amos rode his scooter all the way down to
East Texas and back, to see his parents and a flock of younger brothers
and sisters. When he returned, he solemnly gave his well-worn vehicle
to an earnest boy still in high school.

"No dough," Ramos said. "I just want her to have a good home."

Those of the Bunch who had families didn't run into any serious last
minute objections from them about their going into space. Blasting out
was getting to be an accepted destiny.

There was a moment of trouble with Two-and-Two Baines about a kid of
eight years named Chippie Potter, who had begun to hang around
Hendricks' just the way Frank Nelsen had done, long ago. But more
especially, the trouble was about Chippie's fox terrier, Blaster.

"The lad of course can't go along with us, Out There, on account of
school and his Mom," Two-and-Two said sentimentally, on one of those
final evenings. "So he figures his mutt should go in his place. Shucks,
maybe he's right! A lady mutt first made it into orbit, ahead of any
people, remember? And we ought to have a mascot. We could make a sealed
air-conditioned box and smuggle old Blaster. Afterwards, he'd be all
right, inside a bubb."

"You try any stunt like that and I'll shoot you," Frank Nelsen promised.
"Things are going to be complicated enough."

"You always tell me no, Frank," Two-and-Two mourned.

"I know something else," said Joe Kuzak--he and his tough twin had
returned to Jarviston by then, as had all the others who had visited
their homes. "There's a desperate individual around, again. Tiflin. He
appealed his test--and lost. Kind of a good guy--someways..."

The big Kuzaks, usually easy and steady and not too comical, both had a
certain kind of expression, now--like amused and secretive gorillas.
Frank wasn't sure whether he got the meaning of this or not, but right
then he felt sort of sympathetic to Tiflin, too.

"I didn't hear anything; I won't say or do anything," he laughed.

Afterwards, under the pressure of events, he forgot the whole matter.

It would take about thirty-six hours to get to the New Mexico spaceport.
Calculating accordingly, the Bunch hoisted their gear aboard two
canvas-covered trucks parked in the driveway beside Hendricks', just
before sundown of their last day in Jarviston.

People had begun to gather, to see them off. Two-and-Two's folks, a
solid, chunky couple, looking grave. David Lester's mother, of course,
seeming younger than the Bunch remem