Two Shorties from MYSTERY BOOK

"The Liquid Bullet."
By Sam Merwin, Jr. (1910-96).
First appearance: Mystery Book Magazine, Summer 1949.

Short short short story (2 pages).
Online at Archive.org (HERE).

     "Then she lets out a yell to me and fires at the lamp and hits it."

The lesson is clear: Never laugh at a blonde with a pistol—any kind of pistol . . .

Comment: A rare instance of a story being told as a one-side-only telephone conversation.

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"Lady Killer."
By John W. Clifford (?-?).
First appearance: Mystery Book Magazine, Summer 1949.

Short short short story (3 pages).
Online at Archive.org (HERE).

     "The victim going out of her way to make it easier for him. The target fitting herself to the muzzle of the gun."

He's always had it his way—until tonight . . .

Comment: A twisty variation on a Hemingway story.

Resources:
- We've featured Samuel Kimball Merwin, Jr.'s detective fiction (HERE) and (HERE) and 
his crime-tinged science fiction (HERE) and (HERE); see (HERE) for biographical data. 
As for our other author, John W. Clifford, who knows?

The bottom line:

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