er met George Elston's gaze. "You'll have to keep looking, Elston.
You'll have to look for a man, not a--"

The tall man smiled, stopping the words. He pointed to the mirror
where a splash of blue, glutinous tsith was dripping.

Latham threw the empty glass at Penger's head. It missed him and
struck the mirror, bringing it down in shattering fragments. He seized
the bundle of credits and sent them flying.

"Keep these too, Penger! Keep them all, damn you! I won't need them
where I'm going!" Tottering and pale, a fury still upon his lips, he
seized Elston's arm. "Come on! Make it quick--"

Elston hurried with him. At the door, he pointed across the compound.
"The black cruiser, there beside the freighter. Get aboard. I'll be
with you in five minutes--"

Penger was at the door too. They watched Latham hurrying, stumbling,
not looking back.

Then Penger did an amazing thing. He opened his fist and he still held
the Josmian. He placed it on the floor, put a heavy heel on it and
came down with all his weight. There was an absurd little pop as the
Josmian shattered.

Elston stared at him, bewildered.

"Not a Josmian," Penger grinned at him. "Glass. One of the cheap glass
baubles that sometimes come here on the trade freighters." He gripped
Elston's arm. "But don't tell him! Don't ever tell him, at least not
for three years."

"But I thought he found it in the swamp!"

"He found it in his boot, where I placed it when I found him lying out
there this morning in a stupor. An experiment, a whim--" Penger
shrugged. "I didn't know what would come of it."

Joel Latham had almost reached the cruiser. They saw him pause, and
then he turned. Joel Latham raised a fist and shook it straight at
Penger.

"Damn you, Penger! Damn you, damn you!"

With that he stumbled up into the waiting lock as Elston hurried after
him.

* * * * *

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of One Purple Hope!, by Henry Hasse

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