DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Paradox, v. 1, issue 2, Fall 1942

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Paradox, v. 1, issue 2, Fall 1942

Page 12

12                                   PARADOX 
faith in his invention. He backed up that faith by betting every cent he had saved in his two years of teaching.

   So far, so good. Only one perplexing factor appeared. Of Mice and Men was being overlooked in the betting. He opened as second choice, at three-to-one, and then the odds had drifted steadily upward. Five, eight, ten, and now he was closing at twelve-to-one. 
   The field was remarkably behaved. In a matter of seconds, the starter raised his hand and the cry, "They're off!" echoed from thousands of throats. The horses broke away from the barrier clean. At the quarter post most of them were bunched and Of Mice and Men led the pack by half a length At the half they were pushing along at top speed. 
   The horses were passing the three-quarters pole and the madly yelling mob knew that only two horses had any chance of winning. Of Mice and Men and a horse named Jinx were far ahead of the field. 
   They came into the stretch neck and neck; the stands were in pandemonium. But Bruce watched with a feeling of exultation that was only slightly dampened as he saw his horse, Of Mice and Men, bump Jinx. He hoped Of Mice and Men would not be thrown off-stride by the collision. Why worry? He knew his horse would make the wire first. Slowly, slowly, Of Mice and Men drew away from Jinx. A nose, then a head, then a half-length.
   Twenty yards from the wire Of Mice and Men was a full length ahead. The horse flashed across the finish line two lengths the winner.
   As soon as Bruce saw the horse had won, his eyes flashed to the odds board. Of Mice and Men had closed at twenty-to-one! Swiftly, he made a mental calculation. Five hundred dollars at twenty-to-one odds would net him thousands of dollars!
   He started toward the Pay-Off windows when....."Ladies and gentlemen!" It was the voice of the track announcer booming forth from the loudspeakers. The announcer went on speaking; Balland listened as if hypnotized. His mouth dropped open as he heard.
   Suddenly, with a gesture of despair, Balland tore up his five hundred dollars' worth of tickets and laughing and sobbing wildly stumbled away.....
   A man, standing nearby, pursed his lips in a soundless whistle. "Whew! Wonder what's eatin' that bird?" He went over and picked up the tickets Balland had torn in two Then it was his turn to be surprised. "Jeez!" he exlaimed. "No wonder the poor guy acted kinda nutty! He knew he couldn't get his five hundred bucks back. He bet on Of Mice and Men, the horse the announcer just said was disqualified!"
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                           THE END
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Saving...

12 PARADOX faith in his invention. He backed up that faith by betting every cent he had saved in his two years of teaching. So far, so good. Only one perplexing factor appeared. Of Mice and Men was being overlooked in the betting. He opened as second choice, at three-to-one, and then the odds had drifted steadily upward. Five, eight, ten, and now he was closing at twelve-to-one. The field was remarkably behaved. In a matter of seconds, the starter raised his hand and the cry, "They're off!" echoed from thousands of throats. The horses broke away from the barrier clean. At the quarter post most of them were bunched and Of Mice and Men led the pack by half a length At the half they were pushing along at top speed. The horses were passing the three-quarters pole and the madly yelling mob knew that only two horses had any chance of winning. Of Mice and Men and a horse named Jinx were far ahead of the field. They came into the stretch neck and neck; the stands were in pandemonium. But Bruce watched with a feeling of exultation that was only slightly dampened as he saw his horse, Of Mice and Men, bump Jinx. He hoped Of Mice and Men would not be thrown off-stride by the collision. Why worry? He knew his horse would make the wire first. Slowly, slowly, Of Mice and Men drew away from Jinx. A nose, then a head, then a half-length. Twenty yards from the wire Of Mice and Men was a full length ahead. The horse flashed across the finish line two lengths the winner. As soon as Bruce saw the horse had won, his eyes flashed to the odds board. Of Mice and Men had closed at twenty-to-one! Swiftly, he made a mental calculation. Five hundred dollars at twenty-to-one odds would net him thousands of dollars! He started toward the Pay-Off windows when....."Ladies and gentlemen!" It was the voice of the track announcer booming forth from the loudspeakers. The announcer went on speaking; Balland listened as if hypnotized. His mouth dropped open as he heard. Suddenly, with a gesture of despair, Balland tore up his five hundred dollars' worth of tickets and laughing and sobbing wildly stumbled away..... A man, standing nearby, pursed his lips in a soundless whistle. "Whew! Wonder what's eatin' that bird?" He went over and picked up the tickets Balland had torn in two Then it was his turn to be surprised. "Jeez!" he exlaimed. "No wonder the poor guy acted kinda nutty! He knew he couldn't get his five hundred bucks back. He bet on Of Mice and Men, the horse the announcer just said was disqualified!" _________ THE END _________