Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, Issue 45 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

SOME OTHER TIME “IT don’t smoke, thanks, Senator.” “Mind if I do?” “Not at all. Pll just step up the exhaust fans a little. Have to be careful, you know.” “Oh? What’s your trouble ?” Merrick answered for him, round his thick cigar. he | “I’m sorry, Doctor. Terrible thing, terrible.” “Well,” Carpenter said. “Well. How’s things on Earth ?”’ *“So-so. Government con- cerned about the budget again.” “They always are.”’ “We'll be frank, Doctor. The Government are seriously wondering whether or not they made—shall we say a miscal- culation ?—when they decided to permit you to go ahead with your Eugenics Research Sta- tion here on Mars.” Merrick’s thick cigar bobbled with every word. “I was one of those who considered that you had a wonderful idea there, won- derful. Just the thing Earth needed for the planets.” 17 Carpenter said: ““You con- sidered? You mean, you’ve changed your mind?” “That’s for you to decide for me, Doctor.” “TI don’t quite follow—— ?”’ Mackenzie broke in, his thin, sallow face with its glittering eyes reminding Car- penter of a rock lizard. “The point is, Doctor, we doubt the efficacy of the results of your work.” “You doubt my work now! After ten years!” “Please, Doctor.’’ Macken- zie held up one thin, blue- veined hand. “I didn’t say we doubt your work. Far from it. What we do doubt is the value of that work as applied to the needs of the solar system.” Carpenter knew that he mustn’t lose his temper. Not with these men. His first analysis of their relative im- portance looked to have been fallacious. Merrick, for all his thick, blustering toughness, was not, apparently, so astute or powerful an enemy as Mackenzie. The devil of it was that Mackenzie obviously con- connicloooks.com