Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 56 — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

Life—and space—had made him bitter; until he made a— Personal Call by JONATHAN BURKE background of his con- sciousness the noises of the ship still vibrated, but his thoughts were.quite detached. His mind was far away: he reached out across _ inter- planetary space, sank into the warm beauty of his wife’s thoughts, and said: ‘“Can’t stay long. We’re back in the freight lanes, and I’ll have to take over in ten minutes or so.” G tnckeround IN THE “Having a good journey?” she asked. “It’s the journey home. That’s always good.” For a moment their minds were silent. There was no need to shape words and sentences. They rested in the contented awareness of one another. Then she spoke in her ordinary voice: “‘Stephen ..-daddy’s here.” 81 She turned her head, and through her eyes he saw the boy come eagerly through the door. ‘Hello, Steve,” he said, using his wife’s voice. Stephen peered at his mother’s face warily, as though wondering whether she was just being playful, just pre- tending that his father was here. He said: ‘“‘Where are you now?” “Coming in around Nep- tune.” “Tell me what it’s like.’ Captain Masterman told him what it was like. He told him about the unchanging brightness of the interplanet- ary night, as he had told it so often before, and of the adventures in the mining out- posts. The boy nodded eagerly. Then Masterman told more gravely about the death of comicloooks.conm