Astounding British Edition, Vol. 9, No. 10 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

The description rolled from Yanvro’s ie as if he had memorized it. ‘ ut—” “Try them, Dr. Harmon, before you reach a decision. I know what I am telling you seems impossible to you. I suggest a test before conclusion is reached. Ah, yes, Madam—” Yanvro was bowing to a woman who was coming through the opening of the tent. “Would you please excuse mé, Dr. Harmon?” His manner was deft. He was in this instant a professional man asking a courtesy from another member of the same profession, sure in advance that it would be granted. “I have another patient.” “Certainly.” Harmon reacted instantly. He went out the side door of the tent. The woman who entered as he left was old lady Washam. As he returned to his office, Harmon > felt that his head was spinning mildly. Both the spieler and Yanvro could cer- tainly talk. If words could cure, they would be expert doctors. As to the two pieces of metal, he would examine them at his leisure. 3 Father Mark’s Magic Remedy—two pieces of magnetized metal! How Lap- ham would love that! The phone was ringing as he entered his office. Answering it, he thrust the two pieces of metal into his pocket, and promptly forgot all about them. The owner of Bowser, the puppy with the broken tail, had fallen and broken her arm. “She fell off her bicycle, doctor. Will you coime at once? She’s in awful pain.” The mother was on the verge of hysteria. “Tl be right there.” It was a compound fracture and the splintered fragments of broken bone had penetrated the skin. The child was screaming with pain and was refusing to be touched. Looking at her, Harmon wished fervidly for the facilities of a large hospital but none wetfe available in Centerville or anywhere near. Taking off his coat, Dr. Harmon rolled up his sleeves. aay aw oe ¢ ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION hay fever is one manifestation—will - come back to normal.” An eternity passed before the splin- tered fragments were back in place. After that came penicillin. “If an infection doesn’t develop, she will be all right in a couple of weeks,” he told the parents. “I’ll come back and see her tomorrow afternoon. Take her tem- perature regularly and call me if anything unusual comes up.” As he left the house, he sneezed. He thought, absently, that his hay fever was getting worse. He made two more calls that night, reaching home well after mid- night, utterly worn out, and sneezing even more violently than usual. When he awakened in the morning, his hay fever was gone. As he pulled on his clothes, he realized its absence was only temporary, and sneezed suddenly. At the office, he found only two patients waiting. He had finished prescribing for the second one, his nose continuing to run, when a knock camé on the back door. He opened it. Yanvro stood there, a polite inquiring smile on his face. “I came over to ask about your hay fever, Dr. Harmon.” Kachoo! Reaching for tissues, Harmon glared at the man. “You and your—” Whaaaaang! sounded the telephone: Harmon answered it. Silas Washam, the middle-aged son of old lady Washam, begged, “Doc, you got to come out here right away. Doc, you got to hurry. Doc—” | “What’s wrong with your mother now?” “She’s crazy, Doc! She’s plumb out of her mind.” f Harmon restrained the impulse to tell Silas Washam to leave diagnosis to some- one capable of making it. “What’s she doing?” “She’s insistin’ that there ain’t a thing wrong with her, that she’s been cured, and that she’s gonna put out the wash today. Doc, I can’t do a thing with her. Doc—” “I'll be there right way,” Harmon said. He glanced at Yanvro, still waiting at the back door. “T’ll see you later,” he said. Yanvro’s nod was polite, the quick smile came to his face. But under the smile was concern. Silas Washam was waiting for him out Conmieoooks (E©)