it certainly puts a new face
on the whole cock-eyed Universe for me. However, I don't believe it
will come to that. After what you've just said, I sure will lick that
job, regardless of how many different factories it takes to make one
armature--I'll show that mess of scrap-iron what kind of trees make
shingles!"

The girl still in his arms, he rose to his feet and released her slowly,
reluctantly, unwilling ever to let her go. Then he shook himself, as
though an overwhelming burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and
laughed happily.

"See this cigarette?" he went on lightly. "The Last of the Mohicans.
I'm going to smoke it in honor of our engagement." He drew the fragrant
smoke deep into his lungs and frowned at her in mock seriousness.

"This would be a nice world to live on, of course, but the jobs here
are too darn steady. It also seems to be somewhat lacking in modern
conveniences, such as steel-mills and machine tools. Then, too, it is
just a trifle too far from the Royal and Ancient for you really to enjoy
living here permanently, and besides, I can't get my favorite brand
of cigarettes around here. Therefore, after due deliberation, I don't
believe we'll take the place--we'll go back to Tellus. Kiss me just once
more ace, and I'll make that job think a cyclone has struck it right on
the center of impact. Like Samuel Weller, or whoever it was, I'm clear
full of 'wigor, wim, and witality'!"

The specified kiss and several others duly delivered he strode blithely
away, and the little canyon resounded with the blows of his heavy sledge
as he attacked with renewed spirit the great forging, white-hot from his
soak-pit, which was to become the shaft of his turbo-alternator. Nadia
watched him for a moment, her very heart in her eyes, then picked up her
spanner and went after more steel, breathing a long and tremulous, but
supremely happy sigh.

CHAPTER IV

Ganymedean Life

Slow, hard, and disheartening as the work had been at first, Stevens
had never slackened his pace, and after a time, as his facilities
increased, the exasperating setbacks decreased in number and severity
and his progress became faster and faster. Large as the "Forlorn Hope"
was, space was soon at a premium, for their peculiarly-shaped craft
became a veritable factory, housing a variety of machinery and
equipment unknown in any single earthly industrial plant. Nothing
was ornamental--everything was stripped to its barest fundamen