"Dori?" he said. "Oh, no. As far as I know, Dori's still alive. She ran away with Odaan the next day."

"With Odaan?" gasped Peache.

"Yes. She hated me, as she said. And I had been willing to gamble her, while Odaan had bet everything he owned for her. At that time there was a law that no woman could leave Mars—because of the shortage of women here, you know—and he had to get a job operating a towmotor at Marsport to stay on the planet with her. Of course I warned all my friends against gambling with him, since he had Dori. When the law was repealed, they returned to Earth, and I understand several children came of the union."

"But," protested Peache, "if Dori was in love with Odaan, why would she control the dice to lose the throw for him and win everything for you? I just don't understand."

"Well," said Britt with a thoughtful smile, "she didn't intend to. She intended to push the die only over to the two, giving me a seven and winning for Odaan. But, as I told you, I had not gambled before since we had been on Mars, and that was her first effort at controlling the dice since we left Earth.

"She just gave the die too hard a mental push. She forgot the gravity of Mars is only four-tenths that of Earth!" 

 Prev. P 15/15