bet we can
keep her going as long as we have gasoline."

"I hope so," Ken said. "It's just a waste of power to let it run that
way, though."

Art scratched his head. "Yeah. It's funny, power is what we've been
wanting, and now we've got a little we don't know what to do with it."

"Let's see if we can find a generator," said Ken. "Charge some batteries
with it. Do you think there's one in town?"

"The best deal I can think of would be to scrounge a big motor, say an
elevator motor, and convert it. The one belonging to the 5-story
elevator in the Norton Building is our best bet. I don't imagine it
froze up before the power went out."

"Let's get it then," said Ken. "Shut this off until we're ready to use
it. To be on the safe side, could you cast some new bearings for the
generator?"

"I don't see why not."

When he returned home Ken told his father for the first time about the
project Art was working on.

"It sounds interesting," Professor Maddox said. "I'm not sure exactly
what it will prove."

Ken slumped in the large chair in the living room, weak after his
exertions of the day. "It would mean that if we could find enough
unfrozen engines, or could assemble them from spare parts, we could get
some power equipment in operation again.

"However, as Art said about this one engine, what good is it? Dad--even
if we lick this problem, how are things ever going to get started up
again?"

"What do you mean?"

"We've got one automobile engine going. Pretty soon we'll run out of gas
here in Mayfield. Where do we get more? We can't until the railroad can
haul it, or the pipelines can pump it. What happens when the stock at
the refineries is all used up? How can they get into operation again?
They need power for their own plant, electricity for their pumps and
engines. All of their frozen equipment has to be replaced. Maybe some of
it will have to be manufactured. How do the factories and plants get
started again?"

"I don't know the answers to all that," Ken's father said. "Licking the
comet dust _is_ only half the problem--and perhaps the smallest half, at
that. Our economy and industry will have to start almost from scratch in
getting underway. How that will come about, if it ever does, I do not
know."

To conserve their ration of firewood, only a small blaze burned in the
fireplace. The kitchen and living room were being heated by it alone.
The rest of the house was closed off.

"We ought to rig up some