 Raymond sees the two hundred years between his time and Martin's time _____. Martin sees the time span as _____.
By EVELYN E. SMITH Illustrated by DILLON [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction August 1957. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] No one, least of all Martin, could dispute that a man's life should be guarded by his kin—but by those who hadn't been born yet? Nobody in the neighborhood was surprised when Martin's mother disappeared and Ninian came to take care of him. Mothers had a way of disappearing around those parts and the kids were often better off without them. As for his father, Martin had never had one. He'd been a war baby, born of one of the tides of soldiers—enemies and allies, both—that had engulfed the country in successive waves and bought or taken the women. Besides, if she really was his great-great-grand-daughter, as she said, why would she tell him to call her " Aunt Ninian "? "He's dissatisfied with the current social order and killing you is part of an elaborate plan he's formulated to change it. One day the truant officer came to ask why Martin hadn't been coming to school. But Ninian didn't know that and she went into a real tizzy, babbling that Martin had been sick and would make up the work. Martin had to beat up every kid on the block before he could walk a step without hearing "Fancy Pants!" It wasn't that she cared what these people thought of her, for she made no secret of regarding them as little better than animals, but she was shy of attracting attention. When it became clear that his mother was never going to show up again, Ninian bought one of those smallish, almost identical houses that mushroom on the fringes of a city after every war, particularly where intensive bombing has created a number of desirable building sites. Martin was told to call him Uncle Raymond. From time to time, there were other visitors—Uncles Ives and Bartholomew and Olaf, Aunts Ottillie and Grania and Lalage, and many more—all cousins to one another, he was told, all descendants of his. Martin was never left alone for a minute. The adults obviously figured that if a one-car family hired private tutors for their kid, there must be something pretty wrong with him. He had food to eat that he'd never dreamed of before, warm clothes that no one had ever worn before him.
 as time to refine people.

time to lose something, though he was unable to define it, that was important to society as a whole.
 as time to allow for people to realize that everyone is expendable.

just enough time to dull the perceptions of an entire society.  as time to lose something, though he was unable to define it, that was important to society as a whole.

time to refine people.  as time to refine people.

time to lose something, though he was unable to define it, that was important to society as a whole.  as just enough time to dull the perceptions of an entire society.

time to allow for people to realize that everyone is expendable.