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Pluto, v. 1, issue 4, September 1940

Page 7

PLUTO     7

"THE STORY BEHIND OUR COVER"

[continuing from previous page] ition of the sun in relation to the zenith and the zodiac signs.)) Artist Leslie was a cubist. ((A [underline]cubist[end underline] is a square-head.)) The painting is well supplied with cubes, and denotes that the artist felt square with the world. ((The old dying Indian chief, however, maintains that these cubes are all a part of a math-amatical formula for reducing the atom to a working scale, but I advise you to disregard this as being a part of the old chief's superstition.))
     At the very top of the picture is seen lightning striking. It is probably looking for some place to strike twice. To the left of the lightning is a message in code which was NOT put onto the canvas by the artist, but came in later, amist tragic circumstances which we will relate more fully in a moment.
     We now come to the last bit of painting done by the original artist; the long dark streak across the bottom of the picture in an upward direction. This was an accident, but so enhanced the value and beauty of the painting, that artist Leslie left it there. It seems that the artist forgot one day to completely darken the room while working on it, and a stray beam of sunlight filtered thru a skylight. (a skylight is a light used by the ancients. It was a bulb suspended from the sky by means of a [underline]skyhook[end underline]. It burned until the [underline]electricbill[end underline] was due.) Inasmuch as the painting hadn't, been "fixed" yet, the sunbeam streaked the negative, causing the effect you now see in the picture
     The canvas done, the futurian, artist now disposed of it. By means of a method of exchange unknown to us today, it was disposed of in a place in Florence, Italy called a gallery. ((A gallery is a place where reduced prices prevail during afternoon performances.)) And now the canvas leaves its period of placid existence and emerged upon its stormy career, amidst tragic circumstances hinted at a moment ago.
     While the picture was being transported across the ocean, (probably in one of the vessels called a space ship,) the vessel was torpedoed and sunk. An intelligent deckhand had the presence of mind to save the picture. Rip-ping it from its frame he first scratched a desperate message in code at the top, near the lightning, where it is to this day. He then inserted the canvas in a bottle and tossed it into the heaving seas.
     Several years later the bottle was picked up off the coast of Algeria, by some simple fisherfolk who promptly turned it over to the authorities in their neighborhood.
     You will note that this man examined the picture in detail and then made his seal of approval upon it. The seal appears stamped on the picture a little below and to the left of the cade message; obscuring the cubes. ((The dying Indian Chief, now dying faster and noisier, claims that the secret of the atom will now never be discovered because much importance has been obscured because of the seal.)) The Authority turned the painting over to the government customs men, who placed it on sale.
     However, the picture was destined never to be sold, a curse having been laid on it called COD ((This term is not understood by us today)) A roving band of Arabs (([underline]Arabs[end underline] are people that rove)) stole it and whisked it away in to the desert. There the painting remained hidden for the goodly part of a century, passing from one tribe to another, handed down from son to son ((note: this type of son is not made with a nickle.)) One important incident occured while the the painting remai [continued on next page]

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PLUTO 7 "THE STORY BEHIND OUR COVER" [continuing from previous page] ition of the sun in relation to the zenith and the zodiac signs.)) Artist Leslie was a cubist. ((A [underline]cubist[end underline] is a square-head.)) The painting is well supplied with cubes, and denotes that the artist felt square with the world. ((The old dying Indian chief, however, maintains that these cubes are all a part of a math-amatical formula for reducing the atom to a working scale, but I advise you to disregard this as being a part of the old chief's superstition.)) At the very top of the picture is seen lightning striking. It is probably looking for some place to strike twice. To the left of the lightning is a message in code which was NOT put onto the canvas by the artist, but came in later, amist tragic circumstances which we will relate more fully in a moment. We now come to the last bit of painting done by the original artist; the long dark streak across the bottom of the picture in an upward direction. This was an accident, but so enhanced the value and beauty of the painting, that artist Leslie left it there. It seems that the artist forgot one day to completely darken the room while working on it, and a stray beam of sunlight filtered thru a skylight. (a skylight is a light used by the ancients. It was a bulb suspended from the sky by means of a [underline]skyhook[end underline]. It burned until the [underline]electricbill[end underline] was due.) Inasmuch as the painting hadn't, been "fixed" yet, the sunbeam streaked the negative, causing the effect you now see in the picture The canvas done, the futurian, artist now disposed of it. By means of a method of exchange unknown to us today, it was disposed of in a place in Florence, Italy called a gallery. ((A gallery is a place where reduced prices prevail during afternoon performances.)) And now the canvas leaves its period of placid existence and emerged upon its stormy career, amidst tragic circumstances hinted at a moment ago. While the picture was being transported across the ocean, (probably in one of the vessels called a space ship,) the vessel was torpedoed and sunk. An intelligent deckhand had the presence of mind to save the picture. Rip-ping it from its frame he first scratched a desperate message in code at the top, near the lightning, where it is to this day. He then inserted the canvas in a bottle and tossed it into the heaving seas. Several years later the bottle was picked up off the coast of Algeria, by some simple fisherfolk who promptly turned it over to the authorities in their neighborhood. You will note that this man examined the picture in detail and then made his seal of approval upon it. The seal appears stamped on the picture a little below and to the left of the cade message; obscuring the cubes. ((The dying Indian Chief, now dying faster and noisier, claims that the secret of the atom will now never be discovered because much importance has been obscured because of the seal.)) The Authority turned the painting over to the government customs men, who placed it on sale. However, the picture was destined never to be sold, a curse having been laid on it called COD ((This term is not understood by us today)) A roving band of Arabs (([underline]Arabs[end underline] are people that rove)) stole it and whisked it away in to the desert. There the painting remained hidden for the goodly part of a century, passing from one tribe to another, handed down from son to son ((note: this type of son is not made with a nickle.)) One important incident occured while the the painting remai [continued on next page]