to do for us is
to get busy moving us back to our own dimension."

"That's right," said Mabel, her hands on her hips. "And let us know
right now what the charges are going to be, if any."

"No charge," said the runt Beany, staring fascinated at her legs. "'Cept
we're taking da monster wit' us. Real expensive, them monsters. Drinkos,
they're called. Dey get lost in da dimensions now and then. Picked one
up on Pluto fifty years or so acome--or ago."

"Ago?" I said.

"Acome," he corrected.

"Listen," I said, making up my mind. "You can't have the monster. He's
kept baby happy all day. But I'll tell you what I'll do. Tell me what he
eats and what to do for him and I'll keep him. I've got twenty-five
dollars in poker winnings you can have. Okay--Jake?"

Jake broke out laughing. "You kids are terrific," he said. "You don't
know what the score is. You're cute!"

"Thanks," I said bitterly. "You restore my confidence. I feel myself
blooming under your hungry gaze."

"Those Drinkos are worth a couple million credits, is what I'm getting
at, and you offer us a stinkin' twenty-five dollars. Tell you what,
Blondie." He winked at me. "You kids are over-worked. One look and you
can tell that. Well, Beany and me have got a little cabin up on
Dimension-L, cut off from everything. The four of us can go there and
have a fine old time. We could stay there a month, and still get you
back here in time to kiss your husbands when they get in from work.
Whaddya say, Blondie? And you can keep the Drinko!"

"We are accepting no propositions this week," said Mabel with dignity.

"Ah-h, a coupla kill-joys," growled Beany, wandering off toward the
hall.

Mabel looked at me and then picked up a vase off the mantle over the
fire-place. I gave her the nod. "Stay away from that Drinko," she warned
Beany, "or I'll let you have it."

Beany was annoyed. He stopped, looking imploringly at Jake. Jake giggled
as if the whole thing tickled his sense of humor, and walked cat-footed
toward Mabel. She let go the vase with a right-handed swing. He had his
right arm out stiff in front of him, though, and the vase shied off and
smashed against the television set. Then he grabbed Mabel in a bear hug.

That set me off. I had a yearning for Harry, then. He would have laid
these mugs out. And that's all they were--mugs, cheap crooks. I hopped
on one leg, yanking off one of my oxfords. I brought the heel down on
Jake's curly head. But it didn't do a thin