Avon Fantasy Reader No. 13 — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

It is only a week till it will happen now, and no one has guessed what is” in my mind, nor has the plan been altered in any way that would make it vain. I have not looked at Stella, nor, I think, has she looked at me, nor given any sign of what I know she is thinking and hoping now. But she can't be sure, because it must depend upon me. I might leave her alone, and I wonder what she would do then? Or, of course, before that, I might give | her away. While I don’t, she must see reason to hope .. . q The plan is that the oldest ones will go first, while all comforts remain. | ~ There is evident sense in that and, in any case, their time for liquidation | would be very near. | After that, the younger ages will go, working progressively downward, and the means of sustaining life will be destroyed in the same progressive - manner, so that, when it will come to those of our own age, if we do not destroy ourselves, it will be impossible to live as we do now. In particular, the means of regulating temperature will be gone, so that we should only be able to resist cold or heat in the old crude ways—by clothes or roofs and walls, or the lighting of fires. And the provision of food would present such difficulties that it is hard to see how they could be over- - come. It seems absurd to think that any one should be willing to remain alive under such conditions as that. But, if Stella thinks it may be worth while— after all, we can always die. It has begun, and the first million, or more, are already dead. The method is that each in turn shall receive an injection from the one next below him on the list, after which he will pass into pleasant dreams. It is a drug that is often used, so that its effects are exactly known. There is an antidote by which men can recover without evil effect, if it be given within two or three hours, but, if they be left without it, their sleep drifts into death. The injection is best given in the spinal column, so that it can be done Better by a man’s neighbour than by himself. Elaborate arrangements for the comfort of all have been made, and the routine is swift, so that it will be no more than three days before my turn and Stella’s will come. But we had a fright this morning, and the fact that I found it to be a fright showed me for the first time, with certainty, what I really wish to happen. We were called, Stella and I, before the Council of Routines. They told ; us that we were last on the list, which might be an alarming position, we . being as young as we were, though it is evident that someone must be there. They said they had discussed changing our places with others of the previous generation, who had volunteered to relieve us. I thought it best to seem indifferent, and only said that they needn’t trouble as far as I was concerned: I couldn’t see that it mattered one way or other. They turned to Stella, and she said: “Oh, don’t change it for me! I don’t mind being last of all. I rather like the idea.” i Anyone would have thought they would have been too lethargic to say / -—- any more after that, but the liveliness with which she spoke seemed to rouse 71- nO Sen wt,” _«< Bibel ee te ed A ey ee lle Sa — seen a a oa | comichooks.com