"We've come," said Archie. "It's been a long drag, but we made it." The purple sphere's left eye was black and swollen. "Sorry I shot you," said Ed. "I didn't know...." The purple sphere looked sadly up at him. Archie petted it between the eyes and pointed to the ship. "There she is," he said. "All yours. Take care of her." Ed eased down the ramp, then hopped to the ground. He and Archie pushed the purple sphere into the ship. Archie nudged his partner gently. "Look, Ed, he's smiling!" "Lousy purple punk," snorted Ed. "You know we won't get out of this mess alive, Simms. Lousy purple punk...." "Oh, let's have lunch." End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Purple Pariah, by Byron Tustin