Argosy, September 1955 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

17 SLAY Over TH1SCO BY WILLARD MARSH TEPHANIE must have thought Dr. Abernathy was insane. You could see it close up in her eyes, the way she rolled them above the gag. In the background, the brain-exchanger crackled with static electricity. ‘Then just as the doctor’s hand gripped the switch, a hand gripped the arm of Humphrey’s seat. He turned to watch the girl beside him. He seldom noticed other film-goers, but this girl was taking it pretty hard. Identi- fication, they called it in psychology. Humphrey didn’t blame her, it was a tense moment. He decided to reassure her, even though some people practically got insulting when you did. “It’s O.K.,” he whispered, ‘‘ she gets away.” ‘“T know,” the girl whispered back, but she still kept straining forward. Humphrey turned back to the screen to see the laboratory window shatter, and the arrow pinning Dr. Abernathy’s hand to the control panel. Then Stephanie’s fiancé vaulted inside, dropped his bow, and began untying her. The lights came on, the screen went blank, and through the brisk organ music babies began awakening noisily. Humphrey and the girl stood waiting for their aisle to clear, blinking at each other with that drained, far-away look. ‘“‘T kept thinking Grant would never get there,”’ she said. “It was a close thing.” They caught each other in a smile, aware that they had both been talking out loud. “* T like to see a picture through twice, if it’s a good one.”” She grinned defiantly. “TI like to get my money’s worth. Do you ever? * Humphrey hesitated, not wanting to admit it. ‘“* Anyway, if you leave early, then what’s there left to do?” she said. “‘ You know, especially on Saturday night.” He knew, all right. But already the crowd was shouldering chem into the lobby, separating them before he even got a chance comiclbooks.conn