Kingdom Come get that note in his voice when he talks with a
dame? Sure I'm a dame, a good-looking dame! I'd like to punch you in the
eye to prove it!"

He laughed. He must have turned away from the 'phone. "It's a dame."

"Okay, find out what she wants."

"Spill it," he said into the 'phone. I spilled it. "What's that address
again?" he asked. I told him. "Naw, naw," he said impatiently. "The
planet. The _planet_. And the year." I told him.

He must have turned away from the 'phone again, because I heard him say
off-stage, "They're only ten years away." I was numb. He came back on
the line. "And what's dis about a baby monster? Fur? Scales? A trunk?
The size of Harry, Jr.? Ma'am, we'll be there in a jiff," and he hung
up.

Mabel was nervously hanging on my ear, but I didn't get a chance to
answer her questions. The door in the living room opened and they walked
in.

For a second I saw a ship that looked like a cake-pan, hanging in the
grey steam. Then they closed the door and grinned at us. Instinctively,
Mabel and I tried to shrink our bust-lines.

"Hello," said the tall one. He scratched at his hairy chest and grinned
wider. He was carrying a piece of machinery that looked like a camera on
a tripod. "Lemme introduce myself," he said. "Jake Comstock. We come
over to do you dames a favor. We'll kick you back where you belong."

"Yeah," I said, "I'll bet."

"And this here is Beany Rocine. He's my partner. We--uh--work together."

"Hi dere," said Beany. "Where's da monster?"

"Introductions," said Jake, casting him a hard look. "Manners."

So I introduced us. "I'm Mrs. Weaver," I said. "And this is my neighbor,
Mrs. Aspectia."

"Pleased ta meetcha, girls," grinned Jake. "You, Blondie," he was
looking at me, "you must be the one talked on the 'phone. I liked the
way you handled Beany. Real cute." He dropped the tripod thing in a
corner, and sidled toward me. "Now where's this monster?" he asked,
slipping his hand around my bare arm and grinning down at me.

* * * * *

I knew better than to play rough, so I just looked down at his hand, and
didn't stop looking at it until he took it away. He lost a lot of his
grin. "So where is it?" he said, his voice turning hard and unpleasant.

"Don't worry about that," I said. "Matter of fact, I'm getting so the
monster doesn't worry me. He's been playing with baby all day and baby
hasn't objected. The main thing I'd like you gentlemen