Page:Weird Tales volume 36 number 01.djvu/97

Rh we accept the tenets of the devil-worshippers for the sake of the story, and do not demand that their beliefs accord with established religion. So my Hindu devil-worshipper has his own concept of the Reincarnation-Transmigration principle, and carries out his rites accordingly.

As an author I took the liberty to construct my own supernatural background to serve the plot—but I certainly don't disagree with Mr. MacDonald's lucid exposition of the actual facts.

Similarly, in this month's story, A Sorcerer Runs for Sheriff, I've again played fast and loose with medieval goety. The methods employed by the puppet-maker are enough to make any orthodox witch blush in horror—and I know, because several orthodox witches of my acquaintance did. "You can't kill a man that way," they protested. "It's sacrilege!"

"Oh, can't I?" I sneered "As long as there's paper in this typewriter, I'll kill people any way I please."

They put a curse on me and went away, grumbling. But I stuck to my guns—maintaining that in the disputed field of fantasy any variation on a known legend, myth-pattern, or psychological concept is permissible, provided that it does not strain the reader's credulity. Nothing in any yarn should be at all fantastic or unbelievable. Everything must be factal. Realism, that's what it is. Plain, unvarnished truth. Never tell any whoppers.

I'm sure the readers of my yarns know what I mean. I'm content to write plain, simple, homey, every-day little stories. About things that could happen to you, to anybody. Nothing wild—heaven forbid!

In that spirit, A Sorcerer Runs for Sheriff is offered. If any reader disbelieves the tenets therein, I ask him merely to go out, buy himself a pound of wax, and start modelling. If his enemy doesn't die in three days he might just a well demand his money back. Me, I've killed hundreds that way. Literally hundreds. I intend to kill hundreds more, if my typewriter paper holds out. And the patience of the readers.

Vote of Thanks From Down Under

David R. Evans writes from New South Wales, Australia:

Will you please grant me the privilege of using the Eyrie to thank Seabury Quinn for so many enjoyable hours spent with him per medium of WEIRD TALES?

If I can encroach on your leniency further I would consisder it a personal favor if you allowed me to convey similar appreciation to Robert Bloch. Will you consider me presumptuous if I begged further space to thank all your artists for their excellent illustrations of the stories I have enjoyed reading in WEIRD TALES?

Irrespective of the ban here on American magazines, I find that I able to procure copies of WEIRD TALES through the combined kindness of Australian and American fans; the contents whose mail is sometimes confiscated by the authorities here. However, our love for WEIRD TALES does find a way.

In closing, I would also like to offer you my most sincere thanks for your keen sense of editorship as evidenced by recent issues of WEIRD TALES.

Thank you.

On Borrowed Time

From Decatur, Alabama, R. Cornelius Jones writes:

I am pausing long enough my reading of Lovecraft's novel, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward to tell you that it is absolutely the most enthralling weird novel I have seen in some time and that I can guarantee to anyone, weird fan or not, that they would enjoy it to the fullest.

And now back to my reading.

"Madam Zombi"

Annetta Richardson writes from Gary, Indiana:

May I tell you about my Inner Sanctum musing:

Ghastly figures danced across the wall, long eerie shadows, headlss forms that wound themselves around mysterious pinnacles of thin air like coiled snakes, things that whirled and leaped—all shadows from the paling light that was flickering out.

I felt fiendishly happy and lit another tall candle, picked up my copy of WEIRD TALES from the mirror-top table beside me and began another story adventure.

Ever since that night I've been involved in this devilish delight at the solemn stroke of 11—on Thursday nights—demons and devils come groping boldly out of the pages of the book and live in my agile imagination for an hour or two.

{{right|"MADAM ZOMBI"{{gap}} {{nop}}