Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 71 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION There was a strange bridge session one night, not quite two months after Winter’s arrival. Major Gresham, Win- ter, Barker and a private whose bridge was his only talent, were playing. They were changing partners after every rubber, and Barker lost consistently—with ’ Gresham, with Winter, with the private. It wasn’t that he played badly. The cards didn’t run for him. His finesses were wrong, he was caught out on distribution, his contracts were not quite there, his doubles were unfortunate. But - mere bad luck couldn’t beat Barker. “Ah, well, you can’t win all the time,”’ said the major happily, at the end, pocketing his winnings. “I see that,’ Barker ad- mitted. Winter stayed when the others went. No one would talk about it. It was normal. “What was the idea?’ Winter demanded. Barker grinned. “Bright, aren’t you?’ he said. “It was all deliberate?” “You said so, not I.” 16 “But why? You can’t fool anyone that way.” “I think I fooled the major.” “T doubt it.” “You don’t understand, Jim. Don’t you know how easy it is to lose a reputation? The old witch-doctors did. Fifty successes, then one spec- tacular flop. Long faces, sus- picious glances, short memor- ies. Another flop, another witch-doctor. It was as simple as that.” ““Maybe. You a witch- doctor?” “In a way. Or watch the sports pages. A team—any team playing anything—is an odds-on chance for a game in a fortnight. They get slaugh- tered the week before. Some writers say they had an off-day. But their previous record doesn’t wipe away that failure. The day comes, they win easily, and everybody mentally reinstates them. Or they lose, and people say they’re on the slide. It’s always easy to lose a reputation.” ““And why do you want to lose yours ?” ‘“Fasy. ’m going to escape. With you. We’re going to conquer Mars, you and I.” commiclsooks.com