by Barter, the latter styling himself a modern Alexander
of horrible potentiality, and extending his scope of
conquest to the Holy Land, India, Asia--the Pacific
littoral? Holy cats!

(3) Suppose that Barter managed, by purchase or otherwise,
to acquire an island close to the American continents,
within reach of either or both, and managed to transfer his
activities there, using the natives of those islands--say
Haiti, Cuba, Porto Rico, etc.--for his experiments, training
his cohorts as an army, and starting a navy by capturing all
vessels putting into these places? Fancy the consternation
of the Western Hemisphere when ships suddenly go silent, as
regards radio, after sudden mysterious SOS's--and all trace
of vessels is lost. Suppose the U. S. Navy went to
investigate, and also vanished. More holy cats!

(4) Suppose, in connection with all the suppositions above,
that Barter desired to give an ironic twist to his
experiments, and kept his human victims alive--but with
apes' brains--as slaves of their man-ape conquerors? Suppose
that out of the horror into which the world would be thrown,
another Bentley should arise to help the imprisoned humans
to escape their ghastly bondage? I can fancy his trials and
tribulations, trying to manage a host of human beings with
the brains of apes.

(5) And what about the training of internes and medicos to
help a potential Barter, when the trade got beyond his sole
ability--and apes with men's brains to perform his
experiments?

Do you suppose we'd all get locked up for experimenting with
this sort of thing fictionally? I wouldn't care to take the
entire responsibility myself, nor I fancy would you--because
somebody might be inspired by our stories to attempt the
thing--so might I suggest that all possible conspirators, in
the shape of readers of this magazine, write to you or me
and let us know whether they'd like to see it happen
fictionally? If the idea appeals--and of course we can't go
too heavily on horror--I'll do my best to comply. Always
within limits, however--utterly refusing to perform any
experiments that can't be done with a typewriter and the
usual two fingers.--Arthur J. Burks, 178-80 Fifth Ave., New
York City.

"_Like in Story Books_"

Dear Editor: