The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wandl the Invader, by Raymond King Cummings

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Title: Wandl the Invader

Author: Raymond King Cummings

Release Date: March 20, 2007 [EBook #20859]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.

WANDL THE
INVADER

by
RAY CUMMINGS

ACE BOOKS, INC.
23 West 47th Street, New York 36, N.Y.

Copyright (C), 1961, by Ace Books, Inc.

Magazine version serialized in _Astounding Stories_,
Copyright, 1932, by Clayton Publications, Inc.

* * * * *

1

"It's a planet," I said. "A little world."

"How little?" Venza demanded.

"One-fifth the mass of the Moon. That's what they've calculated now."

"And how far is it away?" Anita asked. "I heard a newscaster say
yesterday...."

"Newscasters!" Venza broke in scornfully. "Say, you can take what they
tell you about any danger or trouble and cut it in half; and even then
you'll be on the gloomy side. See here, Gregg Haljan."

"I'm not giving you newscasters' blare," I retorted. Venza's
extravagant vehemence was always refreshing. The Venus girl glared at
me. I added: "Anita mentioned newscasters; I didn't."

Anita was in no mood for smiling. "Tell us, Gregg." She sat upright
and tense, her chin cupped in her hands. "Tell us."

"For a fact, they don't know much about it yet. You can call it a
planet, a wanderer."

"I should say it was a wanderer!" Venza exclaimed. "Coming from heaven
knows where beyond the stars, swimming in here like a comet."

"They calculated its distance yesterday at some sixty-five million
miles from Earth," I said. "It isn't so far beyond the