"But it's so hard on the wings. I'm losing feathers foot over claw."
"Yes, but you could...." He stopped. "Well, anyhow, remember we have to
comply with local customs. You see, the Terrestrials have those things
called arms instead of legs. That is, they have legs, but they use them
only for walking."
She sighed. "I'd read about the arms, but I had no idea the natives
would be so--so primitive as to actually use them."
"Considering they had no wings, it was very clever of them to make use
of the vestigial appendages," he said hotly. "If you take their physical
limitations into account, they've done a marvelous job with their little
planet. They can't fly; they have very little sense of balance; their
vision is exceedingly poor--yet, in spite of all that, they have
achieved a quite remarkable degree of civilization." He gestured toward
the horizontal building arrangements visible through the window. "Why,
you could almost call those streets. As a matter of fact, the natives
do."
At the moment, she could take an interest in Terrestrial civilization
only as it affected her personally. "But I'll be able to relax in the
office, won't I?"
"To a certain extent," he replied cautiously. "You see, we have to use a
good deal of native help because--well, our facilities are limited...."
"Oh," she said.
Then she remembered that she was on Terra at least partly to demonstrate
the pluck of Fizbian femininity. Back on Fizbus, most of the _Times_
executives had been dead set against having a woman sent out as
Drosmig's assistant. But Grupe, the Grand Editor, had overruled them.
"Time we broke with tradition," he had said. He'd felt she could do the
job, and, by the stars, she would justify his faith in her!
"Sounds like rather a lark," she said hollowly.
Stet brightened. "That's the girl!" His eyes, she noticed, were emerald
shading into turquoise, like his crest. "I certainly hope you'll like it
here. Very wise of Grupe to send a woman instead of a man, after all.
Women," he went on quickly, "are so much better at working up the human
interest angle. And Drosmig is out of commission most of the time, so
it's you who'll actually be in charge of 'Helpfully Yours.'"
She herself in charge of the column that had achieved interstellar fame
in three short years! Basically, it had been designed to give guidance,
advice and, if necessary, comfort to those Fizbians who found themselves
living on Terra, for the Fizbus _Times_ had stood for public service
from time immemorial. As Grupe had put it, "We don't run this paper for
ourselves, Tarb, but for our readers. And the same applies to our
Terrestrial edition."
With the growing development of trade and cultural relations between the
two planets, the Fizbians on Earth were an ever-increasing number. But
they were not the only readers of "Helpfully Yours." Reprinted in the
parent paper, it was read with edification and pleasure all over Fizbus.
Everyone wanted to learn more about the ancient and other-worldly Terran
culture.
The handbook, _A Brief Introduction to Terrestrial Manners and Mores_,
owed much of its content to "Helpfully Yours." A grateful, almost
fulsome, introductory note had said so. But the column truly deserved
all the praise that had been lavished upon it by the handbook. How well
she had studied the thoughtful letters that filled it and the excellent
and well-reasoned advice--erring, if it erred at all, on the side of
overtolerance--that had been given in return. Of course, on Earth,
spiritual adjustment apparently was more important than the physical;
you could tell that from the questions that were asked. A number of the
letters had been reprinted in an appendix to the manual.
_New York_
_Dear Senbot Drosmig:_
_When in contact with Terrestrial culture, I find myself constantly
overawed and weighed down by the knowledge of my own inadequacy. I
cannot seem to appreciate the local art forms as disseminated by
the juke box, the comic strip, the tabloid._
_How can I help myself toward a greater understanding?_
_Hopefully yours,_
_Gnurmis Plitt_
* * * * *
Dear Mr. Plitt:
Remember, Orkv was not excavated in a week. It took the
Terrestrials many centuries to develop their exquisite and esoteric
art forms. How can you expect to comprehend them in a few short
years? Expose yourself to their art. Work, study, meditate.
Understanding will come, I promise you.
Helpfully yours,