When Sue Ling was done Samuel told his tale. Sarabelle sighed when he was done. "Well!" she managed, "You youngsters have seen your share, haven't you?"
"What about you?" Samuel asked.
"Sarabelle grinned. "My boyfriend and I were shysters, what you'd call con men. We had a sweet little game. We'd set up false identities, move into an area, and set up shop as financial advisors. Robert was a really good one. We'd get in with the most prosperous local church and start doing little favors for its parishioners. Usually within six months we'd have access to the church's funds and the funds of its richest parishioners. Then we'd clean them out, take everything and go. By the time the people would find out, we'd be long gone. And the last ten years we've rolled the con more than twenty times. We could have easily retired, and lived off the interest. But it's the thrill of the roll, the joy of getting the best of the marks so we couldn't stop."
"Oh no!" Sue Ling put in. "You hit a Spiritist Church, didn't you?"
Sarabelle nodded. "Talked it's accountant into breaking the rules," she continued, "Got access to all their accounts and cleaned them out. The only problem was when we got back to our condominium out here they were waiting for us. I didn't even know my boyfriend had a gun until he started shooting. Big mistake! They put him down right there, then gave me a choice..cooperate, or, do real hard time in a really nasty prison with ladies who'd just love somebody as pretty as I am, literally! So I gave them all our account numbers and where Robbie was such a good investor they were able to pay everybody back. Then they made me a deal.
One of the guys back in Maine that I'd led on during the con rather liked me. They said if I'd go back, marry him, and stay with him for twenty years, then I would go my way. Of course during that twenty years I'd have to take my chances and have any babies that came along. That's the only part that's worrying me. I don't think I could be a very good mother, but they said they'd help."
Sue Ling smiled. "You're going to be," she put in, "and you know you're never going to leave, don't you?"
Sarabelle smiled. "Of course, honey, I'm no fool! But the knowledge that I could if I wanted to will help my ego. I was in love with the guy when I was conning him, and felt bad about it then. Do you ever wonder how they read people so well, how they get us to do things happily we wouldn't normally do?"
"Maybe it's who they work for," Samuel put in.
They were nearing a large town and they could see smoke rising. A conductor was coming by, and Samuel asked "What's going on?"
"Chris terrorists," the conductor explained, "attacked the Spiritist t.v. station in that town, started a bad fire. The dryness and the wind is spreading it. The thing is, it's spreading it into the Chris' part of town!"
Three planes flew over and colored clouds descended from their bellies towards the town. "Using everything they've got," the conductor explained, "even brought in the forestry service."
The train passed well clear of the blazing inferno, but close enough to give the passengers a great view.
They rolled on and the three reluctant passengers kept each other company. The Speaker joined them on occasion for four handed games of cards and other entertainments, only to again disappear on one of his mysterious errands.
"You ever wanna know what he does?" Sarabelle asked.
Samuel shook his head. "Got no interest whatsoever," he answered. "The less I know the happier I am!"
A young woman and her daughter came by. "Have you folks heard the news?" she excitedly asked.
"No!" Sue Ling answered.
"The First Speaker's been invited to the governor's performance tonight. They say it's a recognition of what the Spiritists did during the recent difficulties out west. It's the first time he's ever been publicly recognized by the government. Everybody's excited!"
Samuel and Sue Ling looked at each other as the woman and her child moved off. It was Sarabelle that expressed their thoughts. "They couldn't be stupid enough to try to force their issue in public!" she commented.
"Let's hope not!" Samuel answered, "Let's really hope not!"
That evening every television set on the train was surrounded as the huge crowds poured into Lincoln Center.

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