Astro shrugged his shoulders and quickly redressed. The three boys left
the dormitory building and started hopping from one slidewalk to
another, as they made their way to the Tower building. All around them
the activity of the Academy seemed to have increased. Everyone seemed to
be rushing somewhere. Even the green-clad Earthworm cadets had been
pressed into service as messengers. And mixed in with the officials were
the colonists wandering around sight-seeing.

"Say!" exclaimed Astro. "Isn't that Jane Logan?"

"Where?" asked Roger. Astro pointed to a parallel slidewalk where the
girl colonist from Venus was being whisked along in the same direction.
"Well, blast my jets!" cried Roger. "So it is!"

"Relax, Roger," said Astro with a wink at Tom. "Business before
pleasure!"

"Yeah--yeah, but this is business too," said Roger, jumping lightly to
the near-by slidewalk beside the pretty young colonist.

"Well," he exclaimed, "if it isn't the little space doll from Venus!"

Jane Logan turned around and smiled. "Well, Cadet Manning!" And seeing
Astro and Tom come up, she smiled a greeting to them. "And Cadets Astro
and Corbett!"

"Never mind them," said Roger. "I'm the only one that counts."

"Why, Cadet Manning," said the girl archly, "I had no idea you were so