Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 67 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION ear, Harry grunted and smoked until the attendant had soft-shoed away. “IT. could be wrong,” he said quietly, not whispering, but speaking as if to himself. *“Maybe you haven’t got what I’m looking for, but I’m willing to take a chance. How badly do you hate Consoli- dated?” _“T can’t tell you.” I an- swered him in the same way. “They haven’t invented the word to describe it.” “TI was afraid of that.’ He sent scented smoke coiling over my head. “You're wast- ing your energy, Jim. Hating is a negative emotion. It means that you want to destroy, not create. You want to tear down, not build up. It means that you’ve got a little mind.” “I’m no Christian,” I said. ‘Also, I’ve been slapped on both cheeks at once. Should I offer them my rear?” ‘“You’ve- been hurt. But that’s past, finished with. Do you want revenge or do you want to do something so that 39 others can’t be hurt in the same way?” ““T’m no Crusader.” “Every man is a Crusader, . Jim. He may not know it, but he is. You are. If you weren’t then what are you doing out here in the Belt?” “That’s simple. I’ve the yen to get rich.” *“Money ? You’ve spent how long? Five years, isn’t it? Five years of living in con- stant danger, doing without luxuries, doing without most of the things which people accept as their right, and you tell me that you’ve done it all for money.”’ He chuckled to himself. ““How much are you worth, Jim? You’ve a ship, maybe. Some equipment, probably.a load of debt and a _mounting fuel bill. You’ve 10 lived on the edge of bank- ruptcy ever since you hit the Belt. If you want money why don’t you take a job? With your knowledge and resource- fulness you could live rich. Why. don’t you?” I didn’t answer. The smoke was getting into my brain and comiclooks.corn