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Sometime during the late 19th century, a young Asian girl has made a place for herself in a seaside town as the owner and operator of the Tenkai restaurant and boarding house... Yet "Miss China," as the locals call her, is in the dumps. She's got a Mad Scientist named Breckenridge living upstairs who is chronically late with the rent, and she's pining for Jim, a handsome watchmaker's apprentice whom she mistakenly believes is pursuing the local flower girl. But this isn't our world. It is a world that has the Spirit of Wonder, where every so often, just occasionally mind you, amazing things happen. The Mad Scientist actually has come up with an incredible invention, and Jim has an unbelievable plan to use it to give Miss China the most beautiful ring in all the World.
The now 50 year old Scientific Boys Club decides to build a ship with which they plan to sail to Mars on the "Ethereal Current", curious to see if there is life on Mars.
Three short stories featuring Miss China: "Shrinking of Miss China", "Planet of Miss China" and "Sake Cup of Miss China".