aiting list for six months. Where in the
world did you get tickets?"

"That's the weird part of it. A messenger just delivered them to Ed in
the office one morning. They were in a plain envelope marked 'Mr.
Randolph' and a card inside said 'Hope you enjoy them--George.' Ed
thinks the messenger made a mistake and got the wrong building or
something because Ed's the only Randolph there. Anyway, by the time Ed
opened the envelope the messenger was gone. There wasn't anything to
do but use the tickets of course."

"Of all the luck! Maybe you and Ed've got a fairy Godmother or
something. What'd you do for a sitter?"

"Oh, we were nearly insane finding one. Jane and Tina were busy and we
knew you were away for the weekend. Fortunately we phoned this Mrs.
Mimms and she was available. Kenneth _loved_ her."

"Isn't she _nice_? That woman's a wonder with children. Dicky and Sue
are as good as gold when she's around and she always seems to be free
when you want her. She's so cheap, too, I don't see how the woman
lives."

"Glory we had a good time!" sighed Betty. "We had drinks and filet
mignon at a nice little place near the theater and forgot all about
kids for a while. It was like going on a date again. I had on my
red-and-gold dress I haven't worn for months and Ed kept telling me
how cute I looked...."

* * * * *

"Zoom, zoom," the captain kept saying. The spaceship swooped in for a
landing on the crimson Martian sands. Captain Bobby Taylor took up a
position before the air-lock and briefed his second-in-command, Ronnie
Smith. "We're surrounded by enemy aliens, Smith," announced Captain
Taylor. "Better break out the death-ray pistols. Our mission is to
destroy every metal monster on this planet. Look at 'em come! They got
eight legs and sixteen wire arms...."

"Ah, cut it out, Bobby. I ain't playing science-fiction with you any
more. It ain't like you say at all."

"What's it like then, wise guy? I suppose _you_ been to Mars."

"Maybe I ain't," said Lt. Smith. "Anyways I know somebody that _has_."

"Yeah? Who?"

"Mrs. Mimms. She babysits with me when Mom and Dad go out. She's been
all over in space. Venus and all them other planets. She says there
ain't any monsters on any of 'em. There ain't _nuthin_ on Mars except
a little bitty grass and a lot of scientists from Earth."

"Mad scientists?" asked Captain Taylor hopefully.

"Nah, just scientists. She says we oughta forget about