BESIDE THE GOLDEN DOOR By HENRY SLESAR Illustrated by SCHELLING _Earth was dead, but Liberty still held her torch aloft. Yet only Deez, the alien, could know whether it was raised in welcome or in mockery._ [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Amazing Stories February 1964. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] Devia's voice, like a sweetly tinkling bell in his ear, sounded in Ky-Tann's headpiece, and he chuckled at the urgency of her tone. Wedded less than two years, he still delighted in every nuance of her nature, and this was one of them. She could sound equally urgent about an impending hurricane or an imminent dinner party. With a sigh, he switched off the electron microscope and touched his Answer button lightly. "Yes, my darling? What is it?" "Haven't you _heard_? It's been on every newsray for the past six hours. I thought you'd have called me by now--" "I never use the newsray during duty hours," he said patiently. "I prefer not to be interrupted." Ky-Tann was a metals stress analyst at the Roa-Pitin Spaceworks. Devia missed or ignored the implied criticism. "I'm sure you would have wanted to hear this. Your friend Deez just returned from that exploration of his. He came back a hero, too." "_Deez?_" Ky-Tann said; shouted in fact. "Deez back? Devia, are you sure you heard it right?" "Of course I did. And Deez himself called, not more than five minutes ago. He said the Administrators had him and his crew quarantined for the moment, but he plans to break loose tonight. If he can manage it, he'll be here before the second sunset. Isn't it wonderful?" "It's wonderful, all right. Only where was he? What did he do that made him such a hero?" "I couldn't gather too much from the newsray, except that he found a world somewhere that has the Archeological Commission excited as children--" "You mean an _inhabited_ world?" Ky-Tann said skeptically. "Once inhabited, anyway. Please don't ask me to explain it, Ky, ask newsray or Deez himself, you know how stupid I am about such things." * * * * *