A MARTIAN VIEW

(Continued from Page 9)

"No, but look carefully, Marty: see, three out of four of them are Butch. Natch, they all want to be boss, for who wants to be pushed around? It makes me wonder, why do we have that pattern of push or be pushed? It's so much easier Just to be partners, and forget about all that name-calling."

"It's not name-calling," Tommy answered. "I like to be a Butch, an' Gwen's a natural-born housewife. Huh, Gwen?" Gwen giggled.

Martos took it in with an enigmatic smile, and fumbled at a small case strapped to a back wing. It was closing time, and Pete escorted Mart out of the bar.

"Don't take it so hard, Marty. The girls are pretty tolerant here at Riley's, but they're different out on the streets. They're so afraid of being seen with anyone strange for fear of being jeopardized. Yet, what more jeopardizes

a person than fear it self?"

"We'd feel the same on Mars if an Earthling ever came up there. But we Martians wouldn't even attempt to make you into one of us. I'd say we're a little more advanced out there."

"But what are you doing on this planet?"

"I'm an anthropologist."

Pete led Martos up a series of obscure streets and hills. "It's a round-about way out of the city, but it'll save you scaring so many people. Now, where are we? Golly, we're up by Tommy and Gwendolyn's place. Want to drop in and see them?"

"No, not now. Just wait. I'm going to conduct an experiment." It drew from the small case on the back wing a telescope-like object. Unscrewing one bug-eye it replaced it with the spyglass.

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