Astounding British Edition, Vol. 9, No. 10 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

- his bedside manner showing signs of fraying at the edges, was getting out of _ one car. The sheriff, a gun holstered at his hip and a star prominent on his shirt | front, was getting out of the other. e “Oh oh,” Harmon thought. He went . rapidly past the line of people waiting for admission to the tent. They greeted him and he saw what they were carrying. One had a pail full of peach seeds, the second had a box of walnuts, the third had hickory nuts. Another was carrying packages of seeds, nasturtiums, pansies, hollyhocks, violets, peas, beets, radishes, and lettuces. Harmon went in the side flap of the tent. Yanvro, with every evidence of ‘pleasure and satisfaction was accepting a box of—hazel nuts!—from a caller. The tall spieler was sitting in a chair in the back of the tent, quietly smoking a cigar. The tent was partly filled with boxes and pails of nuts, seeds of every kind and description. : “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Harmon said. “But I want to talk to you—kachoo!” “Of course, Dr. Harmon.” Yanvro quickly shooed his caller out. “Tm SOITy about your hay fever. Did you— “Never mind the hay fever. It can wait. A patient of mine was in this tent last night. I examined her yesterday morning. She had an advanced and inoperable case of cancer— “Go right on in, Sheriff,” Dr. Lapham’s angry voice came from outside. “Go right on in and do your duty.” The star and the round moon face of the sheriff came through the tent open- ing. Lapham, fuming, came right behind him. His eyes swept the tent. “You were supposed to report to me Harmon. No! No excuses, no alibis, but it’s a good thing we’ve got one physician in this city who is capable of taking intelligent action. What is that junk?” A wave of his hand indicated the big panel with its meters and its switches. “That is our diagnostic and treatment equipment,” Yanvro said quietly. “Diagnostic and treatment equipment, bah! Magic gimcracks to deceive fools. And what’s this?” Lapham kicked at a basket of walnuts. et 2 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION “We do not accept fees, sir,” Yanvro said. Harmon, listening, understood what — the tall spieler had meant the night before when he said they were not after their listener’s money. They accepted seeds as fees. But why seeds?” “If anyone feels that we have helped him, we will accept a free-will offering of seeds—” Yanvro continued. “Seeds?” Lapham exploded. “Do you mean to tell me that you accept peach pits and hickory nuts as fees?” From the tone of Lapham’s voice Har- mon got the impression that the physician might have respected what was being done here if Yanvro had charged twenty dollars per office call. “Yes,” Yanvro answered. “The pay- ment, the fees, if you wish to call them that, are purely voluntary, however. We ask no man to pay— “Voluntary!” Lapham’s S voice rose as if the thought itself were horrifying. “I know it’s a shame, Dr. Lapham,” Harmon spoke impulsively. “It would be much better to sue them when they can’t or won't pay.” Lapham’s attention came back to the young doctor. “What.are you doing here, Harmon?” “Trying to discover something.” “Hah! In a medicine show tent! Well, if you’re going to find out anything from these charlatans, you will have to do it while they’re in jail. Sheriff, I want these two men arrested, for practicing medicine without a license—” “Wait a minute,” the tall spieler spoke quickly. At a gesture from Yanvro, he was quickly silent. “Gents—” the sheriff began. “Do you have -a warrant?” Harmon spoke. “Huh? A warrant?” “He doesn’t need a warrant to arrest these malefactors!” Lapham said, angrily. “They have been detected in the act of committing a crime. Harmon, you keep out of this.” “It’s a shame you haven’t been detected in some of the criminal acts you have committed behind the protection of the name of medicine!” Harmon = said, Eomicbooks;com