Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, Issue 45 — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION Wheeker came to the door, his coffee cup in one hand, a serious, sympathetic look on his brown face. “Luck, Carpenter,” he called and shut the door. Hamlin fussed with his machine, then waved Car- penter into position against the screen. The room lights went out under Hamlin’s touch and the green flicker of the X-ray screen painted out- lines in the room with second- hand St. Elmo’s fire. Carpenter shut his eyes. Minutes later the green light faded and the room lamps came back on. “You can put your tiepin back on, Carpenter. Oh—and you didn’t take out your back collar stud.” “Sorry, Jack. Guess I wasn’t thinking.” *“You mean you were think- ing of something else. Well. Here’s the plate. I’ve seen all I wanted to see through the direct vision screen. The plate’s for the record. And you—if you're interested.” Carpenter kept his mind 34 like a still, placid mill-pool, calm and unruffled. He took the plate and looked at it. A stone dropped into the mill- pool, a thundering avalanche of rocks that sent his mind reeling under the blow. *“This—this.’’ Carpenter un- tied his tongue and tried again. “I know what to look for, of course, but this—I mean. What’s your opinion, doc? You can give a better judg- ment than I.” Hamlin drew his brows down and looked slantwise at the silent machine. He said, explosively: ““What does it mean? You damned fool, you know well enough what it means! If you don’t let me give you proper hospital treat- ment instead of coming over for a ‘check-up’ whenever you can spare the time, then youd better get out your hammer and chisel and carve your epitaph.” ‘As bad as that? I thought so.” Carpenter knew why Hamlin had phrased his diag- nosis in just those words. Sentiment would have been comiclbooks.conn