MIMSY'S JOKE
By MILLARD GRIMES
Nance smiled foolishly. The long trip back to
Earth from Mars wouldn't be at all dull. It might
well be one long delicious chuckle over a great,
grim and incredible joke. And wouldn't Nance's
little cocker spaniel appreciate it most of all?
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories March 1954.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
He was lying in the grass and his cute little cocker spaniel wasnibbling on his ear when the message came. He was breathing thefragrant air of spring and feeling cool spring breeze and the solidearth under the grass beneath him, while the dog with doleful eyesdelighted him with her tricks.
His name was Oscar Nance, and he was the world's top archaeologist.That was why the message came to him when the UN began selecting a crewfor Earth's first expedition to Mars.
"We want you," the message read. It was an invitation that wasdifficult to refuse. He cuffed the cocker on the ear. She barked softlyand let her tongue hang out at the cutest angle. "Good-bye, Mimsy," hesaid. The dog was all he had on this world. "I'll miss you, lady,"Nance told the dog. She licked his hand.
Then Nance raised his six-three form from the soft grass and startedwith a careless gait toward the boarding house where he lived duringinfrequent visits to his home town. Usually he took Mimsy with him onhis trips but he knew this trip would not be available for pets.
He stopped at the house and told his landlady to be sure and take careof the dog while he was gone. "I sure will," the landlady told him. Shealready had Mimsy's supper of liver and dog biscuits waiting on thehearth.
A day later, Oscar Nance became a part of man's grandest adventure....
The place where the first earth ship to Mars landed was very cold andvery dead. The commander of the expedition was a gruff, retired Armygeneral who had a smattering of science and a great deal of command.His crew, with the exception of two handy men, was composed of theleading persons in all branches of Terran science. None of them werewomen, and most of them were young.
Oscar Nance was 34. He had been around the world 10 times, withparticular emphasis on Easter Island and the Antarctica.
The ship had taken two weeks to bridge the gap between Earth andMars. The voyage had been smooth. Every man aboard knew his job, andthey were following a plan that the U.N. had worked on for 20 years.Boone, the commander, had been a top general in World War III. He wasefficient, stern, colorless to the point that he was almost colorful.
Immediately upon landing, Boone had dispatched two cats to take thefirst steps onto Mars. The cats suffered no ill effects, and now theCommander was preparing for the crew to explore the new world.
He pointed to Nance and Zoologist Braun. "You, Nance, and Braun, andmyself, will form one group," he said. He quickly divided the remainingtwelve men into three groups. One was to stay at the ship, the othertwo would be exploring units.
When the small group of Earthmen descended from the ship to alien soil,Commander Boone's businesslike manner seemed to take much of theglamour from the moment. "No heroics, Commander?" Physicist Allgoodasked.
Boone was not a man for ceremony. "We're here," he said. "We must seewhat is here. We must get back."
What was there was not a great deal. Some vegetation did exist, andthere was a thin coat of snow spread over the few scraggly trees.Com