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Banshee, whole no. 4, March 1944
Page 13
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Banshee * * * 13 civilian use, thus tremendously reducing the market for some time to come. Despite what you may hear from certain sources, we won't all have helicopters in our backyards--they'll cost too much. Aircraft construction involves the use of special materials. and material cost remains much the same war or no war. Porwar Picture: "Put on your old gray bonnet, while I hitch old Dobbin to the shay"--or words to that effect. We also do not believe that Degler's Cosmic Circle will ever replace the Holy Rollers.... But on to lighter subjects--Mr. Murgatroyd, for instance. I first met Mr. Murgatroyd a week ago Wednesday evening. He appeared beside me on the street with a terrible shriel. "Good evening," he said pleasantly. "I'm Mr. Murgatroyd." "Oh--how do you do?" I replied. "I'm a ghost, you know," he added casually, and rather stumped me. What does one say when unformed by a companion that he is a ghost? "Bautiful dark evening, isn't it?" Mr. Murgatroyd inquired, attmepting to liven up the lagging conversation a bit. "Yes, indeed," I agreed. "it certainly is dark." I confess that my voice trembled a bit as I spoke. After all, one doesn't meet a ghost just any old dark evening. At the corner we passed a street light, and as we did so I noticed that Mr. Murgatroyd became rather translucent, as well as somehwat wavery about the edges. "Oh, yes," he said when I had pointed the fact out to him. "A strong light always does that to me. In fact I sometimes fade away quite completely. You have no idea how beastly annouing it can be." We walked on down the street in silence. Finally, when the absence of conversation was becoming acutely painful, I bolstered up enough courage to ask, "And what do you do for a living? Haunt houses and such like, I suppose?" "Oh, I say old boy!" he laughed. "That's really quite good! No, I'm a ghost writer, you know." Unfortunately we had just passed under a theater marquee, and as the lights struck full upon him, Mr. Murgatroyd began to fade very swiftly, finally vanishing away altogether. Maybe it's just us--but don't the pocket size Astoundings appear to be picking up more than just a little bit of late? Much better covers since the return to the old cover style. The way the lettering on the back binding changes around every couple of issues is a little annoying, though, as is the late appearance--altho it was only four days late the last time instead of the usual two weeks. But we should kick when we're still able to buy Ast. And lest you think we have forgotten the fine crop of stories, how about "Lost Art," "We Print the Truth," Fricassee in Four Dimensions," "The Iron Standard," "Technical Error," "The Leech," "Ogre" "As Never Was," "The Anarch," "Though Dreamers Die," "Catch that Rabbit," and, the only story we've yet read in the March issue, "The Children's Hour?" About that last, incidentally. While one of Kuttner's and Ast's best, we still found one bad fault--the too early speculation that Someone was carefully regularing Clarissa's life. To us, at least, it
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Banshee * * * 13 civilian use, thus tremendously reducing the market for some time to come. Despite what you may hear from certain sources, we won't all have helicopters in our backyards--they'll cost too much. Aircraft construction involves the use of special materials. and material cost remains much the same war or no war. Porwar Picture: "Put on your old gray bonnet, while I hitch old Dobbin to the shay"--or words to that effect. We also do not believe that Degler's Cosmic Circle will ever replace the Holy Rollers.... But on to lighter subjects--Mr. Murgatroyd, for instance. I first met Mr. Murgatroyd a week ago Wednesday evening. He appeared beside me on the street with a terrible shriel. "Good evening," he said pleasantly. "I'm Mr. Murgatroyd." "Oh--how do you do?" I replied. "I'm a ghost, you know," he added casually, and rather stumped me. What does one say when unformed by a companion that he is a ghost? "Bautiful dark evening, isn't it?" Mr. Murgatroyd inquired, attmepting to liven up the lagging conversation a bit. "Yes, indeed," I agreed. "it certainly is dark." I confess that my voice trembled a bit as I spoke. After all, one doesn't meet a ghost just any old dark evening. At the corner we passed a street light, and as we did so I noticed that Mr. Murgatroyd became rather translucent, as well as somehwat wavery about the edges. "Oh, yes," he said when I had pointed the fact out to him. "A strong light always does that to me. In fact I sometimes fade away quite completely. You have no idea how beastly annouing it can be." We walked on down the street in silence. Finally, when the absence of conversation was becoming acutely painful, I bolstered up enough courage to ask, "And what do you do for a living? Haunt houses and such like, I suppose?" "Oh, I say old boy!" he laughed. "That's really quite good! No, I'm a ghost writer, you know." Unfortunately we had just passed under a theater marquee, and as the lights struck full upon him, Mr. Murgatroyd began to fade very swiftly, finally vanishing away altogether. Maybe it's just us--but don't the pocket size Astoundings appear to be picking up more than just a little bit of late? Much better covers since the return to the old cover style. The way the lettering on the back binding changes around every couple of issues is a little annoying, though, as is the late appearance--altho it was only four days late the last time instead of the usual two weeks. But we should kick when we're still able to buy Ast. And lest you think we have forgotten the fine crop of stories, how about "Lost Art," "We Print the Truth," Fricassee in Four Dimensions," "The Iron Standard," "Technical Error," "The Leech," "Ogre" "As Never Was," "The Anarch," "Though Dreamers Die," "Catch that Rabbit," and, the only story we've yet read in the March issue, "The Children's Hour?" About that last, incidentally. While one of Kuttner's and Ast's best, we still found one bad fault--the too early speculation that Someone was carefully regularing Clarissa's life. To us, at least, it
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