In the other corner of the window was a polished black plate with a dimly glowing bulb in the center. Around the bulb were the words:
Your Corrected Charge—
Courtesy of Save-Your-Life Co.
A tall, heavily muscled man in a dark-blue cape stepped outside.
"Good morning, Devisement," he said affably. "I see you're a stranger in town. I thought I might mention that our birth rate's rather high just now." He coughed deferentially. "You set an example, you know. Our main store is on 122 Center Street, so if you—"
He was cut off by a childish scream.
Down the street, a little boy struggled and thrashed near an oblong hole at the base of a building, caught in a tangle of the mysterious ropes.
"A kid!" cried the man. He sucked in his breath and shouted, "Dog! Here, Dog! Dog!"
On the end of a wharf, a crowd of children was watching the unloading. From their midst, a lioness burst.
"Here, Dog!" shouted the man. "A sweeper! A sweeper! Run, Dog!"
The lioness burst into a blur of long bounds, shot down the wharf, sprang into the street and glanced around with glaring yellow eyes.