"If so, happy about it. Hope he'll be home by Christmas, anyway."
"Well, we'll be arriving in about ten days. See you then, Don."
"Right," answered Channing, and Wes Farrell took the microphone to give the Thomas boys some information.
Mark Kingman emerged from his tiny house in the huge storeroom and his breath blew out in a white cloud. He went to the couple tied to their chairs and said: "Cold, isn't it?"
Franks swore. Christine shivered despite the electrically-heated clothing.
"You know," said Kingman, "those batteries are going to wear out sooner or later. I'd remove them and let the cold do its work excepting for the fact that I'd have to loose you and get into the inside pocket of the suits. You stay tied!"
"Having nothing to eat but your words is beginning to undermine my health," snapped Walt. "Gonna starve us to death too?"
"Oh," said Kingman expansively, "I've been devising a machine for you. As an inventor of note, you will appreciate Little Joe. He will take care of you both, to keep you alive until the cold gets you."
He returned to his little house and emerged with a large, complicated gadget that he trundled to position in front of Walt and Christine. There was a large hopper above and a wild assortment of levers and gears interlocked in the body of the mechanism.