You know, it's wonderful the way there are hot story ideas in plain old everyday things! S'long ... gonna revise. Jerry [Illustration] Oct. 23, 1952 Mr. Robert W. Lowndes COLUMBIA PUBLICATIONS, Inc. 241 Church Street, New York 13, New York MASTER, Herewith a story, "The Slizzers," which Fred and I don't quite see eye to eye on. He thinks it stinks on ice. I'm sure you will disagree to the tune of nice money. J. ENCL: THE SLIZZERS 1952 OCT 24 AM 9 06 NB168 PD=NEW YORK NY 63 110B= JEROME BIXBY= 862 UNION ST APT 6H= BKLYN= JERRY= URGE STRONGLY THAT YOU DON'T TRY TO SELL SLIZZERS STOP IT'S JUST NO DAMN GOOD STOP YOU'VE GOT YOUR REPUTATION TO THINK OF STOP WHY LOUSE UP YOUR GOOD NAME WITH A LEMON AT THIS LATE DATE STOP KILL IT STOP I'VE TALKED IT OVER WITH JOE AND HE ISN'T FEELING HUMOROUS ANY MORE STOP PREFERS NOT TO HAVE NAME USED STOP REPEAT KILL THE THING FOR YOUR OWN GOOD= FRED 1952 OCT 24 AM 11 14 KL300 PD=NEW YORK NY 12 604B= JEROME BIXBY= 862 UNION ST APT 6H= BKLYN= SON= LIKE SLIZZERS STOP PREPOSTEROUS BUT CUTE STOP DISAGREE WITH FRED TO THE TUNE OF NICE MONEY BUT NICE MONEY STAYS IN MY POCKET STOP YOU NOW OWE ME ONLY FIFTY DOLLARS OF ADVANCE AUGUST 16 STOP DO I HEAR A SCREAM POOR BOY= BOB Oct. 24, 1952 Frederik Boles, Author's Agent 2200 Fifth Avenue New York, N. Y. Dear Fred, Your telegram came too late, and besides, the hell with it. Sent the yarn to Bob yesterday (groceries and rent wait for no man, you know) and he bought it, like the sensitive and discerning editor he is. What're you and Joe getting your tails in an uproar about? It's only a gag, so relax. Joe'll change his mind when he sees his name in print. Would like to have included another angle, by the way: if the narrator's amnesia-job _had_ been botched, wouldn't the _slizzers_ decide pretty damn quick that he was a menace to them and get rid of him? Think I'll send Bob a line or two to stick on the end ... you know, the old incompleted sentence deal ... just as if, while the narrator was finishing the story, the _slizzers_ came in and [Illustration] * * * * *