Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

QUIZ about them every day for a couple of years.” “Bigger stories will probably come along.” ‘The only stories that will be any bigger,”” he said pointedly, “‘are those that you probably won’t be around to read about and I won’t be around to cover.”’ ‘Sam,’ I said suddenly, “if you were going to ask them questions, what would you ask?” A gleam came into his eyes. ‘““They elected you for the job, eh?” “Uh huh.” : He closed his eyes in thought. “If they’re so far ahead of us,” he said after a moment, “then they must be a lot older race than we are, granted?” I nodded. “Then maybe it’s just possible that they learned how to live with each other. I think if I were putting the questions to them, I would give them a briefing on the history of the human race and then ask them how we could live in peace for a change.” I had underestimated Sam, I thought, a little embarrassed. “Vil buy that,” I said. He smiled. “But there are a few little items on fissionable isotopes that will probably come first, aren’t there?” He glanced at his watch. ““We’ve just got time for a short one for your brave new world, Dr. Fenton.’ For a moment he looked as wistful as a big man ever can. “Maybe this time it’s the sure enough real McCoy. Maybe tomorrow starts a brand-new page.” I had just picked up my hat when the phone rang on the receptionist’s desk. She was out at the moment and Sam answered it. I watched his face gray. “For you?” I asked, when he had hung up. He shook his head. “‘No, for you.” “Bad news?” “I think we better walk over to GAME ok Ae Chemistry Hall right away. That was your secretary.” I felt a knot growing in my stomach. ‘Did she say what was wrong?” “Yes,” Sam said slowly. “I’m afraid your specimens are sick.” The university midway was a blaze of lights, the beams picking out the soldiers in wet raincoats and the hastily erected tents, glistening in the downpour, guarding the Chemistry Building. I doubted that anything had been released yet but you could sense something was wrong. There was a new, tenseness and the checks and double checks before Sam and I were allowed to-go in were more thorough and time-consuming than usual. Miss Chandler, my secretary, was waiting in my office.‘She fingered some papers gingerly and held them out to me. ‘“The latest reports.” I read through them hastily, then dropped them on my desk. ““What’s wrong?” Sam asked. “Tm not sure,” I said. “‘Probably a pathogenic allergy of some kind, we don’t know what.” “Like what wiped out the Martians in the Wells’ story.” “What? Oh, yes. I suppose you could make a comparison.” “Think it will be fatal?” I shrugged. “‘There’s no way of knowing. Probably not. The number of people who die compared to those who get sick is always smali. I know that’s an analogy, of course, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t apply.” I was trying to be reassuring but I could see in his face that I wasn’t succeeding. “Would you like to see them? They’ve been declassified to that extent.”’ He started to fumble for his camera but I stopped him. “Sorry, no cameras. The flash bulbs annoy them. The halls were busier now than they COMME QOOKSHOL ANT