by Forrest J. Ackerman
In the early days of science fiction when there were not many authors
who wrote it and Amazing was chiefly a magazine of Verne-Wells-Poe
reprints, Bob Olsen was writing and had a friend who thought he could
too. Bob had two tales published in Amazing without mentioning the
accomplishment to his friend who succeeded in having nothing accepted
(he was not writing stf). Then, with the third story, Bob's name
appeared on the cover, giving him quite a thrill. 'Stories by: H. G.
Wells, Bob Olsen, Edgar Allan Poe', it read. "Uh, what do you think
of that?" asked Bob proudly, now displaying his work, his name with
Wells and Poe. The friend sized up a moment. Then, "They've got you
just right, all right," he seemed to have to admit, Bob swelling with
pride--"half way between a live one and a dead one!"
Bob still thinks he was a little bit envious, tho.
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