The Project Gutenberg eBook of I, Executioner
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: I, Executioner
Author: Ted White
Terry Carr
Release date: February 7, 2020 [eBook #61335]
Most recently updated: October 17, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK I, EXECUTIONER ***
I, EXECUTIONER
BY TED WHITE AND TERRY CARR
I am the executioner of the law, terrible
in my majesty. The doomed felon is--myself!
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, March 1963.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
I always shook when I came out of the Arena, but this time the tension
wrapped my stomach in painful knots and salty perspiration stung my
neck where I had shaved only a little over an hour earlier. And despite
the heavy knot in my stomach. I felt strangely empty.
I had never been able to sort out my reactions to an Execution. The
atmosphere of careful boredom, the strictly business-as-usual air
failed to dull my senses as it did for the others. I could always
_taste_ the ozone in the air, mixed with the taste of fear--whether
mine, or that of the Condemned, I never knew. My nostrils always gave
an involuntary twitch at the confined odors and I felt an almost
claustrophic fear at being packed into the Arena with the other nine
hundred ninety-nine Citizens on Execution Duty.
I had been expecting my notice for several months before it finally
came. I hadn't served Execution Duty for nearly two years. Usually it
had figured out to every fourteen months or so on rotation, so I'd
been ready for it. A little apprehensive--I always am--but ready.
At 9:00 in the morning, still only half awake (I'd purposely slept
until the last minute), vaguely trying to remember the dream I'd had,
I waited in front of the Arena for the ordeal to begin. The dream had
been something about a knife, an operation. But I couldn't remember
whether I'd been the doctor or the patient.
Our times of arrival had been staggered in our notices, so that a long
queue wouldn't tie up traffic, but as usual the checkers were slow, and
we were backed up a bit.
I didn't like waiting. Somehow I've always felt more exposed on the
streets, although the brain-scanners must be more plentiful in an Arena
than almost anywhere else. It's only logical that they should be. The
scanners are set up to detect unusual patterns of stress in our brain
waves as we pass close to them, and thus to pick out as quickly as
possible those with incipient or developing neuroses or psychoses--the
potential deviates. And where else would such an aberration be as
likely to come out as in the Arena?
I had moved to the front of the short line. I flashed my notification
of duty to the checker, and was waved on in. I found my proper seat on
the aisle in the "T" section. It was a relief to sink into its plush
depths and look the Arena over.
Once this had been a first-run Broadway theater--first a place where
great plays were shown, and then later the more degenerate motion
pictures. Those had been times of vicarious escape from reality--times
when the populace ruled, and yet the masses hid their eyes from the
world. Many things had changed since then, with the coming of regulated
sanity and the achievement of world peace. Gone now were the black arts
of forgetfulness, those media which practiced the enticement of the
Citizen into irresponsible escape. Now this crowded theater was only
a reminder. And a place of execution for those who would have sought
escape here.
* * * * *
Perhaps thirty people were sitting on the floor of the Arena, where
once there had been a stage. They sat quietly in chairs not so
different from mine, strapped for the moment into a kind of passive
conformity. I looked at them with interest. Strangeness has as much
attraction as the familiar at times. As usual, most of them were
young--from about ten to the early twenties. But at whatever age,
they were rebels. They were potential enemies of society. Criminals.
Probably some of them hadn't yet realized it. But they were on the
verge of anti-social insanity, and the brain-scanners had singled them
out.
They were so young.... How long does it take a boy to become neurotic,
psychotic, dangerous?
A flurry of movement at the gates caught my eye. Apparently at least
one of them was a full-fledged Rebel. He struggled furiously, and the
three proctors were having an awkward time carrying him into the Arena
without hurting him.
Then, as they moved into the floodlights, I saw with a faint shock that
it was a girl.
She was dressed in man's clothing, but betrayed by her neurotic and
unsanitary long hair.
Long, blonde hair. For a moment I forgot where I was, and allowed
myself to revel in this nearly forbidden sight. The soft waves fell
halfway down her neck, disarrayed now. The floodlights shined on it, a
strangely gentle mockery of sunlight. Something within me stirred, and
I almost remembered....
Then they were strapping her into one of the chairs, carefully pulling
the soft leather straps with their attached metal electrodes around
her, pinioning her. One set joined her arms to the armrests, another
her legs to the specially devised footrests. Her tunic was opened, and
a third set was passed around her chest, the metal plate fastened just
under her left breast.
And then she was alone.
I stared at her, drawn at first to her hair, and then, as my vision
focused across the distance, to her eyes.
Strange eyes; light blue irises, surrounded by a ring of dark blue, and
flecked with gold. They were shining. She had been crying. Her eyes
seemed to melt, like a pool of clear water growing deeper; I could
almost see into them, into the darkness beneath. I was no longer aware
of the chair in which I sat ... only of her, alone before me, so close.
Her eyes widened for just an instant when she recognized me.
"_Bob._"
"_Hello, Rosebud._"
"_I knew you'd be here. I knew._"
"_It's been a long time.... I think I was trying to forget._"
"_Don't,_" she said. "_Don't ever forget._"
* * * * *
Sun drenched me, and I was rocked back into time.
"Hey, you pushed me!" I shouted at her.
"Yes," said a faint voice, and then, "I'm sorry," the little
golden-haired girl said.
I sat up. Mother was going to be mad at me again, I knew. I wiped the
seat of my pants with my hand, and then stared at the muddy hand with
interest.
"Look," I said to her, and showed her my hand. When she stepped forward
to look closely at it, I pushed it at her, and smeared mud onto her
face. Then I laughed....
* * * * *
My laughter faded, blending with hers ... and then ... and then we were
no longer standing separately in the sun.
It was a dark night, the air fresh and cool to my skin, and the leaves
of the trees which stretched over us rustled with a faint wind.
I laughed again, a soft girlish sound that brought discomfort to the
boy's face before me.
"Your mother says. Your father says. Don't you ever say anything for
yourself, Bob?"
"Look, Rosalie, I'm sorry. Maybe I just don't think the way you do. My
father says sex at our age is just another escape from reality. You've
got to face yourself as an adult first. He--"
"Your father is a bigger nincompoop than you are!" I shouted at him. "I
thought you said you loved me. I thought you had some _feelings_ buried
under that so-called rational mind of yours! Or does your father say
you're too young to _love_ somebody?"
He tried to say something, but I was right. He pressed his lips
together and looked away. I was almost enjoying it now; with deliberate
coolness I buttoned up my tunic, feeling the soft fibers on my skin.
"How long does it take to love somebody?" I said, but my voice was
beginning to tremble. I turned away from his still figure in the night,
and began the slow walk back along the path to the house. Tears stung
my eyes, and spilled onto my cheeks; I started to run through the dark.
I slammed the door when I ran in, and went directly to my room. At
one end of it was a small studio, where an easel was lit coldly by
a fluorescent light. Almost blindly I began beating my fists on the
still-wet canvas, blurring and then ripping the nearly finished
portrait of a young man.
* * * * *
I was crying quietly when the low, calm voice stopped me on the street.
"Just a moment, Miss."
I felt the sudden skip in my heart which signaled danger, and when I
turned I saw the light green uniform of a proctor in the vague street
light. My eyes were still blurred with tears. I couldn't make out his
face.
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you a few questions."
Shielding my face from the light, I tried to make my voice calm. I
hoped my homesick tears were hidden, that my cheeks wouldn't glisten in
the light. I wanted very badly for him not to see I had been crying.
"Yes?"
"I'll have to know why you're out on the streets at this time of the
morning," the proctor said. "There's a curfew, you know. Unless you can
show cause...."
Oh God; I had completely forgotten the city's curfew!
"I--I'm sorry, Officer. I'm new to the city and I didn't realize...."
"You're transient? Where are you staying?"
"The Statler Dormitory for Women," I answered meekly.
"And why are you out at this hour, so far from the dorm? That's down
near 34th Street, almost thirty blocks south."
"I know. I couldn't sleep--" His eyes narrowed at that; had I made a
mistake? I plunged on: "--and I wanted to see Central Park. I didn't
realize there was any harm...."
"I guess not this time, Miss, but you'd better get back to your dorm.
Take this pass." He scribbled a few words on a pad and then detached a
slip of green paper for me. "You can take a train down to 34th Street.
Now."
"I'd just as soon walk, sir."
He stared at me for a moment and then I turned and started for the
nearest subway entrance.
It had been horrible, those first few days in the Dorm. I'd
never dreamed that a sane society could be so ... not cruel, but
_unthinking_. Back home in Woodstock we were all supposed to be sane
too, but neither Father nor Mother had ever forced any rigid rules on
me. They had let me roam the woods, scuffing the dry leaves in autumn,
drinking water from the creeks in my cupped hands. They hadn't objected
when I was gone for hours. Usually I was just sitting on a log and
staring into the sky, and what harm was there in that?
They had encouraged my painting. "It's supposed to be a sign of
escapism," Dad said, "but there are a lot worse ways of escaping." He
made an easel for me, and I used tubes of house-paint tint-colors and
stretched canvas and burlap over frames Dad made. He even gave me a
book of reproductions of the Old Masters that he'd saved.
Life in Woodstock had been pleasant for me, I realized now, even if
it had often seemed lonely. I couldn't have told the proctor that I'd
really woken up from a dream about Bob before I'd gone out walking.
I'd seen Bob's face so clearly, standing in the night, unable to say
anything to me. Suddenly it had seemed that my voice was stopped too,
and I'd woken up gasping....
I boarded a local train, not caring that an express would be much
faster, and began the trip back to my cubicle at the Statler Dorm. If
only they hadn't taken my parents....
* * * * *
I had succeeded in setting up a makeshift easel in my room at the Dorm,
and was working on a painting, wearing some of Dad's old clothes, when
the proctors broke in.
One of them pointed a small indicator at me, glanced at it and nodded.
"She's the one. Instability and escapism. And look at the kind of
clothes she wears."
"What are you doing?" I whispered. This was how they'd taken my parents!
"You're under detention as a criminal against society. Miss," one of
the proctors said. "We're all sorry."
Another one stepped forward and held out a hand to me as one might a
child. "Come along now."
"_No!_" I backed away from them, and when they trapped me in the corner
I kicked and screamed at them. "Leave me alone, leave me alone! You're
killers!" One of them grabbed me and held me around my waist, my arms
pinned to my sides.
"We're not killers, Miss," he said, and his voice was incredibly calm.
"We have nothing to do with it."
I twisted free and struck at him, tearing skin from his face with my
nails. "_Weren't my parents enough?_"
One of them pointed another device at me, and I blacked out.
* * * * *
When I came to, I was being carried by three proctors through a door
and down a hall. My head was fuzzy and throbbing. I caught a glimpse
of a stenciled sign in the corridor, lettered neatly over an arrow
pointing in the direction we were going. The words leaped out at me:
_Execution Arena Floor_.
One of the proctors saw that I was conscious and looked down at me
pleasantly. "No sense struggling now," he said. "It'll be over soon."
I stared back at him for a moment, not understanding. But then the
kindness in his face became clear. He pitied me! The proctors were
carrying me as gently as possible, as though I were a dog with a broken
leg.
I felt incredibly sad, and so tired that I was sure I must suddenly
weigh twice as much. But they carried me through the door and out onto
the floor of the Arena, and there were a thousand people up in the dark
waiting for me. There were floodlights on the chairs where the others
of the Condemned were strapped. They sat quietly, dully, as though they
were the Executioners and the people above were waiting for _them_ to
press the buttons.
But it was insane! How could they take it so calmly----were they dead
already? Did they _want_ to die?
Or was I really insane? Where _was_ the sanity in this Arena?
I couldn't lie still while they carried me to that chair. I was
frightened. I was terrified! They were all so silent, so calm, so
kindly. As though nothing at all were happening--nothing at all!
I struggled, trying to fight my way free. I kicked and screamed; I
had to make some noise in that black silence. But they held me, and
strapped me into the chair. And still there was no sound in the Arena.
I felt a shock, a tension, and I looked up.
There, in the audience, sitting before his little panel with the blue
light and the red Executioner's button, was a young man staring at me.
I could feel his stare, like a cool hand touching me. It drew me up,
into the dimness....
I felt my eyes widen with recognition.
"_Bob_," I said.
His reply sounded deep inside my mind, "_Hello, Rosebud._"
"_I knew you'd be here_," I said, and then I drew him close to me.
"_It's been a long time._"
"_Don't ever forget_," I said, and opened myself to him at last.
* * * * *
The lights in the Arena dimmed, rose, dimmed again. The first signal
I pressed against the straps, but they were firm and unmoving. Yet
I--we--leaned forward, and watched the panel with its blue light. Our
stomach was knotted like tight leather cords.
The blue light flashed. I reached out a hand to the small red button.
The straps bit into our flesh. The panel was dim, ghostly beneath the
glaring lights from the dark above.
A thousand hands touched a thousand red buttons.
One of them was the first to touch the button, the first to complete
the circuit. No one knew who he was. No one even knew if every button
was connected, but someone touched a button and somewhere the circuit
was completed.
_Shock!_ Pain jerked our body rigid! We _screamed_; our skin blistered
as hair singed and fell away. And there was a greater shock, a pain
somewhere else, as our images cleaved and I fell away from her. I
reached out my hand to her, and almost felt her touch ... but my hand
was on the button, and she was slumped in her chair on the floor of the
Arena.
I jerked my hand away from the button as though it were hot
electricity. My whole body was moist with perspiration.
I stared about me, suddenly and deeply frightened. Which of us had
screamed? I'd felt it surging up in me, felt it tearing at my throat,
bursting from my mouth--but next to me the others were unconcernedly
waiting for me to rise from my seat so that we could file in an
orderly fashion from our places in the Arena. They had noticed nothing.
When I stood up my legs were trembling. I could still feel where the
leather straps had bitten into them. I stepped carefully up the stairs
and went out into the morning sunshine. Though the floodlights had been
bright in the Arena, still the sunlight hurt my eyes. I paused at the
door, and looked at my ring-watch. It was nine-thirty. Only half an
hour had passed.
How long does it take to destroy a few spoiled lives?
It was over. I forced my breathing into a more normal rate and stepped
onto the sidewalk. Don't think about it, I told myself. After all, it
had been years earlier that I had really lost her....
I had almost made it to the corner when I felt the tap on my shoulder,
began to turn, saw the green-sleeved arm extending toward me a familiar
black indicator, and heard the proctor say:
"This is the one. Definite case: schizoid condition, latent telepath."
"We're all sorry," said another of them.
And they led me away to face it again.
End of Project Gutenberg's I, Executioner, by Ted White and Terry Carr
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK I, EXECUTIONER ***
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™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
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™ 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™ License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™
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™ electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg™ 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™ 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™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™
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™ 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™ mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg™ 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™ 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™ 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™ License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ 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™ 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™
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ 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™ 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™
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.
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™ 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™ work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ 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™ 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™ 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™ electronic works
provided that:
• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ 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™
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™
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™ works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ 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™ 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™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
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™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ 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™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
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™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™
Project Gutenberg™ 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™’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ 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™ 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™ 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™ electronic works
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg™ 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™,
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.
