Monster Media 1994 #2/Monster Media No. 2 (Monster Media)(1994).ISO/magazine/rune0594.zip/RUNE0594.TXT

Text File | 1994-05-01 | 93KB | 2,116 lines

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
            RUNE'S RAG - Your Best Electronic MagaZine
               ---------------------------------
         Dedicated to Writers and Readers of every genre.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Published by:
 Arnold's Plutonomie$, Ltd.                            Vol. 2  No.  5
 P.O. Box 243, Greenville,                             (MAY 1994)
 PA 16125-0243
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Modem submissions to: WRITERS BIZ BBS
 1:2601/522 @ 1-412-LUV-RUNE (588-7863)
**********************************************************************
  "But, I didn't know it was loaded!" -- the *other* victim.
**********************************************************************

   RUNE'S RAG is a representation of as many authors as I can coerce
into submitting high quality material. All genres are represented. We
will strive to present a useful vehicle -- where, You, the reader will
receive valuable reading pleasures. Some of the features will be pure
unadulterated escapism, to stimulate your pleasure centers -- while
others may curl your hair.

   You, the reader, will have a voice in what is presented. There
will be a letters column, space permitting, giving you the reader a
voice. You are the most important part of the reader-writer process.
Take the time to netmail your comments -- You determine the content
of the magazine. If you like the magazine, support its continuation.
Enjoy! If you are an author please submit to the above address,
Thanks, see the last section of the magazine for more information.
______________________________________________________________________
Welcome, To: "RUNE'S RAG - Bringing YOU the Best in fiction and more."
Managing Editor - Rick Arnold
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1994 ARNOLD'S PLUTONOMIE$, LTD., All Rights Reserved
Single issue SHAREWARE Registration/Donation - $3.00, Eliminate Ads!
----------------------------------------------------------------------


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Some Beginnings......................... Various...................02
THE REAPER -- could be Grim............. Gay Bost..................03
THE MONSTER MEN -- a serial............. Edgar R. Burroughs........09
WhatNots -- bits of StufF............... Various & Staff StufF.....18
Poetry -- for you....................... Bailey & Westerman........20
SIGN OF THE TIMES....................... Ed........................28
NWU...... In Defense of Writers......... Philip Mattera............31
Subscription info......LOWER rates...... RUNE......................37
Sysop Offer............................. RUNE......................38
Writer's Guidelines..................... Ed........................40
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 02                        APR 1994


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Some Beginnings
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The limerick packs laughs anatomical,
Into space that is quite economical.
  But the good ones I've seen
  So seldom are clean,
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.


"I need new sneakers, too much tripping, my soul is wearing thin."


When I was one-and-twenty
  I heard a wise man say,
  "Give crowns and pounds and guineas
  But not your heart away.

"When in doubt -- you've probably have had too much advice."


"Software/Hardware -- if it ain't broke, it'll be outdated in a few months."

=====================       # # #     ================================



THE REAPER
  by Gay Bost


  Did you ever meet someone that changed your life? Sure you have;
we all have. I mean one of those people you meet, see a few times and
never see again. After they're gone you realize they left a deep
impression. In my life it was Maggie. But maybe I'd better start
from the beginning.

  I was looking for ... something. Like the song says 'everybody's
looking for something'. I was looking for something special.

  Maggie was something else.

  Her first words to me were, "I like to know what makes people tick.
It's a Time thing." Her first question was "Why do you hate cats?"

  I've never hated cats. They fascinate me. Dogs whimper and go belly
up. I only killed one dog. I felt dirty for weeks. But cats! Cats
fight you to the last breath. They twitch and dig their claws in like
they want to take you with them to hell. It's a rush.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 03                        APR 1994
  I told her I loved to look into cats' eyes. I didn't tell her when.

  I met her online. Women think you're *safe* if they meet you online.
I don't know why; they just do. We talked for weeks before I asked if
she'd like to get together for a cup of coffee. She was alone,
single, far from family and new to the city. She had two cats and a
10 gallon aquarium. She wasn't desperately lonely, but she could use
a friend. Just the girl for me.

  I know what you're thinking. I do. You're thinking I must be some
kind of no-win nerd to have to pick girls up on a computer. Well, sit
back, bud. It's a Way. And it works. For what I need it works
great. The cash outlay is minimal for getting to know chicks. No
movies, no popcorn, no hangover and, with an off-line mail reader, no
late hours. If things don't work out you insult the bitch and put her
in a twit filter. Life is good!

  She lived in Minerva Park and I had a place in Westerville. We met
halfway. I wanted to be there first so I told her 6:30. At 5:30 I
found a quiet booth along the wall facing the door and ordered a
hamburger. It was greasy-spoon quality, and cheap. I'd never been in
the place. It had been her suggestion. Just a place she saw once in
a while when she drove by, she'd said. While I sat and watched two
girls came in. Tight jeans, short jackets, that hard-soft look.
Trouble revving up for the night. They caught me and flashed teeth
and shoulder swivels at me. Makes a guy feel good, even if he's got
other fish to fry. I curled my tongue at them. One snarled her face
up and jerked her head away. The other winked. Women!

  Maggy hadn't given me a description. She said she'd come in and catch
a stool and check me out. She liked to play games. She'd done that
with me on the board. I had the feeling she'd met a few guys this
way, too, but I wasn't interested in her purity. When she walked in
I knew it was her.

  She paused just inside the glass door, looking around the place. She
spotted the three empty stools at the counter, marked her place with
bright hazel eyes and re-scanned the room. Her eyes found mine. A
satisfied smile threatened to break out, the corners of her mouth
twitching. She'd made me, too. Something electrical flew across the
room and hit me below the belt. I actually gulped.

  She wasn't beautiful but when she crossed the distance between us I
wasn't the only one watching her bounce inside her clothes.
She stood at the edge of the table, her hand held out, saying "Lee?"

  I took her hand and held the fingers between mine. I'd seen it in a
movie and used it ever since. They liked it. "What happened to the
stool gambit?" I asked, dazzling her with a smile.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 04                        APR 1994
  She returned it, letting her's spread past her eyes and into my soul.
She had to know she had a great smile. She slid into the seat across
from me, stuffed her bag against the wall and focused her full
attention on me. She made me feel like I was the only man in the
place. Everything about her said 'alive and planning on staying that
way for ever'.

  I don't remember what we talked about, if anything. I do remember
walking out of that place 2 hours and five or six cups of coffee
later. I remember putting her in her car, closing the door thinking
'I want you!' I remember thinking and feeling that so much that she
got out of the car again, wrapped her arms around me and cleaned my
tonsils for me.

  I logged on as soon as I got home and left her a steamy message. I
wanted my hands on her more than anything in the world. There was
a message from her to me, posted while we were still in the
restaurant, which read "A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou..."
That was it. A chill crept up my spine. I dreamed of her eyes and
the curve of her mouth every night for a week.

  Every night there were messages for me. Every morning I left replies
for her. At the end of the second week I started the fight. She had
alluded to her political beliefs a few times, but didn't seem to have
much passion for a fight. I could care less about any of it, but I
needed a prod and thought politics might do it. After the first
heated words I called her at home and told her I had to see her.
She named a park  on the other side of the city, saying she'd bring
lunch and a blanket. She told me to bring the crow. "And bring
your appetite!" she hissed, slamming the receiver down.

  I knew the park. I waited in the parking lot, remembering the last
time I'd been there. That had been the blonde. She'd gone down with
her eyes scrunched tight shut, screaming. A real fun date. I'd had
trouble hearing for three days. I was lost in the memory when Maggie
rapped on the window. When I got out of the car and took the basket
from her she saw how excited I was and thought it was for her. A
great reaction and I hadn't even planned it.

  "Oh, Lee," she said. "I thought..." she shrugged, bouncing softly.

  "Look, I'm sorry." I touched her throat with one finger, looking deep
into her eyes.

  She smiled, jarring my soul again. "Where do you want to go?"

  "Heaven?"  Right then I thought I might make it.

  "To eat? To talk? To touch," she said, taking my hand. I remember
thinking she was considering taking me wherever I wanted to go.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 05                        APR 1994
  "They were just words," I said after the blanket was spread on the
grass, after she'd pulled out a bottle of wine and two plastic
champagne glasses, after a loaf of crusty French bread had appeared.

  "Hush," and she touched a finger tip to my lips.

  I hadn't believed she was going to be this easy. I wanted her then,
there in the sunlight under the trees. I wanted her bad and it looked
like she could be real bad when she wanted to be. I held her and
whispered against her ear. I stroked her arms and kissed her. She
nuzzled against me and listened to my voice. She asked if I wanted
her. She pouted when I told her I wasn't prepared. She teased me and
made me wish I'd moved faster. She made a game out of it, playing
against the hunger she said she could feel.

  "I'd like to get under your skin," she confided in a whisper. "I'd
like to get into your head."  She chuckled against my chest.

  I started laying it out in my mind right then. She was going to be so
good. She might be that something special. 'Yeah, this could be the
one,' I'd thought. I made promises to her as the sun set. We laid
plans to make our dreams come true the next time we met. I swore I'd
be prepared.

  She put both of her hands on my chest, looked into my eyes and smiled
that special smile. She almost purred when she said, "And I'll be
ready for you."

  I considered an unplanned encounter. I'll admit it. She had me that
worked up. The first girl I'd ever taken had been unplanned. I'd had
to leave that town because of it. Six years later and more than a
thousand miles away I almost forgot the uproar that had caused.

  As Maggie rolled across the blanket to put the empty wine bottle in
the basket a car rolled by, reminding me where I was. I didn't
know whether to cuss that car or bless it. I still don't.

  Two days later I attacked her on another political issue. I told her
she was politically naive and socially incompetent. I told her not to
post to me again. I didn't twit her. I watched her rant for a week.
I dreamed intense dreams every night, waking up sweating, calling out
her name. I was ready.

  "You Jerk!" she raved at me when I called her. "How can you even think
I'd talk to you after what you said?"  I could hear her breathing hard
in her anger.

  "Because I think you love me," I told her.

  There was silence on the other end of the line. I waited. I thought I
heard footsteps. Maybe she'd thrown the receiver down and walked
away. This was part of it. I had to have this, too. The uncertainty,
the suspense, the possibility that I might not get what I wanted.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 06                        APR 1994
  "Excuse me?" she said. She sounded out of breath. I could imagine
her going to the window and taking deep breaths or hopping on her
stationary bike and doing a few miles.

  "I think I love you," I said.

  "Lee! You're nuts!" She slammed down the phone.

  I waited. I had a cup of coffee. I played a few games of solitaire
and watched the cards roll down the screen. I had a sudden urge to
log onto the BBS and see if she was up to something. A thousand ideas
rolled through my head. I called back.

  "Maggie? Can we try again? Can we meet? Can I..love you?"

  "What's the matter, Hot Shot? Is your social calendar a blank this
week?"

  "Ah, Maggie! Don't do me that way," I pleaded.

  "We'll see how long you can stay committed to this," she said. "You
give me some decent messages and try not to humiliate me for a week
and I might, just might, believe you."

  "I can't, Maggie. My hard drive crashed this morning," I lied.

  Again the silence. The receiver clicked. I smiled. She hadn't
slammed it down. This was almost as good as the real thing.

  I waited an hour. I took a shower. I listened to the radio. "The
reasons don't hear the Reaper, nor do the wind the sun or the rain.
Ah, come on, baby..." I sang, laughing. Oh, I was so ready!

  On the third call I woke her, she said.

  "Don't you dream of me, Maggie?"  I asked.

  "Every night, Lee," she breathed.

  "Meet me at midnight, Maggie," I begged. "I know a place. The night's
warm. Bring a blanket and thou. I'll bring the wine."

  She laughed wildly. I could almost hear her thinking. A chill crept
up my spine. For a minute I almost called it off. She was something
else.

  "You better be prepared to reap what you've sewn," she warned,
purring.

  "I am!" I promised.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 07                        APR 1994
  When she stepped out of her car I said, "Hot damn!"  She'd put on a
summer dress. Her neck and shoulders were bare. She'd put her hair up
with little curls hanging around her face. She looked great. Those
eyes hazel eyes shone with energy and life. I ran to her and grabbed
her up, swinging her around. She hung on and laughed. I hugged her
tight to me.

  We held hands, arms swinging between us, as we walked up the gravel
path to the overlook. A dense screen of trees blocked the view of
the silent road behind us. I took the blanket from her and spread it
out on the ground, sitting, holding my hand out to her to join me.

  She dropped to her knees in front of me, taking both sides of my face
in her hands. She looked into my eyes, searching for something. She
nodded just a little bit like she'd made up her mind. She kissed me
then, putting everything she had into it. She reamed my tonsils, and
cleaned, polished, and straightened my teeth. "Lee," she whispered,
drawing back to look into my eyes, again.

  "Ah, Maggie," I breathed, pulling her down.

  She lay silently, looking up at me as I tugged the blanket around to
make a pillow for her head. Her lips curved in a soft smile. I
kissed her nose, her eyes, her brow. We locked eyes as I brought the
edge of the blanket up, and stroked her cheek with it. Her breathing
changed pace, matching mine. Caught up in my own need as I was, I
noticed that, and wondered why no one else had ever done that.

  "I'll love you for the rest of your life," I told her.

  "And I'm going to love you for a long long time past that," she said.

  I rolled over on top of her. She smiled sweetly. I wrapped my
fingers around her throat quickly, blanket between her skin and mine.
Her smile deepened. She didn't struggle much. I applied pressure,
looking into her, reaching out for that something special. Still,
motionless long before she should be, her eyes glowed, a green
reflection of something within. Her smile changed. A heat wave way
past believing wrapped itself around me, surged through me, and found
a place of its own. She laughed like she knew; like she'd put one
over on *me*.

  My hands took on a life of their own, crushing her windpipe, grinding
against the cartilage in her throat. She smiled wide, way past her
eyes and into my soul. Her legs jerked beneath me. Her torso
straightened suddenly. Something, something special happened.
Something like a cat hooking its claws and dragging me into hell with
it. I collapsed against her, listening for a heartbeat. There was
nothing but the sudden pounding of my own, doubly loud in my ears.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 08                        APR 1994
  I would have left the body there, blanket wrapped around her throat,
as I always did. Something else made me roll her up in the blanket
and push her over the edge of the rise into the tall grass below. I
watched myself do it, wondered why, and followed the urge anyway. I
went to her car, pulled the tail of my shirt out and opened the door.
The interior light glared. I stood staring at it for a few minutes,
questioning myself, before I got into my own car and drove into the
warm night.

  I realized I was in a daze of some kind when the waiter asked, with
some surprise, "You want two cups of coffee?"  I was in the same diner
where I'd first met her.

  "Maggie's goin' meet me here," I told him.

  "Maggie," he repeated. "Uh-huh. She's something else. Let me know if
you ever figure out what."  He looked at me like I had spinach stuck
in my teeth, frowning. "What's a matter with you?"

  "I don't know. I haven't been myself since last time I saw her."

==============================     # # #    ===========================
Copyright 1994 Gay L. Bost
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Gay is a Clinical Lab Tech with experience in Veterinary medicine.
Originally from NORTHERN California, she has resided in Southeast Missouri
with her husband and an aggressive 6 year old boy, since 1974. She
installed her first modem in the summer of 1992 and has been exploring new
worlds since.  Her first and only publication, a short horror story, came
when she was 17 years old.  The success was so overwhelming she called an
end to her writing days and went in search of herself. She's still looking.
You will find Gay's work in the best Electronic Magazines.
===========================================================================


Chapter 5, TREASON
  by Edgar Rice Burroughs

On their return to camp after her rescue Virginia
talked a great deal to von Horn about the young giant
who had rescued her, until the man feared that she was
more interested in him than seemed good for his own plans.

He had now cast from him the last vestige of his
loyalty for his employer, and thus freed had determined
to use every means within his power to win Professor
Maxon's daughter, and with her the heritage of wealth
which he knew would be hers should her father,
through some unforeseen mishap, meet death before
he could return to civilization and alter his will,
a contingency which von Horn knew he might have to consider
should he marry the girl against her father's wishes, and
thus thwart the crazed man's mad, but no less dear project.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 09                        APR 1994
He realized that first he must let the girl fully
understand the grave peril in which she stood,
and turn her hope of protection from her father to himself.
He imagined that the initial step in undermining
Virginia's confidence in her father would be to narrate
every detail of the weird experiments which Professor
Maxon had brought to such successful issues during
their residence upon the island.

The girl's own questioning gave him the lead he needed.

"Where could that horrid creature have come from that
set upon me in the jungle and nearly killed poor Sing?"
she asked.

For a moment von Horn was silent, in well simulated
hesitancy to reply to her query.

"I cannot tell you, Miss Maxon," he said sadly,
"how much I should hate to be the one to ignore your
father's commands, and enlighten you upon this and
other subjects which lie nearer to your personal
welfare than you can possibly guess; but I feel that
after the horrors of this day duty demands that I must
lay all before you--you cannot again be exposed to the
horrors from which you were rescued only by a miracle."

"I cannot imagine what you hint at, Dr. von Horn,"
said Virginia, "but if to explain to me will
necessitate betraying my father's confidence
I prefer that you remain silent."

"You do not understand," broke in the man, "you cannot
guess the horrors that I have seen upon this island,
or the worse horrors that are to come.  Could you dream
of what lies in store for you, you would seek death rather
than face the future.  I have been loyal to your father,
Virginia, but were you not blind, or indifferent,
you would long since have seen that your welfare
means more to me than my loyalty to him--
more to me than my life or my honor.

"You asked where the creature came from that attacked
you today.  I shall tell you.  It is one of a dozen
similarly hideous things that your father has created
in his mad desire to solve the problem of life.
He has solved it; but, God, at what a price
in misshapen, soulless, hideous monsters!"

The girl looked up at him, horror stricken.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 10                        APR 1994
"Do you mean to say that my father in a mad attempt to
usurp the functions of God created that awful thing?"
she asked in a low, faint voice, "and that there are
others like it upon the island?"

"In the campong next to yours there are a dozen others,"
replied von Horn, "nor would it be easy to say which
is the most hideous and repulsive.  They are grotesque
caricatures of humanity--without soul and almost without brain."

"God!" murmured the girl, burying her face in her hands,
"he has gone mad; he has gone mad."

"I truly believe that he is mad," said von Horn, "nor could
you doubt it for a moment were I to tell you the worst."

"The worst!" exclaimed the girl.  "What could be worse
than that which you already have divulged?  Oh, how could
you have permitted it?"

"There is much worse than I have told you, Virginia.
So much worse that I can scarce force my lips to frame
the words, but you must be told.  I would be more
criminally liable than your father were I to keep
it from you, for my brain, at least, is not crazed.
Virginia, you have in your mind a picture of the
hideous thing that carried you off into the jungle?"

"Yes," and as the girl replied a convulsive shudder
racked her frame.

Von Horn grasped her arm gently as he went on,
as though to support and protect her during the shock
that he was about to administer.

"Virginia," he said in a very low voice, "it is your
father's intention to wed you to one of his creatures."

The girl broke from him with an angry cry.

"It is not true!" she exclaimed.  "It is not true.
Oh, Dr. von Horn how could you tell me such a cruel
and terrible untruth."

"As God is my judge, Virginia," and the man reverently
uncovered as he spoke, "it is the truth.  Your father
told me it in so many words when I asked his permission
to pay court to you myself--you are to marry Number
Thirteen when his education is complete."

"I shall die first!" she cried.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 11                        APR 1994
"Why not accept me instead?" suggested the man.

For a moment Virginia looked straight into his eyes as
though to read his inmost soul.

"Let me have time to consider it, Doctor," she replied.
"I do not know that I care for you in that way at all."

"Think of Number Thirteen," he suggested.  "It should
not be difficult to decide."

"I could not marry you simply to escape a worse fate,"
replied the girl.  "I am not that cowardly--but let me
think it over.  There can be no immediate danger, I am sure."

"One can never tell," replied von Horn, "what strange,
new vagaries may enter a crazed mind to dictate this
moment's action or the next."

"Where could we wed?" asked Virginia.

"The Ithaca would bear us to Singapore, and when we
returned you would be under my legal protection and safe."

"I shall think about it from every angle," she answered
sadly, "and now good night, my dear friend," and with a
wan smile she entered her quarters.

For the next month Professor Maxon was busy educating
Number Thirteen.  He found the young man intelligent
far beyond his most sanguine hopes, so that the
progress made was little short of uncanny.

Von Horn during this time continued to urge upon
Virginia the necessity for a prompt and favorable
decision in the matter of his proposal; but when it
came time to face the issue squarely the girl found it
impossible to accede to his request--she thought that
she loved him, but somehow she dared not say the word
that would make her his for life.

Bududreen, the Malay mate was equally harassed by
conflicting desires, though of a different nature,
or he had his eye upon the main chance that was
represented to him by the great chest, and also upon
the lesser reward which awaited him upon delivery of
the girl to Rajah Muda Saffir.  The fact that he could
find no safe means for accomplishing both these ends
simultaneously was all that had protected either from
his machinations.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 12                        APR 1994
The presence of the uncanny creatures of the court of
mystery had become known to the Malay and he used this
knowledge as an argument to foment discord and mutiny
in the ignorant and superstitious crew under his
command.  By boring a hole in the partition wall
separating their campong from the inner one he had
disclosed to the horrified view of his men the fearsome
brutes harbored so close to them.  The mate, of course,
had no suspicion of the true origin of these monsters,
but his knowledge of the fact that they had not been
upon the island when the Ithaca arrived and that it
would have been impossible for them to have landed and
reached the camp without having been seen by himself or
some member of his company, was sufficient evidence to
warrant him in attributing their presence to some
supernatural and malignant power.

This explanation the crew embraced willingly, and with
it Bududreen's suggestion that Professor Maxon had
power to transform them all into similar atrocities.
The ball once started gained size and momentum as it
progressed.  The professor's ofttimes strange
expression was attributed to an evil eye, and every
ailment suffered by any member of the crew was blamed
upon their employer's Satanic influence.  There was but
one escape from the horrors of such a curse--the death
of its author; and when Bududreen discovered that
they had reached this point, and were even discussing
the method of procedure, he added all that was needed
to the dangerously smouldering embers of bloody mutiny by
explaining that should anything happen to the white men
he would become sole owner of their belongings,
including the heavy chest, and that the reward
of each member of the crew would be generous.

Von Horn was really the only stumbling block in
Bududreen's path.  With the natural cowardice of the
Malay he feared this masterful American who never moved
without a brace of guns slung about his hips; and it
was at just this psychological moment that the doctor
played into the hands of his subordinate, much to the
latter's inward elation.

Von Horn had finally despaired of winning Virginia by
peaceful court, and had about decided to resort to
force when he was precipitately confirmed in his
decision by a conversation with the girl's father.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 13                       APR 1994
He and the professor were talking in the workshop of
the remarkable progress of Number Thirteen toward a
complete mastery of English and the ways and manners
of society, in which von Horn had been assisting his
employer to train the young giant.  The breach between
the latter and von Horn had been patched over by
Professor Maxon's explanations to Number Thirteen
as soon as the young man was able to comprehend--in the
meantime it had been necessary to keep von Horn out of
the workshop except when the giant was confined in his
own room off the larger one.

Von Horn had been particularly anxious, for the furtherance
of certain plans he had in mind, to effect a reconciliation
with Number Thirteen, to reach a basis of friendship
with the young man, and had left no stone unturned
to accomplish this result.  To this end he had spent
considerable time with Number Thirteen, coaching him
in English and in the ethics of human association.

"He is progressing splendidly, Doctor," Professor Maxon
had said.  "It will be but a matter of a day or so when
I can introduce him to Virginia, but we must be careful
that she has no inkling of his origin until mutual
affection has gained a sure foothold between them."

"And if that should not occur?" questioned von Horn.

"I should prefer that they mated voluntarily," replied
the professor, the strange gleam leaping to his eyes at
the suggestion of possible antagonism to his cherished
plan, "but if not, then they shall be compelled by
the force of my authority--they both belong to me,
body and soul."

"You will wait for the final consummation of your
desires until you return with them to civilization,
I presume," said von Horn.

"And why?" returned the professor.  "I can wed them
here myself--it would be the surer way--yes, that is
what I shall do."

It was this determination on the part of Professor
Maxon that decided von Horn to act at once.  Further,
it lent a reasonable justification for his purposed act.

Shortly after their talk the older man left the workshop,
and von Horn took the opportunity to inaugurate the
second move of his campaign.  Number Thirteen was sitting
near a window which let upon the inner court, busy with
the rudiments of written English.  Von Horn approached him.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 14                       APR 1994
"You are getting along nicely, Jack," he said kindly,
looking over the other's shoulder and using the name
which had been adopted at his suggestion to lend a more
human tone to their relations with the nameless man.

"Yes," replied the other, looking up with a smile.
"Professor Maxon says that in another day or two I may
come and live in his own house, and again meet his
beautiful daughter.  It seems almost too good to be
true that I shall actually live under the same roof
with her and see her every day--sit at the same table
with her--and walk with her among the beautiful trees
and flowers that witnessed our first meeting.  I wonder
if she will remember me.  I wonder if she will be as
glad to see me again as I shall be to see her."

"Jack," said von Horn, sadly, "I am afraid there
is a terrible and disappointing awakening for you.
It grieves me that it should be so, but it seems only
fair to tell you, what Professor Maxon either does not know
or has forgotten, that his daughter will not look with
pleasure upon you when she learns your origin.

"You are not as other men.  You are but the accident of
a laboratory experiment.  You have no soul, and the
soul is all that raises man above the beasts.  Jack,
poor boy, you are not a human being--you are not even
a beast.  The world, and Miss Maxon is of the world,
will look upon you as a terrible creature to be shunned--
a horrible monstrosity far lower in the scale of creation
than the lowest order of brutes.

"Look," and the man pointed through the window toward
the group of hideous things that wandered aimlessly
about the court of mystery.  "You are of the same breed
as those, you differ from them only in the symmetry of
your face and features, and the superior development of
your brain.  There is no place in the world for them,
nor for you.

"I am sorry that it is so.  I am sorry that I should
have to be the one to tell you; but it is better that
you know it now from a friend than that you meet the
bitter truth when you least expected it, and possibly
from the lips of one like Miss Maxon for whom you might
have formed a hopeless affection."

As von Horn spoke the expression on the young man's
face became more and more hopeless, and when he had
ceased he dropped his head into his open palms, sitting
quiet and motionless as a carven statue.  No sob shook
his great frame, there was no outward indication of the
terrible grief that racked him inwardly--only in the
pose was utter dejection and hopelessness.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 15                       APR 1994
The older man could not repress a cold smile--it had
had more effect than he had hoped.

"Don't take it too hard, my boy," he continued.
"The world is wide.  It would be easy to find a thousand
places where your antecedents would be neither known
nor questioned.  You might be very happy elsewhere and
there a hundred thousand girls as beautiful and sweet
as Virginia Maxon--remember that you have never seen
another, so you can scarcely judge."

"Why did he ever bring me into the world?" exclaimed
the young man suddenly.  "It was wicked--wicked--
terribly cruel and wicked."

"I agree with you," said von Horn quickly, seeing
another possibility that would make his future plans
immeasurably easier.  "It was wicked, and it is still
more wicked to continue the work and bring still other
unfortunate creatures into the world to be the butt
and plaything of cruel fate."

"He intends to do that?" asked the youth.

"Unless he is stopped," replied von Horn.

"He must be stopped," cried the other.  "Even if
it were necessary to kill him."

Von Horn was quite satisfied with the turn events had taken.
He shrugged his shoulders and turned on his heel toward
the outer campong.

"If he had wronged me as he has you, and those others,"
with a gesture toward the court of mystery, "I should
not be long in reaching a decision."  And with that he
passed out, leaving the door unlatched.

Von Horn went straight to the south campong and sought
out Bududreen.  Motioning the Malay to follow him they
walked across the clearing and entered the jungle out
of sight and hearing of the camp.  Sing, hanging
clothes in the north end of the clearing saw them
depart, and wondered a little.

"Bududreen," said von Horn, when the two had reached a
safe distance from the enclosures, "there is no need of
mincing matters--something must be done at once.  I do
not know how much you know of the work that Professor
Maxon has been engaged in since we reached this island;
but it has been hellish enough and it must go no
further.  You have seen the creatures in the campong
next to yours?"
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 16                       APR 1994
"I have seen," replied Bududreen, with a shudder.

"Professor Maxon intends to wed one of these to his
daughter," von Horn continued.  "She loves me and we
wish to escape--can I rely on you and your men to aid
us?  There is a chest in the workshop which we must
take along too, and I can assure you that you all will
be well rewarded for your work.  We intend merely to leave
Professor Maxon here with the creatures he has created."

Bududreen could scarce repress a smile--it was indeed
too splendid to be true.

"It will be perilous work, Captain," he answered.
"We should all be hanged were we caught."

"There will be no danger of that, Bududreen,
for there will be no one to divulge our secret."

"There will be the Professor Maxon," urged the Malay.
"Some day he will escape from the island, and then we
shall all hang."

"He will never escape," replied von Horn, "his own
creatures will see to that.  They are already
commencing to realize the horrible crime he has
committed against them, and when once they are fully
aroused there will be no safety for any of us.  If you
wish to leave the island at all it will be best for you
to accept my proposal and leave while your head yet
remains upon your shoulders.  Were we to suggest to the
professor that he leave now he would not only refuse
but he would take steps to make it impossible for any
of us to leave, even to sinking the Ithaca.  The man
is mad--quite mad--Bududreen, and we cannot longer
jeopardize our own throats merely to humor his crazy
and criminal whims."

The Malay was thinking fast, and could von Horn have
guessed what thoughts raced through the tortuous
channels of that semi-barbarous brain he would have
wished himself safely housed in the American prison
where he belonged.

"When do you wish to sail?" asked the Malay.

"Tonight," replied von Horn, and together they matured
their plans.  An hour later the second mate with six
men disappeared into the jungle toward the harbor.
They, with the three on watch, were to get the vessel
in readiness for immediate departure.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 17                       APR 1994
After the evening meal von Horn sat on the verandah
with Virginia Maxon until the Professor came from the
workshop to retire for the night.  As he passed them he
stopped for a word with von Horn, taking him aside out
of the girl's hearing.

"Have you noticed anything peculiar in the actions of
Thirteen?" asked the older man.  "He was sullen and
morose this evening, and at times there was a strange,
wild light in his eyes as he looked at me.  Can it be
possible that, after all, his brain is defective?
It would be terrible.  My work would have gone for naught,
for I can see no way in which I can improve upon him."

"I will go and have a talk with him later," said von
Horn, "so if you hear us moving about in the workshop,
or even out here in the campong think nothing of it.
I may take him for a long walk.  It is possible that
the hard study and close confinement to that little
building have been too severe upon his brain and nerves.
A long walk each evening may bring him around all right."

"Splendid--splendid," replied the professor.  "You may
be quite right.  Do it by all means, my dear doctor,"
and there was a touch of the old, friendly, sane tone
which had been so long missing, that almost caused von
Horn to feel a trace of compunction for the hideous act
of disloyalty that he was on the verge of perpetrating.

As Professor Maxon entered the house von Horn returned
to Virginia and suggested that they take a short walk
outside the campong before retiring.  The girl readily
acquiesced to the plan, and a moment later found them
strolling through the clearing toward the southern end
of the camp.  In the dark shadows of the gateway
leading to the men's enclosure a figure crouched.
The girl did not see it, but as they came opposite it
von Horn coughed twice, and then the two passed on
toward the edge of the jungle.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=     ? ? ?     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
  End Chapter 5 -- THE MONSTER MEN. Get the next issue of RUNE'S RAG
for the exciting continuation of this story by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Edgar Rice Burroughs has influenced writers and readers for the past
three generations, with well over 100 million books produced because of
his fertile imagination; this offering is a presentation to those who
are unfamiliar with his work -- other than the TARZAN series.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 18                       APR 1994
                        =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= WhatNots, Why not? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                        -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
News you can Use
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 Do you have a question about the Federal government that you can't
get answered? Been playing phone tag with too many representitives?
Not sure where to even begin? Here are some phone numbers to various
Federal Information Centers. These are regional, but if you are in
a state not listed, call [phone]. Or try one of the out of
state numbers, and see what you get.  Don't forget business hours,
they do work for the government. <g>

 There is a special number for use of TDD/TTY, (Telecommunications
Devices for the Deaf), from anywhere in the US: 800-326-2996

Alabama -- 800-366-2998              Minnesota -- 800-366-2998

Alaska -- 800 729-8003               Missouri -- 800-735-8004
                                      St. Louis (ONLY) 800-366-2998
Arizona -- 800-359-3997
                                     Nebraska -- 800-735-8004
Arkansas -- 800-366-2998              Omaha (ONLY) 800-366-2998

California -- 800-726-4995           New Jersey -- 800 347-1997

Colorado -- 800-359-3997             New Mexico -- 800-359-3997

Connecticut -- 800-347-1997          New York -- 800-347-1997

Florida -- 800-347-1997              North Carolina -- 800-347-1997

Georgia -- 800-347-1997              Ohio -- 800-347-1997

Hawaii -- 800-733-5996               Oklahoma -- 800-366-2998

Illinois -- 800-366-2998             Oregon -- 800-726-4995

Indiana -- 800-366-2998              Pennsylvania -- 800-347-1997
Indianapolis -- 800-347-1997
                                     Rhode Island -- 800-347-1997
Iowa -- 800-735-8004
                                     Tennesse -- 800-366-2998
Kansas -- 800-735-8004                Chattanooga 800-347-1997

Kentucky -- 800-347-1997             Texas -- 800-366-2998

Louisiana -- 800-366-2998            Utah -- 800-359-3997

Maryland -- 800-347-1997             Virginia -- 800-347-1997

Massachusetts -- 800-347-1997        Washington -- 800-726-4995

Michigan -- 800-347-1997             Wisconsin -- 800-366-2998
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 19                       APR 1994
  If your're a tad paranoid, just call an out of state number.
But, these people are trained to assist you, and can point you
to the specific department you need to get an answer to your question.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

=-=-=-=-
STuFF
=-=-=-=-=

  Need a copy of your credit report? If you have been declined credit
because of a report, contact the reporting agency. They will provide
a copy of the report free of charge, as required by law. If you are
just interested, here are some sources, however there will be a fee
involved. But, if you are planning on a major purchase, a home or a
new car, it will be worth your time and expense to check your credit
prior to attempting the purchase.

Equifax Credit Information Services      TRW Consumer Assistance Center
Wildwood Plaza,                          PO Box 749029,
7200 Windy Hill, Suite 500               Dallas, TX 75374-9029
Marietta, GA 30067                       Phone: [phone]
Phone: [phone]

Trans Union Consumer Relations           Local Credit Bureaus
25249 Country Club Blvd.,                 (They should be listed in
PO Box 7000                                the yellow pages under:
North Olmstead, OH 44070                   Credit Reporting Agencies or
[phone]                               Credit Bureaus.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

=-=-=-=-=-=-
More StuFf
=-=-=-=-=-=-=

  Need to get a copy of your medical information file:

  Medical Informaiton Bureau (MIB)
  PO Box 105,
  Essex Station,
  Boston, MA 02112
  Phone: [phone]

  If the originating insurance company believes there is sensitive
medical information recorded on your file, the company may require
the MIB to send your medical file only to your doctor.
------------------------------------------------------------------


RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 20                       APR 1994
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Even More sTufF
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  Are you being inundated with junk mail and telemarketers calling
you every day? You can have your name and number removed from many
of the marketing lists. The Direct Marketing Association and its
members want happy customers, and are willing to work with you.
They will be happy to remove your name and address from their
marketing lists. Contact them through the following addresses:

   Mail Preference Service               Telephone Preference Service
   Direct Marketing Association    or    Direct Marketing Association
   PO Box 9008,                          PO Box 9015,
   Farmingdale, NY 11735                 Farmingdale, NY 11735
=========================     #  #  #    =============================

Do you have tips and hints that would be of service to others?
Share them with others; send to:
  RUNE'S RAG, PO BOX 243, Greenville, PA 16125 or modem to [phone]
==========================================================================

-<=>-=-=-<=>-=-<=>-
The Poetry Cranny
----<====>-------


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Political Poetry to Spark your Imagination:
 by William Bailey
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

When Whitewater Burst

There once was a place in Arkansas
Whitewater was it's name

Siphoning from saving and loans
That was the name of the game

But things went sour and banks failed
And no one would take the blame

A few years later in Washington DC
That was the place they came

Then Whitewater burst and Bill cursed
And Washington was never the same . . . .
---------------------------------

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 21                       APR 1994
The Big 3 Ring

Welcome to the big three ring
The greatest show on earth

We have an awesome tax machine
See it's massive girth

There's the funny clown
That juggles with our life

Who's that there in the center ring
The ringmaster and his wife

The elephant and the donkey
They walk around the ring

They stop and look into the stands
How much money did you bring

The elephant steals a peanut
The donkey kicks you down

And both will fleece your pockets
While they have you down

Just remember now in 96
When the circus comes to town

Choose wisely then for who you vote
Or you may be the clown . . . .
-----------------------


Smoker Blues

Hey smoker trash'in our air
Smok'in them fags everywhere

Nicotine stains on your finger tips
Remove that thing from your lips

That terrible smell in your car
That film on your windows, must be tar

Your the reason for health care
And now you'll pay, your fair share

We'll need your money to foot the bill
And we'll tax them things and your will

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 22                      APR 1994
But if your smokes will pay the price
The bureaucrats, had better think twice

We need more smokers it's plain to see
For a short while lets make them free

Lets get more hooked, then raise the cost
For each one that quits, is money lost . . . .
--------------------------------------


Whitewater

Hilery and Bill are stuck in Whitewater
By the looks of things it's going to get hotter

Vince Foster gone a shot to the head
And Hilery's health care is all but dead

Cabinet members are dropping like fly's
But that Bill Clinton, He really tries

Bill Clinton thinks, things must get better
While Hilery's working on the schreader

The Clintons are screaming it's not fair
But theres one thing, he really cares
-------------------------------------



Soap On A Rope

Gays in the military
Oh what a joy

Hit the showers
With all the new boys

When they come in
How will we cope

Better start using
Soap on a rope

Cause if your soap
Slips out of hand

Up from behind
May be a man . . . .
------------

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 23                      APR 1994

Moral Fabric

The moral fabric of our nation
Is tearing at the seams

With all the killing and the drugs
So many un met dreams

Parents worry everyday
They send there kids to school

Knowing now that schools have changed
Where gangs and hoodlums rule

The thugs are treated with kid gloves
All because we care

Another chance another try
Because it's only fair

In the days of old we took them on
In there battle zone
The IRS and FBI took on the mob
And captured Al Capone

But were understanding
and try to fill there pain

I think our liberal government
Will drive us all insane . . . .
------------------------

The Immigrants

They cross our boarders everyday
All in search of a better way

The thought of freedom in there mind
They leave all else behind

Leaving behind family and friend
All in search of a better end

Do they know something we do not
Or is it something we just forgot

Ours is a freedom to pick and choose
And it's our choice to win or lose

Immigrants achieve great success
While we do so much less

Our only limits is in our minds
Break those chains and you'll be fine . . . .
-------------------------------------
Copyright 1994 William Bailey
---------------------------------------------------------------------
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 24                      APR 1994
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Selected Works
by Karen Westerman
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

MY ANGEL
  by Karen Westerman

I asked my little girl one day
  What she wanted to be.
She thought about it a minute
  And then she looked at me.
"An Angel" she said softly
  "An Angel from above
So I can fly around the earth
  To spread my wings of love.
And then when I get tired
  I can rest upon a cloud
And keep vigil over everyone
  To make them very proud.
An Angel is so beautiful
  And she lives up in Heaven".
My little girl told me this
  When she was only seven.

And then one day an angel came
  And took my girl away
To live with GOD in Heaven
  Where she would always stay.
I missed my little girl
  And thought that I would die
Until one day I saw an angel
  Flying in the sky.

I saw her looking over me
  As she spread her wings.
And then she sat upon a cloud
  Below a shining ring.
Now everyday I go outside
  And look into the sky
And watch my little Angel
  As she goes flying by.
------------------------------


RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 25                      APR 1994
BORN TO BE FREE

I saw him looking out, from behind a tree
His body slim and brown, His eyes so inquisitive

He didn't quite trust me, I could tell
But he stood his ground and watched me, Then gave a little smell

Then suddenly he turned and ran, And stopped and looked at me
As if to say you can watch all you want, But I was born to be free

And every day he came, He soon became my friend
Eating from my hand, And playing in the wind

He loved to make me chase him, Then let me give him a pat
Before he took off again, To take a little nap

And right before the sun went down, He would come for just a minute
To let me know he was still around, And I'd better not forget it

Then one day as I watied, For this little deer
I heard the shot ring out, And I knew my greatest fear

I found him lying on the ground, With a bullet in his head
I knew as I looked at those lovely eyes, That he would soon be dead

My heart was full of anger, My eyes were full of tears
I couldn't understand why man, Had killed this little deer

I'll never see that deer again, Standing by that tree
But in my heart he'll always be, Running wild and free
---------------------------------------------------------------------

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE
  by Karen Westerman

He was only five years old, already I could tell
his heart and mind were way beyond his years
He looked at me that day with eyes so innocent,
yet they could see so clear

He hadn't seen the hatred, the casualties of war,
so I didn't know how to answer when he asked
"Mom, what are we fighting for?"

How could I tell him what freedom meant, how could I make him see
so young, that answers weren't always found with a rifle or a gun
Yet I had to let him know sometimes we had to fight
for things that we believed in, things we knew were right

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 26                      APR 1994
Freedom is a precious gift, so easily taken away
How could a five year old realize this, what was I going to say
I looked him right in the eyes that day and told him what I knew
was true "Son, we're fighting for the flag we love, the stars and
stripes of the red, white, and blue

Many years have come and gone since that son of mine was five
Now he's somewhere over the ocean fighting for our lives
I pray that he will come home safe from this horrible rendezvouz
and I pray that I will never forget that we're fighting for the
flag we love, the stars and stripes of the red, white, and blue
--------------------------------------------------------------

THE PROMISE

You gave me your hand, And I gave you mine
And we promised our love, Till the end of time.

We looked at each other, With love in our eyes
Standing so close, And feeling so shy.

We vowed to each other, To always be true
For better or worse, We'd see it through.

You sealed our promise, With a gold wedding band
That you placed on the finger, Of my left hand.

Then one day you left me, For somebody new.
You said it was over, And that we were through.

You got a divorce, And walked out of my life
To start over again, With a new wife.

You stood next to her, Like you stood next to me
And promised to love her, Through eternity.

You sealed your promise, With a gold wedding band
That you placed on the finger, Of her left hand.
-------------------------------------------------

SOLDIER
  by Karen Westerman

He went to fight for his country
To protect the ones he loved
To hold up for his freedom
He was worthy of.

He was a brave and devoted boy
When he went and took his stand
And when he was through with all his hell
He came back a discouraged man.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 27                      APR 1994
He fought down in the ditches
And slept in the freezing cold
He asw his fellow companions
Die from being so bold.

He came back to his country
With a mangled leg from the war
He found that things were different
Not like they were before.

No one would let him have a job
Nobody seemed to care
This man who had fought so valiantly
To keep his country from despair.

He finally took his life one day
there was nothing left to live for
He had given his life for the country he loved
This brave and wonderful soldier.
----------------------------------------------

THE FRIEND
  by Karen Westerman

The little boy sat
  In his wheelchair everyday
Never taking any notice of people
  Or what they had to say.
His eyes, they looked so vacant
  As if he wasn't there.
It seemed as though the boy
  Didn't even care.
He never got to run and play
  Like all the other boys.
He couldn't even raise his hand
  To hold on to a toy.
The children all would tease him
  He never had a fiend.
I knew that it would take a lot
  To make his poor heart mend.

And then one day I saw a puppy
  In a little town pet shop.
He looked so sad and helpless
  I knew I had to stop.
I carried him home, he was so afraid
  He layed in my arms and shook.
I layed him in the boy's lap
  And then I saw him look.
The eyes that once were vacant
  Were full of love and joy.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 28                      APR 1994
That little bundle of puppy
  Was meant for this very boy.
I know this boy's heart had mended
  And he had found a friend.
And with this puppy in his lap
  His life could truely begin.
--------------------------------
Copyright 1994 Karen Westerman
============================     # # #     ===========================

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SIGN OF OUR TIMES
  by Rick Arnold

  It's a sad fact that a sign of our times is the frequency of eating
disorders diagnosed in our youth -- a very serious illness if left
untreated. One in ten (1 in 10) Americans, usually adolescents, die
from various eating disorders, recognized by the National Institute
of Mental Health. Nearly five percent of the population (figures from
NIMH) suffer from *anorexia nervosa* and/or *bulimia nervosa*, with
millions of others suffering from *binge eating*.

  The needless deaths of those with anorexia and bulimia, need not
occur, if family members and friends would help by recognizing the
problems and encourage the person to seek treatment.

  *Anorexia nervosa* is a disorder where a person intentionally starves
themselves. The disorder, usually starts when the person reaches puberty,
and involves extreme weight loss -- at least fifteen percent (15%) below
an individual's normal body weight. This, in an effort to look and feel
the way they believe is the "normal" appearance for a person in their
peer group. Some suffering from anorexia will appear pale and emaciated
but feel they are overweight, and need to lose more weight to be acceptable
in appearance. This can lead to hospitalization in an effort to prevent
starvation.

  Their weight -- in particular -- and food become obsessions. The person's
compulsiveness is demonstrated by strange eating rituals or refusal to eat
in front of others. Those with the disorder will often prepare extravagant
gourmet meals for family and friends, however will rarely partake of the
meals they have presented for the others. Often, they will have rigorous
and excessive exercise routines. A disruption or loss of the monthly
menstrual period is common for women with the disorder. Impotence often
affects men who have anorexia.

  *Bulimia nervosa* is quite dangerous, because the person frequently
uses an excessive amount of laxatives and/or diuretics, as the individual
purges their intake of calories and liquids attempting to lose weight. A
more drastic measure taken by these individuals is vomiting shortly after
eating. Frequently individuals use all of these methods, and will not be
detected because they maintain above or near normal body weight.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 29                      APR 1994
  Those with this disorder often binge excessively, then purge the their
intake using one or all the methods mentioned, from once or twice a week
to several times a day. Excessive dieting between episodes of binging and
purging is quite common. Nearly half of those with anorexia will eventually
develop bulimia. This condition typically begins in adolescent women, but
also is found in men. Often the victims of this disorder will not seek help
until in their thirties or forties, and the condition is more difficult to
cure, due to the deeply ingrained habits developed over time.

  A similar disorder to bulimia is *binge eating*, however the person will
not practice purging, and is usually overweight because of their compulsive
indulging in over eating binges.  People with this disorder usually have
a history of extreme weight fluctuations. Two percent (2%) of the general
population suffer from this ailment, and is predominantly found in women
more so than men. Nearly thirty percent (30%) of people in supervised
weight control programs suffer from binge eating.

  The following symptoms are common to these eating disorders:

    AN=Anorexia   BN=Bulimia  BE=Binge Eating

    AN,      - Excessive weight loss in short period of time
    AN,      - Continuation of dieting although extremely thin
    AN,      - Dissatisfaction with appearance and weight, even if thin
    AN,BN,   - Loss of monthly menstrual periods
    AN,BN,   - Unusual interest in food, along with strange eating habits
    AN,BN,BE - Eating in secret
    AN,BN,   - Obsession with exercise
    AN,BN,BE - Serious depression
       BN,BE - Binging -- consumption of large amounts of food
       BN,   - Use of drugs for vomiting, bowel movements and urination
       BN,   - Food binging with no noticeable weight gain
       BN,   - Long periods of time spent in bathroom -- to induce vomiting
       BN, BE- Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol

  The causes of eating disorders are complex and involve, personalities,
environments, genetics, and biochemistry of each individual. Shared traits
among those with eating disorders are: low self-esteem, feelings of help-
lessness, and fear of becoming fat. Those with anorexia tend to be good
students, excellent athletes, and *perfectionists*. They place a high
priority on pleasing others -- over their own needs and wishes. To gain a
sense of control in their lives, they restrict themselves to eating only
certain types of foods and only in limited amounts. This need for control
of their bodies serves a twofold purpose: fulfills the desire to please
others by being thin, therefore appealing; and allows *THEM* to have control
over someone -- even if it is themselves.

  Binge eaters (most often bulimic) release stress through eating large
quantities of food -- especially junk food -- in their effort to rebel, and
relieve anxiety; often in response to feeling dominated. The binging often
brings on guilt and depression after the impulsive behavior; and the
bulimic is more likely to engage in a risky life style of abuse for drugs
and alcohol.

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 30                      APR 1994
  Much of the cause for these eating disorders can be traced to an overly
concerned parent, who wishes their child to be physically attractive and
accepted by society. Parents or older siblings, who pursue activities such
as dancing, athletics, or modeling, or professions where appearance is
very important, often create an environment that causes an eating disorder
to develop in the younger child(ren).

  What can you do to help?  Often psychotherapy is needed -- depending on
the severity of the disorder, and how late it is discovered. Treatment can
save the life of one with an eating disorder. Family members and friends
can contact local hospitals or medical centers to find out specific
information about eating disorders, how to cope with them and how to
provide support for the person who suffers from the illness. Even if the
person obtains treatment, support and understanding from friends and
family are needed to provide an environment conducive to wellness and
recovery.

  The most helpful thing *YOU* can do, treat your children the way you
would like to be treated. As a parent, there will be times when sitting
at the supper table -- it is better to *bite* your tongue! `Spare the rod;
spoil the child' -- has some merit; perhaps it should be: spare the lashing
(tongue-lashing that is), and DO NOT denigrate your children.

ADDITIONAL HELP:

   National Association of Anorexia Nervosa
   and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
   PO Box 7
   Highland Park, IL 60035
   Phone: [phone]

   Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia
   1 West 91st Street
   New York, NY 10024
   Phone: [phone]

   Bulimia Anorexia Self Help, Inc. (BASH)
   6125 Clayton Avenue, Suite 215
   St. Louis, MO 63139
   Phone: [phone]

Copyright 1994 Rick Arnold
============================     # # #     ================================



RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 31                      APR 1994
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Press Release
=-=-=-=-=-=-=

National Writers Union                  April 1994
13 Astor Place
New York, NY 10003
Phone [phone]

(Services provided to members:
contract advising, agent database,
grievance handling, health care
plans, New York and San Francisco
Job banks for writers.)


              STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES ON CONTRACTS
         BETWEEN WRITERS AND ELECTRONIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

                  by the National Writers Union
                     Produced by Philip Mattera

Book publishing is at the threshold of a new era. An industry
that for hundreds of years has put ink on paper is now delivering
more and more of its wares in the form of floppy diskettes and
multimedia CD-ROMs; some publishers are also beginning to
distribute books via on-line networks.  Although the electronic
book publishing industry is young and still very much in flux, it
is not too early to try to establish some standards for the
writer-publisher relationship in this field.  This document
represents an attempt by a major writers' organization to come up
with some general principles that we hope will be adopted in
contracts between writers and electronic publishers, primarily
for works distributed in disc form.

These principles address the four main types of projects writers
and electronic publishers would enter into: ones in which the
author of a print work who holds electronic rights licenses them
to an electronic publisher; ones involving original electronic
projects centered on a writer's text; ones centered on the work
of numerous writers or other creators; and ones in which the
writer's work plays a secondary role in an original electronic
project dominated by other content such as music or video.

In all four categories the writer's traditional role is altered.
Electronic books, by their nature, involve elements beyond the
stringing together of words. The skills of programmers, computer-
graphic designers, musicians, videographers and others are also
required. Creating a book almost invariably becomes a
collaborative effort, in some cases as complicated as that
involved in making a film. Figuring out how to participate in the
new nature of authorship will be a challenge for every writer who
wants to become involved in electronic publishing.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 32                      APR 1994
It will also be a challenge for publishers. If electronic
publishing is going to thrive, it will need the diversity and
talent of the most creative members of the writing community.
Setting fair standards will be essential in encouraging writers
to make the leap from print to the digital world.

I. COPYRIGHT. In print publishing most writers are accustomed to
holding the copyright on the books they write. It is only under
certain circumstances (textbooks, reference works, etc.) that
authors may be put in a work-for-hire position, i.e. one in which
the copyright vests with the publisher or other commissioning
party.

There is no reason why the principle of authors retaining their
copyright should not be extended to the electronic realm. In
cases where a print work is adapted to electronic form or an
original electronic work is centered on a writer's work, there
should be no question but that the writer would retain the
copyright on the text portion of the work while licensing it to
the publisher. Where there are numerous writers, each would hold
the copyright on his or her text. Separate copyrights could exist
for the user interface, retrieval software or additional
multimedia elements inserted in the work.

The matter is more complicated when the writer's contribution to
a multimedia work is less predominant, e.g. a CD-ROM mostly made
up of electronic photographs or video clips, with the text
limited to simple captions. In the case of such electronic coffee
table books it might not be unreasonable for a writer to be
brought in on a work-for-hire basis on the premise that the
writing is a contribution to a collective work. However, if the
writing is more extensive and has to be closely coordinated with
the producers of the other creative content, it might make sense
for writers and the other creators (who may be acting in a
partnership) to hold joint copyright in the entire content.

II. GRANT OF RIGHTS. The publishing rights granted by a copyright
holder to a publisher typically cover three main issues: the
geographical scope of the rights, the formats in which the rights
can be exercised, and the duration of those rights.

Electronic book publishers typically want the right to distribute
the work throughout the world, and some want rights in all
possible formats. Whether the author wants to grant such sweeping
rights should be a matter of negotiation, in which a broader
grant of rights should be reflected in the size of the advance
and the royalty rates.

One important principle that should characterize all deals,  is
that publishers, after some reasonable amount of time, forfeit
rights for any formats they have not exploited. The practice of
sitting on rights should be discouraged.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 33                      APR 1994
In addition, given the rapidly changing nature of electronic
publishing, there should--unlike the practice in print
publishing--be a time limit even on rights that are exploited. An
author should not be tied indefinitely to a publisher that may
not be adequately promoting or distributing the work or is
failing to keep up with changes in technology.

III. CREATIVE CONTROL. It is customary in most print book

contracts for the author to have ultimate creative control over
the content of the work--except for the publisher's right to
ensure that the work conforms with some generally accepted
standards of style, spelling, grammar, etc. and that the book is
not obscene, libelous or an infringement on someone's copyright.
Most publishers will assert greater control over matters such as
cover design and jacket copy, but often authors will have the
right of approval in these areas.

A similar degree of author's creative control should extend to
electronic publishing. Texts should not be altered in any
significant way without the consent of the author, who should
also be consulted on the packaging of the disc.

Where there are substantial multimedia elements in the work, the
issue of creative control is more complicated. Some electronic
publishers may say that, in the same way that print publishers
generally don't consult with authors on what typeface will be
used, they should have exclusive control over issues such as user
interface. This is a mistake. A successful multimedia work is one
in which interface, images and sound are in harmony with the
text. The best approach is for creative control to be a
collective matter, involving publisher, writer and contributors
of other creative content, rather than the hierarchical approach
used, for example, in the film industry.

Indeed, under the Berne Convention and federal law, moral rights
protection is much stronger for visually-based works than it is
for text. The rights of integrity and paternity will become
increasingly relevant for multimedia works.

IV. "MANUSCRIPT" ACCEPTANCE. One of the major sources of friction
between print authors and publishers is the issue of manuscript
acceptability for books that are contracted on the basis of a
proposal rather than a finished work. A substantial number of
such works are deemed unsatisfactory when they are delivered a
year or more later, and the publisher seeks the return of the
advance, which the author invariably has long ago spent. Writers'
groups charge that many of these rejections are for reasons that
have nothing to do with the quality of the work--that the real
explanation is that the original editor has left, or the house
has been taken over and the new owner doesn't like the project,
or the house has simply changed its mind.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 34                      APR 1994
It's too early to tell whether electronic publishers will adopt
these same practices. What would be better is for the industry to
regard advances as an investment that entails a certain risk. If
by the time the author delivers the text the publisher has for
whatever reason changed its mind about the project, or if the
writer has made a good faith effort but has produced something
unsatisfactory, then the project should be cancelled and the
advance written off as a business loss.

If the publisher feels the writer has not made a serious effort
to fulfill the contract, the publisher should file an arbitration
claim (see item X below).

V. ROYALTIES. The electronic book publishing industry is still
too young to have the kind of more-or-less standard rates seen in
the print world. For the time being, rates will be negotiated on
a case-by-case basis. However, royalty rates should be higher for
electronic books on discs than for print books to reflect the
lower costs of production and the fact that the full income
potential after cost recovery is unknown, and, at the very least,
should be fairly divided and accounted so that authors may share
in any long-term financial success of the product.

Royalty rates should be even higher in situations such as
network distribution of electronic books or "CD-ROM on Demand" kiosks, in
which production costs may be negligible.

There is one practice, however, that should be adopted widely
from the start: that of paying royalties based on the list price
of the work rather than the net. The experience of print
publishing is that where royalties are paid on net (mostly small
presses or reference works), there is simply too much potential
for abuse on the part of the publisher. Authors tend to be
suspicious of the mysterious figures that appear on royalty
statements and often feel ripped off when they realize what a
small percentage of the list price they are receiving.

It is true, however, that for some electronic publishers, a
substantial portion of their sales come from discs that are
supplied to hardware manufacturers to bundle with their CD-ROM
drives or multimedia kits. Electronic publishers argue that they
could not possibly afford to pay list-price royalties on these
copies, which are sold at huge discounts.

This issue can be addressed by adopting the print publishing
practice of paying lower and/or net royalties on those specific
copies that are sold outside of normal trade channels. (In the
case of electronic books, normal trade channels would include
computer and software stores as well as book stores).
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 35                      APR 1994
VI. ROYALTY STATEMENTS. Royalty statements are the bane of print
authors. Most of them are indecipherable documents that seem to
conceal more than they reveal. Some print publishers, however,
have begun to revamp their statements to provide more detailed
data (though this sometimes makes them less rather than more
intelligible).

Given the sophistication of new technology, electronic publishers
should follow the best practices of the print industry. Royalty
statements should include complete information on the number of
copies produced, shipped, returned, and remaining in stock.
Authors should be in a position to know when their work is close
to being out of stock or out of "print."

Electronic publishers should avoid the antiquated practices of
print publishers, in which it typically takes 90 or 120 days
after the end of the semi-annual accounting period before the
publisher supplies the author with the royalty statement and a
check for any monies owed. In an industry producing works for use
on computers, it would be only appropriate to follow a time frame
more appropriate to the computer age. There is no reason why
accounts should not be settled within 30 days of the close of the
royalty period. Following the practices of many other businesses,
publishers should pay a penalty of 3-4 per cent for each month a
royalty payment is delayed.

VII. TERMINATION. Print book contracts typically provide for the
termination of the grant of rights if the publisher does one of
several things: fails to publish the book within a reasonable
amount of time, fails to pay royalties, or allows the work to go out of
print.

All of these provisions should be adopted in electronic book
contracts. Yet the concept of "out of print" has to be re-thought
in the electronic era, when small quantities or even single
copies of a work can be reproduced easily and cheaply. The real
criterion for whether a publisher can retain rights is whether
the work is still being actively marketed.

The sensible procedure would be to require the electronic
publisher to notify the author when it has decided that it no
longer makes sense to make even minimal efforts to promote the
work. At that time the work would be deemed "out of promotion,"
and the rights would revert to the author, who may choose to
purchase all or some of the remaining copies at a big discount.

VIII. OPTION. The option clause common in print book contracts is
a holdover from a time when the author-publisher relationship was
more like a marriage rather than the one-night stands prevalent
today. The clauses are ultimately unenforceable (in legal or
practical terms) and serve mainly to inconvenience the author.
They have no place in electronic book contracts.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 36                      APR 1994
IX. NON-COMPETITION. Another controversial provision in print
book contracts is the clause that bars the author from publishing
another work that the publisher thinks would directly compete
with its edition. Some non-competition clauses are written so
broadly that they could undermine an author's writing career.

If non-competition clauses are going to be used at all for
electronic books, they should be written as narrowly as possible,
i.e. they should only bar the publication of another work on the
exact same subject using the same materials, and for a specific
time period that is essential for the success of the original
work. In addition, such clauses should not inhibit the right of
the author to publish the same material in formats the rights to
which have not been granted to the publisher.

X. ARBITRATION. The cost and time involved in filing a lawsuit
often prevents print authors from challenging contract violations
on the part of their publishers. Arbitration helps to level the
playing field by making cheaper and speedier justice possible.
Electronic publishers should acknowledge the fairness of
arbitration and make it a standard feature of their contracts
with authors.

XI. AFFORDABILITY & ACCESS. Although issues of pricing and
affordability of books have not traditionally been addressed in
print book contracts, these are matters that should be of concern
to both writers and publishers in the electronic book industry.

As electronic books begin to replace printed ones, discs should
not be priced so high that they are affordable only to a small,
relatively affluent portion of the population. As various forms
of electronic publishing reduce the cost per unit of
manufacturing and delivering book-length works, a share of those cost
savings should be passed on to consumers in the form of
lower prices. Electronic books, like their print counterparts,
will become an essential component of civilization, so they
should be as accessible as possible to everyone. Lower prices
will also help to make electronic book publishing into the mass
market ultimately needed for economic viability.

Lower prices alone will not ensure universal access. Many people
cannot afford even the computers and CD-ROM drives needed to read
electronic books. The electronic book publishing industry, in
partnership with writers and other creators, should take steps to
expand free access to their products through libraries and other
non-profit institutions.

                            # # #

For more information, email Philip Mattera: [e-mail]
======================================================================

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 37                      APR 1994
From the Editor:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

SUBSCRIPTIONS: You can have RUNE'S RAG delivered to your doorstep,
on disk -- MONTHLY. You will also get a FREE Book on disk and/or
other electronic publications. The FREE Book, usually one of
the Classics, will be added to YOUR disk FREE of charge!

********** READER SPECIAL: CHECK LOWER PRICES **************
SIZE:            5.25" Floppy       3.50" Flippy
DISK TYPE:      [  ] 360K DOS      [  ] 720K DOS

                [  ] 1.2M DOS      [  ] 1.44M DOS
COST:
1 Month Test Subscription......... $ 5.00   [  ]

3 Month Subscription.............. $12.00   [  ]

6 Month Subscription.............. $19.95   [  ]

12 Month Subscription............. $29.95   [  ]

First Class Shipping, handling, and your FREE Classic is included
in the subscription price. SUPPORT the ARTS -- you get GREAT reading,
a reusable mailer, stories to read to your kids, and a free disk.;-)
Support the ARTS. SAVE a TREE, NO paper -- use Electronic Magazines!

*** If OUTSIDE the Continential U.S. add $1.00 per month.***
*NOTE: A 12 month Subscription includes a 6 month PREFERRED MEMBER
STATUS on WRITERS BIZ BBS. FidoNet, EPubNet, Echos, Files, and more!

INTERNET Addr: [e-mail]
FidoNet: 1:2601/522  EPbuNet: 1:2601/522

Mail Check/Money Order and this Form TO:

       RUNE'S RAG              Data: (412) LUV-RUNE
       P.O. Box 243,
       Greenville, PA 16125-0243
       USA
(Please Print)

Full Name __________________________________________________________

Company ____________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________

City _________________________________________ State/Prov___________

Zip/Postal Code _____________________________ Country_______________

Signature: ___________________________________ Date: _________

PASSWORD ___________________  for WRITERS BIZ BBS if 12 months.
PRICES and FREE offers SUBJECT to CHANGE. See current issue.
======================================================================
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 38                      APR 1994

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
For Sysops, and others:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

   SYSOPS, would you like a hassle free new door each month? Get
RUNE'S RAG delivered to your BBS or Mailer System, formatted and
ready to go on-line simply by unzipping the new monthly file.
RUNE'S RAG will be delivered to you on or near the 1st of each
month formatted in READROOM.TOC format. All you need do is unzip
the new file into a unique directory and it is ready to go on-line.

  I will send RUNE'S RAG via modem to your system as soon as each
monthly issue rolls from the electronic press. This saves you time.
Time is money. All you need do is initially install the READROOM Door
(RDRM30.ZIP produced by EXHIBIT A COMMUNICATIONS), which allows on-line
viewing and downloading from the door (your option). Works on most any
system, which can produce DOOR.SYS, or with a conversion program of
your choice to produce a DOOR.SYS file.

  The cost of this service is ONLY $48.00 per year. If out of the
continental U.S., please add $12.00. You will be able to provide your
users with something unique, each and every month -- hassle free. Download
RUNE9403.ZIP or FREQ RUNER. Examine it and you will find there is a great
deal to this Electronic Magazine. The magazine features work from authors
around the country, fiction, non-fiction, essays, poetry and much more. A
general interest magazine for young and old alike.
Save a Tree -- read RUNE'S RAG. Support the ARTS and Authors.

 The plain ASCII version is also available for delivery.

To participate in this exciting offer, please print and fill out the
information form below:


(Please Print)

SYSOP NAME: _________________________________________________

BBS SYSTEM NAME: ____________________________________________

SYSTEM PHONE: (   ) _____________________

System Fido Address: ____________________

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 39                      APR 1994
BBS LOGIN Information:

(If needed)
PreLog me as: RUNES RAG

BBS PASSWORD: ____________________

MAILER PASSWORD: _________________

Postal Address:

 Address: __________________________________________________

 City: _____________________________________________________

 State/Province: ________________________ ZIP:_______________

 Country:____________________________________________________

VOICE PHONE: (    ) ________________

Mail this form and
Check or Money Order To:

RUNE'S RAG              INTERNET: [e-mail]
P.O. Box 243,           FidoNet:  1:2601/522  EPubNet: 1:2601/522
Greenville, PA 16125    Phone Data: 1-412-LUV-RUNE (588-7863)


12 Months Service: $48.00

 6 Months Service: $28.00

 3 Month  Service: $15.00 (Trial)

Sysop Signature: ____________________________________ Date: _____________

Any unused portion of the subscription service, if terminated by the
subscriber without notification to RUNE'S RAG, will be forfeited. If
RUNE'S RAG receives written notification 32 days or more in advance,
the balance of the subscription fee will be refunded upon mutual
termination of this agreement.

======================================================================

RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 40                      APR 1994
   RUNE'S RAG -- Your best Electronic Literary Magazine

This electronic magazine (no paper save a tree) is RUNES'S RAG,
a general interest magazine, published monthly (or as triannual
whichever comes second). The issues, some with a small text reader,
are displayed in READROOM.TOC (tm) format, and a version which is
TEXT (ASCII) based, where the magazine should display on most
machines, other versions may be published in the future.

Guidelines:

RUNE'S RAG, %ARNOLD'S PLUTONOMIE$, LTD., P.O. Box 243, Greenville, PA
16125-0243. Phone: 1-412-LUV-RUNE. Editor, Evelyn Horine; Managing
Editor, Rick Arnold. 95.3% freelance written. A monthly international
electronic fiction and non-fiction magazine (save your tree), publishing
the best in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, satire, reviews, religion,
interviews (anything relevant to readers). . .  humor noire. Bio given,
space permitting. Publishes within 3 months of acceptance. Reports in 4
weeks on queries. Takes first North American Serial Rights. Pays 90 days
after publication. Pays $2.00 per article. Length: 100-50,000 words (work
over 10,000 words will be serialized).

SUPPORT AUTHORS and the ARTS -- Send donations to RUNE'S RAG to ensure
continuation of this publication; monies, hardware, and/or software is
accepted and may be tax deductible -- contact your tax advisor. Or,
you can take a subscription to RUNE'S RAG, see the file SUBSCRIB.TXT.

TIPS: Send your ms(s) by modem, First Preference, to: 1:2601/522
1-412-LUV-RUNE  Fax: [phone], should be same number (try it).
Second Preference Mail: Disk media: 360, 720, 1.2m, 1.4m. in unarced
/uncompressed format, PURE ASCII text format on disk media. LEAST
Preferred medium: paper, however, if the ms is under 1,000 words -- it
will be considered -- we hate to perform data entry.

Ensure you provide a contact BBS with Fido Node number for NetMail, or
other E-mail address, home phone and your Postal Address, and always
send/include a SASE, *especially* if you can not receive Netmail.

LAYOUT: Standard submission format, flush left margin, ragged right,
with 65 column max right margin, blank line between paragraphs, spell
checked, edited, and proofed by YOU! Pure ASCII only, please. We do
virtually no editing to your ms, except for layout into the e-mag to
fit format needs.

Rights: Copyright of each separate contributing article is held apart
from the collective work as a whole, and vests initially to the
author of the contributed article. The copyright holder of the
collective work acquires the right of reproducing and distributing the
contributed article, as part of the collective work, any revision of
that collective work, and any collective work in the same series.
In other words: The Authors retain copyright to their work! And have
only sold the first serial rights for publication purposes.
RUNE'S RAG                   PAGE 41                      APR 1994
 So dig out those moldy oldies, dust them off and submit.  The worst
thing that can happen is -- you could receive one more, but, highly
personalized rejection message.

  This electronic magazine will attempt to remain a vehicle for new
authors to demonstrate their works to their most valued critic -- the
Reader.  RUNE'S RAG is OUT_ware, a SHAREWARE concept, not Freeware, to
the end user -- the Reader. If warranted, a semi-annual or annual may
be produced in hardcopy form. The hardcopy issue will be marketed for
sale and the proceeds will go towards supporting the continuation of
publication and payment to authors.

  I hope to obtain grant monies, as well as solicit from patrons of the
arts, so we may be able to pay contributors a better rate. RUNE'S RAG
will be released into as many bit streams as possible for the widest
dissemination.

 RUNE'S RAG is a member of EPubNet, which supports Electronic Publishing.
For more information on EPubNet -- contact (via data) Mike Taylor @
(1:273/937) 215-923-8026 or N.L. Hargrove (1:317/317) 505-865-8385.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: You can have RUNE'S RAG delivered to your doorstep --
on disk, monthly. You will also get a FREE Book or other electronic
publications added to your monthly disk. The Book, usually one of the
Classics, will be added to your disk FREE of charge. See SUBSCRIB
or download RUNEINFO.ZIP, MORE than you want to know about RUNE'S RAG.

                            # # #