奇怪联盟walton时间1947bryce-strange alliance.pdfVIP

TranscribersNote:ThisetextwasproducedfromFantasyBookVol.1

Number1(1947).Extensiveresearchdidnotuncoveranyevidencethat

theU.S.copyrightonthispublicationwasrenewed.Minorspellingand

typographicalerrorshavebeencorrectedwithoutnote,whilstvariant

spellingsremainasprinted.

3

DOCTORSPECHAUGstoppedrunning,breathingdeeplyandeasily

wherehepausedinthemiddleofthenarrowwindingroad.Heglanced

athiswatch.Ninea.m.Hewasvaguelyperplexedbecausehedidnotre-

actmoreemotionallytothebloodstaininghisslenderhands.

Itwasfreshblood,thoughjustbeginningtocoagulate;itwasdabbled

overhisbrownsergesuit,splotchingtheneatlystarchedwhitecuffsof

hisshirt.Hiswifealwaysdidthemupsonicelywiththepeasantslove

fortrivialdetail.

Hehadalwayshatedthesilentignoranceofthepeasantswhosur-

roundedthelittlecollegewherehetaughtpsychology.Hesupposedthat

hehadbeguntohatehiswife,too,whenherealized,aftertakingher

fromalocalbarnyardandmarryingher,thatshecouldneverbeany-

thingbutasloe-eyed,shufflingpeasant.

Hewalkedonwithbriskhealthdownthenarrowdirtroadthatledto-

wardGlenOaks.Elmtreeslinedtheroad.Themorningairwasdamp

andcool.Dewkepttheyellowdustsettledwherespotsofsunlightcame

throughleavesandspeckledit.Birdsdartedfreshlythroughthickly

hungbranches.

Hehadgivenperenniallecturesonhystericalepisodes.Nowhereal-

izedthathewasthevictimofsuchanepisode.Hehadlostanumberof

minutesfromhisownmemory.Herememberedtheyellowstaringeyes

ofthebreakfasteggsgazingupathimfromaseaofgrease.Here-

memberedhiswifescreaming—afterthatonlyblankness.

He