A mathematician really wants to marry the beautiful Abscissa Surd, but her father says he must first prove himself deserving. Professor Surd will only allow the protagonist to marry his little girl if he can either accomplish perpetual motion or faster-than-light travel. “The Tachypomp” is certainly a short tale for the mathematically-minded. Though first released anonymously in 1874, science-fiction scholar Sam Moskowitz rediscovered and republished it-along with Mitchell’s additional forgotten work-in 1973, thus restoring him to his rightful place in modern sci-fi discourse.