It meant nothing to Ross, and he felt miserable because it meant nothing. He studied the roadside unhappily and almost beamed when he saw a sign coming up. Not advertising, of course, he thought. Perhaps some austere reminder of a whole man’s duty to the race and himself, some noble phrase that summed up the wisdom of a great thinker....
But the sign—and it had cooling fins—declared:
BE SMUG! SMOKE SMOGS!
And the next one urged:
BEAT YOUR SISTER
CHEAT YOUR BROTHER
BUT SEND SOME SMOGS
TO DEAR OLD MOTHER.
It said it on four signs which, apparently alerted by radar, zinged in succession along a roadside track even with the vehicle.
There were more. And worse. They were coming to a city.