“Hi, buster!” Tom greeted it.  “Is this your daddy?”

Hank chuckled.  “Don’t look at me.  It claims you’re its daddy.  But hanged if I can see much resemblance!”

“Think it’ll live?”

“If not,” Hank replied, only half jokingly, “the boys who worked on it will sure be disappointed.  No kidding, skipper, that’s quite a gadget you dreamed up!”

The device stood about shoulder-high, with a star-shaped head, one point of which could be opened.  The head would contain the actual brain energy.  Its upper body, cylindrical in shape and of gleaming chrome, housed the output units through which the brain would react, and also the controls.  Antennas projecting out on either side gave the look of arms.

Its “waist” was girdled with a ring of repelatron radiators for exerting a repulsion force when it wanted to move, by repelling itself away from nearby objects.

Below the repelatrons was an hourglass-shaped power unit, housing a solar-charged battery.

The power unit, in turn, was mounted on a pancake-shaped transportation unit.  This unit was equipped with both casters and a sort of caterpillar-crawler arrangement for the contrivance to get about over obstacles.  Inside was a gyro-stabilizer to keep the whole device upright.

Tom felt a glow of pride—­and eager impatience—­as he inspected the device.  If it worked as he hoped, this odd creature might one day provide earth scientists with a priceless store of information about intelligent life on Planet X!

Bud and Chow, entering the laboratory soon after Hank Sterling had left, found Tom still engrossed in his thoughts.

“Wow!  Is this your spaceman?” Bud inquired.

Tom nodded, then grinned at his callers’ gaping expressions.  Each was trying to imagine how the “thing” would look in action.

“Sure is a queer-lookin’ buckaroo!” Chow commented, when Tom finished explaining how it was supposed to work.

On a sudden impulse, the old cowpoke took off his ten-gallon hat and plumped it on the creature.  Then he removed his polka-dotted red bandanna and knotted it like a neckerchief just below the star head.

Tom laughed heartily as Bud howled, “Ride ’em, spaceman!”

Tom was eager to notify his mysterious space friends that the container was now ready to receive the brain energy.  Bud went with him by jeep to the space-communications laboratory.  Chow, however, stayed behind and stared in fascination at the odd-looking robot creature.

The stout cook walked back and forth, eying the thing suspiciously from every angle.  “Wonder what the critter eats?” he muttered.

Feeling in his shirt pocket, Chow brought out a wad of his favorite bubble gum.  Should he or shouldn’t he?  “Shucks, won’t hurt to try,” the old Texan decided.

Chow unlocked the hinged point of the star head and popped the gum inside.  He was somewhat disappointed when nothing happened.  Feeling a trifle foolish, Chow finally removed his hat and bandanna from the creature and stumped off.