Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 50 — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION register on their equipment? Or is all that too fine a think- ing for your vaunted academy brains?” “Now, daddy,” Claire said reproachfully. “We might all think in a freer and saner fashion now, Claire,” Ben said stiffly, but with a twinkle peeping from his eyes. “But that doesn’t mean to say that we can enjoy stupidity, even if we tolerate it.” Jarril stood up, his hand automatically feeling for and adjusting his handgun. Sur- prisingly—to him—it was still belted to his waist. “TI think you’d best listen ‘to the rest of the story, son,” Ben said quietly. “You've only heard what can be called the preliminaries. The commind is still to come.” Before Jarril could utter the stinging remark that boiled from his overstrained nerves, a mounting thunder sifted down from above and he could immediately make out the characteristic throttl- ing roar of a small trading type spaceship. He felt the ground tremble beneath his feet and then the 44 ballooning cotton-wool effect of the silence as the ship’s drive cut. It couldn’t be the Navy. They wouldn’t come in a trading ship and, any- way, theyd said an eighty per cent. probability of arrival in two days. That was too high an estimate for them to arrive this fast. Although—if Earth had lost the battle that had blown up out in the great void—any type of ship that came for him would be more than wel- come — and totally unex- pected. If Earth had lost; Jarril recoiled in himself at the loose phraseology. He became aware that old Ben was speaking. | “Thatll be the trading ship. Due around now, day sooner or later. Hope they’ve brought some of my tobacco. I’m running low as it 1s. Claire, just pop out—and, oh, it doesn’t matter. Here he comes now.” On the heels of Ben’s words a stocky, leather-clad indi- vidual ducked in the dome, closely followed by Foster and another settler. All their faces were tight with re- pressed emotion. Anger? comicloooks.conn