A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, February 1950 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

16 A. MERRITT’S FANTASY thing worse. What looks of apprehension! When we were alone, Dr. Franklin shouted, “Darrell, you’ve done it!” But Cleve raised a hand at him, partly, at least, in warning. Then he came over and shook hands with me. “T had to sweep the rest of ’em out of the room,” he said. “‘That’s why I didn’t pay any attention to you at first, Smoky. Is anything wrong? What’s brought you over here in the middle of the night ?” “Because,” said J, “I’ve been hearing that the nights here are a lot too long for the nerves of some of the people at the laboratory. And I’ve seen enough to make it clear, all right. What did you do that turned a couple of hardboiled humans into jelly, Cleve?” : He considered me with his deep, bright eye in a way I had known in him since childhood. “It’s a hard thing to talk about,” he said, very slowly. “I don’t want to talk about it, either. I'll only say that both of those fellows have been working closely with me for months. They believed in me. They believed in what I was going to do. But the very thing we believe in is what may try us the most.” “T know,” said I, translating down to my own level. “I never care what hap- pens when a pair of teams go into the field, even if they’re big leaguers, but when the Wyoming Wasps trot out, my heart bumps right up through the brain pan, and I get all addled. But what under heaven was that blasted loose from the side of this building?” He gave me a faint smile, and then he turned to Dr. Franklin. “Did you see, Franklin?” Herbert Franklin sat shaking in a chair in a corner of the room, his head bowed, his hands gripped hard on the arms of the chair. He did not look up now, but simply nodded his head, saying. “I saw!” A wave of stifling hot air rolled through the windows and soaked through the room. There was an odd smell to it; it choked me, and set Franklin to eoughing. But he jumped up and pointed to the outer night, not saying a word but keeping his eyes fixed upon Darrell. Said Darrell, ““That’s it. I don’t know what the temperature was, exactly. Not exactly. But I prophesy that the trees in the canyon will be dead in the morning.” Franklin put a hand before his eyes. “What else will be dead?” said he, huskily. “Not tomorrow, but afterward. It’s something that no man should ever have attempted.” “Tf scoundrels have the say of it, no,” said Darrell. “But it had to come sooner or later. He gave his attention to me, again, but not all of it. No, most of it was still at work on something else. I knew he was contemplating what he’d done that night. “You've come over here as a nerve specialist,” said he. “What’s your medi- cine, doctor?” bis,” saul J, “What sort of pills?” “Mostly lead,” I answered. He frowned at me, and I pulled out my old Colt. “Pills that just fit this throat,’’ said I. “Put that up,” said he, rather angrily. “Are you gunning for somebody? What’s the matter with you, Smoky?” 667\;OTHING’S the matter with me,” said I, “But I gather that there’s something apt to be the matter with you before long.”’ He looked at Franklin, frowning. “This is your work, I know. I’m sorry, now, that I ever told you about this wild scoundrel, Bill, you get out of here and go back home.” “You go to the devil,” said I. “I’ve already done a day’s riding, and I need rest. I’ll stay here till the morning.” “All right. Only that long,” said he. “Mind you—promise me that you won't take longer than that from your work.” “My work’s all right,” said I. He shrugged. “You should not have bothered him, Franklin, but as long as he’s here, I’m damned glad to have him.” “Raising a little crop of nerves, Cleve?” I said. He nodded. “Well, then,” said I, “I'll sleep across your threshold and be your faithful Fri- day. Where do you put up tonight?” “T put up in the laboratory,” said he. “Hold on,” said I. “You've done enough for tonight. You've scared me to death, socked the cliff on the point of the chin, and killed all the trees in the canyon.