they're told,
but just out of principle or curiosity or cantankerousness.
The all-clear came at six o'clock, and it was just in time because it
was pitch dark. The controller, the C-S and myself stood before the
high iron gates that open onto the path leading into the rock gardens.
Where we stood we could see the jet masses of foliage standing crisp
and still in the chill night. To either side of us stretched the long,
wavering lines of police glow lamps. We could see the ring of bright
dots drawn around the entire north end of the park like a necklace of
glowing pearls.
The silence and the chill waiting was agonizing. Suddenly I said:
"Excuse me, sir, but did you tell the police captain to O.K. the
reporters?"
The C-S said: "I did, Carmichael--" and that was all. It wasn't so good
because I'd hoped we'd have a little talk to ease the tension.
Again there was nothing but the cold night and the waiting. The stars
overhead were like bits of radium and so beautiful you wished they were
candy so you could eat them. I tried to imagine them slowly blotted
out, and I couldn't. It's impossible to visualize the destruction of
any lovely thing. Then I tried counting the police lamps around the
park. I gave that up before I reached twenty.