Science Fiction Gallun, Raymond Zinke: The Planet Strappers. V1. 5 Aug 2010

[crutledge]

Raymond Zinke Gallun (March 22, 1911 - April 2, 1994) was an American science fiction writer.

Excerpt
The Archer Five came in a big packing box, bound with steel ribbons and marked, This end up—handle with care. It was delivered at a subsidized government surplus price of fifty dollars to Hendricks' Sports and Hobbies Center, a store in Jarviston, Minnesota, that used to deal mostly in skin diving equipment, model plane kits, parts for souping up old cars, and the like. The Archer Five was a bit obsolete for the elegant U.S. Space Force boys—hence the fantastic drop in price from two thousand dollars since only last June. It was still a plenty-good piece of equipment, however; and the cost change was a real break for the Bunch.