What Mad Universe by Fredric Brown

Author:Fredric Brown
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3, epub
Published: 2013-07-03T04:00:00+00:00

10 Slade of the W. B. I.

Keith was studying Winton as he spoke. Winton wasn't a bad-looking guy. He was about Keith's age, an inch or so taller but a few pounds lighter. His hair was darker and a bit curlier. Facially, there wasn't any noticeable resemblance at all. And he wore shell-rimmed glasses, fairly thick ones. Keith had never worn glasses in his life and had perfect vision.

"You don't live in New York?" Winton was asking him.

"Yes and no," Keith said. "I mean, I haven't been, but I may decide to stay here from now on. Or I may decide to return to Boston. I've been working on a paper there and doing quite a bit of free-lancing on the side." He'd thought out his story and didn't have to hesitate. "Got a leave of absence for a while and, if I can make a go of free-lancing here in New York, I probably won't go back.

"I brought in two shorts I'd like you to consider—one for Romantic Adventure and one for the new science-fiction book Marion tells me you're starting."

He took two of his three stories from the envelope and handed them across the desk.

"I know it's imposing on you to ask it," he said, "but I'd greatly appreciate a reading as quickly as you can get to it. Because I want to write some more I have planned along these lines. And I don't want to start them until I know—from your reaction to these—whether I'm on the right track or not."

Winton smiled. "I'll keep them out of the slushpile."

He glanced at the top right-hand corners of the title pages of the two scripts. "Three and tour thousand. Well, those are lengths we need, and both books are wide open if the stories fit."

"Fine," Keith said. He decided to crowd his luck a little. "I happen to have an appointment here in the building on Friday, day after tomorrow. Since I'll be so close, do you mind if I drop in to see whether or not you've had time to read them?"

Winton frowned slightly. "Can't promise for sure that I'll get to them that soon, but I'll try to. If you're going to be in the building anyway, you might as well drop in."

Keith said, "Swell, thanks." Despite the lack of a promise he knew it was odds-on that the stories would be read by Friday. And if one or both of them rated acceptance, then would be the time to bring up the matter of putting through a voucher for a quick check. He'd have a story ready to account for his need of money in a hurry.

"Oh, by the way," he said. "About a by-line—" And he pointed out the similarity between Karl Winston and Keith Winton, and explained his willingness to use a pen name if Winton thought he should.

Winton smiled. He said, "It's not really important. If Karl Winston's your name, you have every right to use it.

And I'm not doing any writing myself—and who notices the name of the editor of a magazine?"

"Other editors do," Keith said.

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