Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 71 — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION foolishness. These come from within and defile the man...” I looked at George with a _ new respect. Somehow I’d never associated him with a detailed knowledge of the Gospel according to St. Mark. Graves flung him an amused glance, and said: ““That’s so true it’s trite. When you’ve made as many space runs as I have you'll know that man is by no means a potential angel—he always takes his private devils with him. But it’s a pity about Mars. They were doing pretty well until this young Weitzen blotted their copy book for them. It’s the kind of unfortunate precedent they won’t thank him for establishing for them.” *““Same motive, too,”’ I said, following George’s Biblical lead. ‘““Why didn’t he find his own girl?” “Perhaps he did; we don’t know what happened yet. Maybe Brink stole his girl, not the other way round,” reminded Graves. ““Either way, I’m afraid Weitzen’s had it for this sordid and quite un- interesting crime. Martian public opinion will be against 140 him, even if he escapes the atomiser.” = *““They’re jolly lucky to have got so far without the capital crime,” said George. “It’s always been a miracle to me how you astronauts have avoided cutting each other’s throats by the hundred in space. A couple of million miles out always seems to me the finest locale for murder anyone could wish. A nice sharp knife,” he went on with relish, “one good stab, then bung him out through the airlock, and no questions asked.” 7 Graves laughed. “It’s never been as easy as that,’ he protested. “Though, in the first year or two, when the first rockets were doing the Moon run with a two-man crew, I suppose it could have happened. Maybe it did, but if so the murderer didn’t live to hide the tale, for more rockets were fost than re- turned in those days. But later, when the rockets were enlarged, and crews went up to three, six, nine men——” he shook his head—“apart from mass murder by sabo- taging the ship, never a commiclsooks.com