Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 66 — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

ASTEROIDS notes he had left me, and I even went so far as to kiss one for luck. Just one kiss because, just after he had left, a gang of zany tourists, with a yen for easy money and about as much knowledge of the Asteroids as I have of deep-sea diving, entered the office. For the next few hours I was busy selling them brand new pieces of rock no one had ever before sullied with a human foot. I sold them cheap, too, which was considerate of me, considering all sthe trouble I had gone to in order to give them the exact co-ordinates. It saved them the price of a stellar map, anyway. Things went pretty smooth after that. I had the usual trouble with the police, and a little more from the other agencies who had the temerity to insinuate that I wasn’t operating in an ethical man- ner. I cured both problems the same way. After all, I had my half-dozen genuine regis- trations, didn’t I? I did, and I took great care never to have less. I even bought a few to replace those I’d sold, but in the main, my best business was done with wide-eyed hopefuls who were eager for cheap bargains. One thing about that sort of 75 customer, they’re so keen to get something cheap they never stop to ask themselves why it’s cheap in the first place. By the end of the first month I’d had to rearrange my coloured pins so as not to sell the same Asteroid twice. Not that it mattered all that much; you can’t sell what doesn’t belong to you, anyway, but I like to be nice about such matters. Towards the end of the second month Skelton came back. He looked older than he had before, and there was a hangdog air about him which gave me the impression that his “‘little girl” had thrown him over after sucking the orange dry. He didn’t waste any time. “That claim, Dusty,” he said. ““The one in the frame. I want it.” “You can’t have it,” I said coldly. ““You sold it to me, remember ?”’ *“No I didn’t,” he said, and gave a nasty grin. “I trans- ferred the rest of the claims to you, but not that one. Where is it?” I didn’t answer straight away. I spent some time checking the transfer receipts and felt a cold hand grip my stomach when I found out that he was telling me the connicloooks.con