"Splendid idea!" said Woolsey. "This place is getting on my nerves."
Outside, the Assistant Labor Secretary said:
"Oh, it's true, all right. The Martian labor force now outnumbers the humans by five to one. Some companies have completely converted to Martians—like the Oxco Corporation, for instance. In fact, it probably won't be very long before we'll have an all-Martian labor force across the country."
The reporter said: "Can I quote you?"
"If you like." The Labor man shrugged. "Seems like employers just can't find men interested in their jobs. But the Martians go merrily along, using their three hands at maximum efficiency. And it's not just in manual labor that they're gaining tremendous amounts of ground."
"How do you mean?"
Woolsey paused by the flowing fountain, watching the cool gusher leap from the mouth of a stone fish.
"Well," he said vaguely, "they're taking over other kinds of work. White collar stuff. Teaching. Architecture. In fact, I hear that the Brooklyn Dodgers are considering a Martian for third base—"
"No!"
Woolsey said: "Water looks nice, doesn't it? I wonder if they would mind if I took my shoes off and—"