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Wavelength, v. 1, issue 2, Summer 1941

Page 6

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE AN OLD FOOL ( Continued from Page 5 )

"You realize what you've done. Don't you, Captain?" asked Brown. "I am very busy now, so I shall come to the point. I have orders here from the central offices of the Commission. These orders ground you and discharge you from the Commission. When you took off last week, you were within the law. There is nothing that may be legally done to punish you."

Gray smiled when he heard this last sentence. Very few men were able to beat the rules of the Commission, and not be punished. He had done it, though.

"The Commission has decided," he heard Brown say, "that you have really punished yourself. Think it over. Your license is revoked and your ship will be sold. You won't ever be allowed on a space-field again. These rules insure your staying out of all ships." As an after thought, at least so it seemed, Brown added, "In a way, I feel sorry for you, but after you think it over you shall see that it is your own fault. You have punished yourself. Good-bye, Captain. The secretary will inform you as to where you will be quartered."

Without saying a word, Gray left the Commandant. He had suddenly - with a strong shocked feeling - realized what he had done. As he sat in the living room of the five-room apartment that the Commission . as is the usual case - had allotted to him, he had time to think over what he had done. He didn't have to worry about money. His pension from the Commission would care for any monetary problems, if ever he had any.

He had landed on Mars; he hadn't returned to Earth. In leaving Earth, and in not returning there, he had exiled himself. The rules of the Commission were strict and were enforced ninety-nine per cent of the time. Kamerport, on Mars, was nothing but an outpost of the Commission. There were never more than ten men there at one time. The ten men who were stationed there were all young men - twenty-three - not over thirty years of age. He, Gray, was an old man among young.

BIRTH OF A PRO ( Continued from Page 5 )

ulars in science fiction's galaxy of artists were too busy... another way of saying too expensive...and we had to develop newcomers. I think we did develop some good ones...Thorp, Bok, Wexler, Dun, Giunta. In fact, even now, when we can take our pick of science fiction's illustrators, we still like the ones we developed ourselves. ( Although we are using a few who made their reputations before we entered the field... Morey and Isip, for instance. )

But the stories in the first issue were liked. In the second number, they weren't quite as well received. And in the third issue ( the second "Astonishing", that is ) they were as well-liked as the first...surprisingly to me.

After the second issue we began making a steady but agonizing...yes, that's the word!...march upward. As the stories got better, the readers got happier. As the readers got happier, we sold more copies. As we sold more copies, the amount we could spend on stories grew. As that amount grew, the stories got better...

Until, now, most of them are actually good.

At least I think so.

Do you?

COMING: "UPROAR ON OUTER STREET", A HILARIOUS FARCE    GEORGE WETZEL

Saving...

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE AN OLD FOOL ( Continued from Page 5 ) "You realize what you've done. Don't you, Captain?" asked Brown. "I am very busy now, so I shall come to the point. I have orders here from the central offices of the Commission. These orders ground you and discharge you from the Commission. When you took off last week, you were within the law. There is nothing that may be legally done to punish you." Gray smiled when he heard this last sentence. Very few men were able to beat the rules of the Commission, and not be punished. He had done it, though. "The Commission has decided," he heard Brown say, "that you have really punished yourself. Think it over. Your license is revoked and your ship will be sold. You won't ever be allowed on a space-field again. These rules insure your staying out of all ships." As an after thought, at least so it seemed, Brown added, "In a way, I feel sorry for you, but after you think it over you shall see that it is your own fault. You have punished yourself. Good-bye, Captain. The secretary will inform you as to where you will be quartered." Without saying a word, Gray left the Commandant. He had suddenly - with a strong shocked feeling - realized what he had done. As he sat in the living room of the five-room apartment that the Commission . as is the usual case - had allotted to him, he had time to think over what he had done. He didn't have to worry about money. His pension from the Commission would care for any monetary problems, if ever he had any. He had landed on Mars; he hadn't returned to Earth. In leaving Earth, and in not returning there, he had exiled himself. The rules of the Commission were strict and were enforced ninety-nine per cent of the time. Kamerport, on Mars, was nothing but an outpost of the Commission. There were never more than ten men there at one time. The ten men who were stationed there were all young men - twenty-three - not over thirty years of age. He, Gray, was an old man among young. BIRTH OF A PRO ( Continued from Page 5 ) ulars in science fiction's galaxy of artists were too busy... another way of saying too expensive...and we had to develop newcomers. I think we did develop some good ones...Thorp, Bok, Wexler, Dun, Giunta. In fact, even now, when we can take our pick of science fiction's illustrators, we still like the ones we developed ourselves. ( Although we are using a few who made their reputations before we entered the field... Morey and Isip, for instance. ) But the stories in the first issue were liked. In the second number, they weren't quite as well received. And in the third issue ( the second "Astonishing", that is ) they were as well-liked as the first...surprisingly to me. After the second issue we began making a steady but agonizing...yes, that's the word!...march upward. As the stories got better, the readers got happier. As the readers got happier, we sold more copies. As we sold more copies, the amount we could spend on stories grew. As that amount grew, the stories got better... Until, now, most of them are actually good. At least I think so. Do you? COMING: "UPROAR ON OUTER STREET", A HILARIOUS FARCE GEORGE WETZEL