rom the speaker. They could distinguish no understandable
sound for the amplifier had lifted the voice beyond human hearing as it
released it to the stratosphere. They sat quietly, content to wait for
the voice to return from its long, lonely journey.

Crawford spoke until he saw Dr. Shalt signal for a conclusion. A moment
later the red bulb blinked out and the broadcast was ended. Crawford
felt cold and his hands were perspiring freely. He saw the beaming face
of Colonel Meadows motioning him to come inside the booth. He wiped his
face, and coughed to relieve the tension in his throat.

The Colonel was the first to greet him as he entered the booth, and his
handshake was enthusiastic and firm. Dr. Shalt remained bent over one of
the instrument boards rotating a dial, but looked up and nodded
excitedly.

"It will be another ten minutes," he said. "Sit down. I've sent out for
some supper."

"How did it go?" Crawford asked.

"Good! Good! By now it's half way to its destination."

An orderly came in with a tray of sandwiches and coffee and for the next
few minutes they ate and Dr. Shalt described the intricacies of the
operation. The technician stayed glued to the receiver, earphones
resting lightly across his head.

After ten minutes Dr. Shalt stood up and looked at his watch. "It's
time," he said. "Turn up the resonator." He moved closer to the
receiving set as the others gathered around him. The low hum of the
monitor signal became louder as the technician switched on a new lever.
The static emerging from the speaker thickened, obliterating all other
noises. Another two minutes went by....

Crawford watched it all, aware of the tension and anxiety on each face,
feeling the throbbing excitement himself. So they stood, tensely
expectant, awaiting the return of his voice....

Suddenly the technician whispered, "I've got it! It's coming! I hear it
returning!" He swung around, offering his earphones to Dr. Shalt, who
grabbed for them hurriedly. The scientist raised the cups to his ear and
waited. The room fell into deeper silence.

"Yes, yes, it's the voice! Turn up the resonator to full volume! We've
got it! The voice is completing the circuit!" Dr. Shalt said tensely.

The technician turned another dial as far as it would go. The sound of
the static rose to a roar. Then abruptly the static broke, died out and
a strange new sound came in. It was Spud! Spud's voice creeping back
from a trip to Mars, thirty-five