Avon Fantasy Reader No. 14 — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

was anxious enough for peacé, but she wanted a peace that would be per- manent. But Eupenia not only wanted peace, she wanted help to rid her of the millions of tons of terrible end-slime. Mr. Billings was called in for advice. He laughed at the question. “The smell lasts only for ten days,” he said, “and then dies out and the slime then becomes a highly concentrated manure, more rich than any com- mercial fertilizer that we have yet discovered. The fields of Eupenia will be more fertile because of this manure. Tell the farmers to be patient and hope- ful. They will have fine crops next year. The city people can shovel it up for their window boxes: it will grow wonderful violets.” Later, at the close of the Peace Festival, Mr. Billings was decorated. The little old King, Rudolph Hubelaire, put his one arm around the inventor and kissed him on both cheeks. Then he pinned the decoration of the Golden Moronian Eagle on his chest while the pcople cheered. “I want to raise your salary,” said the King. “The only rays I am interested in,” replied the inventor, who had not been paying much attention to what the King was saying, “are the light-and- energy-rays. I have another idea about them which I think I can work out if you will let me have some money for my experimentation.” “You may have all the money you want!” was the King’s eager answer. “But tell me one thing: What made those Yeast Men grow and move the way they did?” - “It was like this, Your Majesty. They were just yeast cells but they were filled with a special dynamic energy, a very special form of energy. I could tell you all about it, but I’m afraid it would be hard for you to follow my technical explanation.” “I know I couldn’t,” laughed the King. “I wish you could put that kind of energy into my people. We would win the commerce of the world. But I suppose you can do things with yeast that you can’t do with human beings. Now let us go to the banquet. The people are anxious to hear you.” And Mr. Billings of the United States of Aimerica said to Rudolph Hu- belaire, King of Moronia, “I am not very good at speechilying.” 94 comichooks.com 3 ~