Avon Fantasy Reader No. 14 — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

optical discovery since the beginning of the world. J made it. You observe my third eye?” “Yes—no,” replied Tubby. “It ain’t so very noticeable,” he added deprecat- ingly. “I am an expert surgeon also,” continued the professor. “I have to be. I gave myself that third eye. It’s a very delicate operation, but I can perform it casily, 'm going to give you one in a moment.” Tubby was frightened. “You needn't bother,” he declared. “I ain't inter- ested. [—” “Oh, it won't hurt you,” laughed the professor. “I am a modern surgeon— T never hurt anybody.” He unrolled his long length from the chair and stood np briskly. “Come over here and pick out the kind of eye you'd like.” Tubby remembered the tons of gold pieces; he stifled his fear and followed ‘he professor across the room. A long, narrow shelf ran along the wall. On it stood a row of little glass bottles all filled with a colorless liquid. And in each botde floated a single eycball. Tubby walked down the length of shelf. The eyeballs stared at him unwa- veringly. “You'd better take a blue one,” said the professor. “Your other eyes are blue. Medium size—light blue. Here, this one is a good match.” He selected a bottle. Tubby lay back in what looked like a dentist’s chair. The professor opened the surgical cabinet and selected several wicked looking instruments. He iouched a switch, and a narrow little beam of rich yellow light sprang irom the cabinet and focused itself on the bridge of Tubby’s nose. “You—ain’t goin’ to hurt me?” Tubby quavered. The professor answered reassuringly: “No. This yellow light will deaden all pain. It’s a wonderful light. J discovered it, Close your eyes now. I won’t | take long.” Tubby gripped the arm of his chair and closed his eyes. For five minutes the professor hammered, chiseled and sawed—cutting a hole in his forehead. It felt extremely unpleasant, but it did not hurt. When the hole was ready, the professor fitted in the eyeball. “Just a moment now,” he murmured. “Very delicate—this joining the optic nerve. Just a moment—hold still.” Five minutes more and the eyelid, with its lashes all complete, was in place. The professor tied a bandage over the new eye—a wet, hot bandage. “All right,” he exclaimed cheerfully. “Now you can sit up.” Tubby sat up, opening his two original eyes and feeling the bandage dubi- ously. He had three eyes! Now he could see tons of twenty-dollar gold pieces! “Right,” he said. “That wasn’t hard. What do we do next?” The professor replaced his instruments, and then led Tubby back across the room to their former chairs. “It 1s now only a question of lights,” he said. “You understand that this Fourth Dimension is a different kind of matter. It occupies the same space as our world, because it is matter in a totally different state—a state where the molecules are very widely separated, and are in very rapid vibration. In order comiclsooks.com