“I have an astronomer friend who runs an observatory not far from here,” he said. “Would you kids like to visit it?”
Their eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and they both nodded as one. Mrs. Kenton, however, was not so ambitious.
“Not I,” she sighed. “That long walk around this building will last me for a good while.”
Ted noticed a sandy-haired boy of his own age watching them closely. Even as they made the tour around the Wheel, the boy had listened intently to everything Dr. Kenton had said. And when the scientist had mentioned going to Mars, Ted saw that his eyes had lighted up as though with longing.
“We won’t be able to take the other passengers with us,” Dr. Kenton told his son and daughter, “because there aren’t enough cars available.”
After Dr. Kenton had chartered a car from the motor pool, he and his son and daughter went to the dressing room to climb into their space gear. As they were zipping up their suits, Ted looked toward the open doorway and saw the same curious boy watching them again! What could be his interest in them?
CHAPTER FIVE
Pelting Stones
Ted decided he would find out just why the boy was watching them. “Hello,” Ted greeted.
“Hi,” the boy answered.