Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 72 — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION 1’m goddamned ashamed I was born a human!” Old Sam started rubbing my head between his hands, palms over my temples, mas- saging evenly. I shook my head and came out of it. What's: thes idse if” <1 groaned. “Oh, what’s the use ?” The reporter was still stand- ing at my feet, looking at me. His face was alive with a scheming delight. “You saved my life, fel- low!’’ he shouted at me. ‘‘Nuts!? I answered dis- gustedly. “You saved my life!’ he shouted again. “Boy, I can see the headlines now. Head- lines I’m_ responsible for. You’re gonna be a hero, feliow.” I spat upon the ground, and then, irrelevantly, thought I should have saved it for Sam’s pet lichen. “Yes, sir,” the reporter was still raving. ‘“‘What better material for a hero? A cheap chiselling little government stooge! Till show you what I can do, what a big man I am. Vll take a little snotnose such as you, and make a world hero out of you. The publicity won’t hurt me any, either.” “Look,” I said wearily. “‘There’s the hero.”’ I pointed toward MacNab, who had got to his feet and was watching us. “If you’ve got to have a hero, pick on him. He deserves it. While I was lying there unconscious, and you were yelling your head off, he went into the mine and got the men out.” “That sonofabitch!” the reporter shouted, suddenly raving mad. “lll break him. Vll hound him out of every job he gets for the rest of his life. Let me lay there and suffer, will he? While he pays more attention to the scummy miners than he does to me—ME! Kick loose, will he, when I grab at his feet, trying to get him to help me!” I struggled to my feet. I staggered over to MacNab. “Let’s get out of here,” I said. ““Do you feel like driving the shuttle ? Can you make it? 108 comicloooks.com