The Project Gutenberg EBook of Prelude to Space, by Robert W. Haseltine

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Title: Prelude to Space

Author: Robert W. Haseltine

Illustrator: W. E. Terry

Release Date: November 1, 2009 [EBook #30381]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration]

You're certain to be included in a survey at one time or another.
However, there's one you may not recognize as such. Chances are it
will be more important than you imagine. It could be man's--

Prelude To Space

_By Robert W. Haseltine_

I was climbing the steep side of a central Wisconsin hill, holding my
bow away from my body for balance, when I first saw the stranger. He sat
on a stump at the crest and watched me struggle up. As I drew nearer I
panted out a greeting and received his cheerful "Hi" in return. When I
finally reached the top, I threw myself on the ground and began catching
my breath.

He didn't say anything at first, just looked at the bow and the quiver
of arrows on my back. Finally he said, "May I look at it?" and reached
for the bow. I handed it to him. He examined it carefully and returned
it.

"Beautiful workmanship. Is that all you use?" he asked.

"I never cared much for guns," I answered. "I've always thought a bow
gave the animal more of an even chance for his life."

We talked then on the various aspects of hunting and how the crisp fall
air seemed to make the deer seem closer than during the heat of summer.
While we talked I tried to place the reason he disturbed me, but I
couldn't seem to do it. He was dressed in an old plaid shirt and
dungarees and his blond hair wasn't many shades removed from my own
straw thatch. But there was something odd about him that I couldn't
quite find.

"Perhaps it's the cloth." His words surprised me. "You see, it hasn't
been discovered on this planet as yet." My face must have shown
astonishment because he went on in the same vein. "I admit it's
confusing, but it's also true. My clothes weren't made on Earth." He
chuckl