He stood watching while George Atkinson spun around, dark eyes flashing, hair tousled. There was a two days\' growth of beard darkening Atkinson\'s face. "Why, George," Loveral said, swiftly examining the litter of metal and wood which was spread over a table behind Atkinson. There was a home-made hammer in Atkinson\'s hand. "What have we here, George?" "Something for you," Atkinson said, tightening his fingers about the handle of the hammer. Loveral grinned his famous Loveral grin. "That\'s fine. What could it be?" "None of your damned business." "George," Loveral said, his smile still white but his eyes narrow and quick. The woman was behind them. Her voice screeched. "George, I told you. Why didn\'t you listen, George? You should have listened to me. You—" Loveral held up a hand, still watching Atkinson. "Now tell me, George, what is it you\'re making for me?" Atkinson raised the hammer slightly. Loveral stood very still. "That\'s a nice hammer, George." Atkinson\'s eyes were black beneath his thick brows. "You made that, didn\'t you?" Loveral asked. "Yes, I made that," Atkinson said. "I made that and I made something else. Another minute and I\'ll have that finished, too." "George," said Loveral, stepping quietly forward, "I don\'t like to say this, of course. You\'ve been one of our very best members. But nobody works here, George. We can\'t allow that. You know the rules." "I know the rules, all right." "Well, then," Loveral said, extending his hand toward the hammer, "we\'ll just destroy this and whatever else you might have been making. We\'ll just forget it ever happened. We\'ll get along real fine that way, George. We\'ll just be such good friends." "We\'ll just go to hell," said Atkinson, snatching his hammer away. Loveral\'s smile disappeared. "I\'ll tell you, George. I have to mean business with this. You know the reasons. If we allow anybody to work here, then there\'s going to be trouble. That isn\'t our plan. We\'re here to grow within ourselves and expand culturally. Not to commercialize a beautiful world like Dream Planet."

Cutter demanded more and more and more efficiency—and got it! But, as in anything, enough is enough, and too much is …Cutter demanded more and more and more efficiency—and got it! But, as in anything, enough is enough, and too much is …

Mid Pleasures and Palaces is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by James McKimmey is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of James McKimmey then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

Daylight sometimes hides secrets that darkness will reveal—the Martian\'s glowing eyes, for instance. But darkness has other dangers.... Joseph Heidel looked slowly around the dinner table at the five men, hiding his examination by a thin screen of smoke from his cigar. He was a large man with thick blond-gray hair cut close to his head. In three more months he would be fifty-two, but his face and body had the vital look of a man fifteen years younger. He was the President of the Superior Council, and he had been in that post—the highest post on the occupied planet of Mars—four of the six years he had lived here. As his eyes flicked from one face to another his fingers unconsciously tapped the table, making a sound like a miniature drum roll. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five top officials, selected, tested, screened on Earth to form the nucleus of governmental rule on Mars. Heidel\'s bright narrow eyes flicked, his fingers drummed. Which one? Who was the imposter, the ringer? Who was the Martian? Sadler\'s dry voice cut through the silence: "This is not just an ordinary meeting then, Mr. President?" Heidel\'s cigar came up and was clamped between his teeth. He stared into Sadler\'s eyes. "No, Sadler, it isn\'t. This is a very special meeting." He grinned around the cigar. "This is where we take the clothes off the sheep and find the wolf."

“Why don’t you find yourself some nice little American girl,” his father had often repeated. But George was on Venus ... and he loved pale green skin ... and globular heads and most of all, George loved Gistla.