Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 71 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

THE LITTLE CORPORAL usually had his incredible inventiveness.” “Yet they followed him— those same Martians,” mur- mured the girl. ““They loved him. They wouldn’t let him die, though thousands of their own generals were executed for far less.”’ She made a sudden gesture of dismissal. ““Let’s forget all about Barker. We’ve talked of him enough. Strange, people have a natural sympathy for him. I’d have liked to hear you say he could be kind and honourable, and didn’t hurt for the sake of hurting. But I don’t want to hear the story of how inhuman a man can be.”’ She rose from the chair in one quick movement and moved about the room rest- lessly, letting Barker’s ghost, the ghost of a man who would live long after she and Winter were dead, withdraw and lose its hold on them. Suddenly she turned and stood tense. “*Kiss me,’’ she said. ““That’s one way to forget.” *“Not a good way.” “What does it matter whether it’s a good way or not? What difference does it 27 make that if it hadn’t been for the black moss I’d never have said more to you than ‘Pass the salt’ or ‘I wonder what time it is’?” Suddenly, they heard the unmistakable crack of a shot. They looked at each other, and ran from the cabin. It was Shaw, of course. Having no interest in Shaw now that he was dead, Winter shot a quick glance around the people in the lounge. Before they had time to recover, to act parts again, he had seen who murdered Shaw. Marjory most, and she knew it, stand- ing with a lost, tortured expression on her face; Haw- kins next, though his set, stubborn expression showed that he did not blame him- self. Then, perhaps, Esther, though her effort alone would not have been enough. Not one of them had had any part in firing the shot, of course; Shaw had done that himself. But it had been Marjory, Hawkin and Esther who had made him fire it with what they had said to him, and all the others, except the Crispins and him- Connicoolk<s.Comn =