The Project Gutenberg EBook of Stand by for Mars!, by Carey Rockwell

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Title: Stand by for Mars!

Author: Carey Rockwell

Illustrator: Louis Glanzman

Release Date: October 11, 2006 [EBook #19526]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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STAND BY
FOR MARS!

[Illustration]

A TOM CORBETT Space Cadet Adventure

STAND BY
FOR MARS!

By CAREY ROCKWELL

WILLY LEY _Technical Adviser_

GROSSET & DUNLAP _Publishers_ New York

COPYRIGHT, 1952, BY
ROCKHILL RADIO

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

STAND BY FOR MARS!

[Illustration: _The scarlet-clad figure stood before them_]

CHAPTER 1

"Stand to, you rocket wash!"

A harsh, bull-throated roar thundered over the platform of the monorail
station at Space Academy and suddenly the lively chatter and laughter of
more than a hundred boys was stilled. Tumbling out of the gleaming
monorail cars, they froze to quick attention, their eyes turned to the
main exit ramp.

They saw a short, squat, heavily built man, wearing the scarlet uniform
of the enlisted Solar Guard, staring down at them, his fists jammed into
his hips and his feet spread wide apart. He stood there a moment, his
sharp eyes flicking over the silent clusters, then slowly sauntered down
the ramp toward them with a strangely light, catfooted tread.

"Form up! Column of fours!"

Almost before the echoes of the thunderous voice died down, the
scattered groups of boys had formed themselves into four ragged lines
along the platform.

The scarlet-clad figure stood before them, his seamed and weather-beaten
face set in stern lines. But there was a glint of laughter in his eyes
as he noticed the grotesque and sometimes tortuous positions of some of
the boys as they braced themselves in what they considered a military
pose.

Every year, for the last ten years, he had met the trains at the
monorail station. Every year, he had seen boys in their late teens,
gathered from Earth, Mars and Venus, three pl