Jeffrey sighed. "That which never was," he answered, "cannot be
lost. That that never existed cannot be mourned."
The General stared at him and smiled. "You're a relative,
all right!" he managed. "You sound just like my mother,
bless her soul! She always said the southern way lasted TOO
long! How much I would like to tell her how right she was!"
The General shook himself. "Come on!" he snapped.
"I've got to go make arrangements to disappear for 48 hours and it's
going to be damned hard explaining to people why I have to go. Or
is it necessary? Will I come back to the exact time that I left?"
Jeff shook his head. "You'll be gone the precise amount of time
we're in the past," Jeffrey answered, "not a minute less or more.
At least that's what I'm told. I was the first one to put it to
the test. Hopefully I will be the last! And when I return I
will return to a totally different future than the one I left, which
would be very nice because the one I left was quite uncomfortable!"
"Let's get going!" the General snapped, pushing his plate
aside. "The more you mention the history you came from, the more
I want to make sure it never exists, no matter what it costs us!
I want to make sure it never exists!"
He got up, kissed his wife, and they headed out. His staff was
surprised to see him in the office, but they quickly went to work
following his instructions.
As they were working, a report came on the radio. State police
officers had gone to arrest The Imperial Dragon Of The Sons Of Purity
on charges of complicity in the murder of the General's daughter.
He had decided he wasn't going to be arrested, and a gun battle
ensued. The Grand Dragon and eighteen of his closest associates
had been killed. Jeff listened to the report, muttered "Good
work, gentlemen!" and continued with his efforts. Some in
the office looked startled, others simply nodded and continued their
efforts.
Jeffrey continued to search the historical records. They were
almost ready to go home when he came to the General and handed him a
photograph and a news story. The General read it.
"Donald McClain, a well known scientist, known for his eccentricism,
reports today that he has successfully traveled in time, gone back to
the war of northern aggression, and given the south the means to defeat
The Union. As proof of this he shows a receipt signed by the
inventor of the motorized torpedo accepting the blueprints that
have been sold to him for ten Union dollars. The eccentric
professor also showed the ten dollar gold piece with which the plans
had been purchased. Everyone at the gathering was rather amused
by the professor's claim."
The General looked at Jeff and nodded. Now they had a face, and,
a name! They finished up and headed home. The General
wanted to enjoy the evening with his children. He wanted to enjoy
that evening very much, because he didn't know if when he returned
those children would still be there. How different would things
be? No telling in another world what profession he would be
in. There was simply no telling!