[Transcriber's Note: Initial ads moved below main text. The Beetle Horde concludes a story begun in the Jan, 1930 edition. Minor spelling and typographical errors corrected. Variable Spelling and Hyphenations standardized. Full list of changes at end of text. Passages in italics indicated by underscore _italics_. Passages in bold indicated by equals =bold=. ] ASTOUNDING STORIES OF SUPER-SCIENCE _On Sale the First Thursday of Each Month_ W. M. CLAYTON, Publisher HARRY BATES, Editor DOUGLAS M. DOLD, Consulting Editor The Clayton Standard on a Magazine Guarantees: _That_ the stories therein are clean, interesting, vivid; by leadingwriters of the day and purchased under conditions approved by theAuthors' League of America; _That_ such magazines are manufactured in Union shops by Americanworkmen; _That_ each newsdealer and agent is insured a fair profit; _That_ an intelligent censorship guards their advertising pages. _The other Clayton magazines are_: ACE-HIGH MAGAZINE, RANCH ROMANCES, COWBOY STORIES, CLUES, FIVE-NOVELSMONTHLY, WIDE WORLD ADVENTURES, ALL STAR DETECTIVE STORIES, FLYERS, RANGELAND LOVE STORY MAGAZINE, SKY-HIGH LIBRARY MAGAZINE, MISS 1930, _and_ FOREST AND STREAM _More Than Two Million Copies Required to Supply the Monthly Demand forClayton Magazines. _ VOL. I, No. 2 CONTENTS FEBRUARY, 1930 COVER DESIGN H. W. WESSOLOWSKI _Painted in Water-colors from a Scene in "Spawn of the Stars. "_ OLD CROMPTON'S SECRET HARL VINCENT 153 _Tom's Extraordinary Machine Glowed--and the Years Were Banished from Old Crompton's Body. But There Still Remained, Deep-seated in His Century-old Mind, the Memory of His Crime. _ SPAWN OF THE STARS CHARLES WILLARD DIFFIN 166 _The Earth Lay Powerless Beneath Those Loathsome, Yellowish Monsters That, Sheathed in Cometlike Globes, Sprang from the Skies to Annihilate Man and Reduce His Cities to Ashes. _ THE CORPSE ON THE GRATING HUGH B. CAVE 187 _In the Gloomy Depths of the Old Warehouse Dale Saw a Thing That Drew a Scream of Horror to His Dry Lips. It Was a Corpse--the Mold of Decay on Its Long-dead Features--and Yet It Was Alive!_ CREATURES OF THE LIGHT SOPHIE WENZEL ELLIS 196 _He Had Striven to Perfect the Faultless Man of the Future, and Had Succeeded--Too Well. For in the Pitilessly Cold Eyes of Adam, His Super-human Creation, Dr. Mundson Saw Only Contempt--and Annihilation--for the Human Race. _ INTO SPACE STERNER ST. PAUL 221 _What Was the Extraordinary Connection Between Dr. Livermore's Sudden Disappearance and the Coming of a New Satellite to the Earth?_ THE BEETLE HORDE VICTOR ROUSSEAU 229 _Bullets, Shrapnel, Shell--Nothing Can Stop the Trillions of Famished, Man-sized Beetles Which, Led by a Madman, Sweep Down Over the Human Race. _ MAD MUSIC ANTHONY PELCHER 248 _The Sixty Stories of the Perfectly Constructed Colossus Building Had Mysteriously Crashed! What Was the Connection Between This Catastrophe and the Weird Strains of the Mad Musician's Violin?_ THE THIEF OF TIME CAPTAIN S. P. MEEK 259 _The Teller Turned to the Stacked Pile of Bills. They Were Gone! And No One Had Been Near!_ * * * * * Single Copies, 20 Cents (In Canada, 25 Cents) Yearly Subscription, $2. 00 Issued monthly by Publishers' Fiscal Corporation, 80 Lafayette St. , NewYork, N. Y. W. M. Clayton, President; Nathan Goldmann, Secretary. Application for entry as second-class mail pending at the Post Office atNew York, under Act of March 3, 1879. Application for registration oftitle as Trade Mark pending in the U. S. Patent Office. Member NewsstandGroup--Men's List. For advertising rates address E. R. Crowe & Co. , Inc. , 25 Vanderbilt Ave. , New York; or 225 North Michigan Ave. , Chicago. * * * * * Old Crompton's Secret _By Harl Vincent_ Tom's extraordinary machine glowed--and the years were banished from Old Crompton's body. But there still remained, deep-seated in his century-old mind, the memory of his crime. [Illustration: _Tom tripped on a wire and fell, with his ferociousadversary on top. _] Two miles west of the village of Laketon there lived an aged recluse whowas known only as Old Crompton. As far back as the villagers couldremember he had visited the town regularly twice a month, each timetottering his lonely way homeward with a load of provisions. He appearedto be well supplied with funds, but purchased sparingly as became amiserly hermit. And so vicious was his tongue that few cared to conversewith him, even the young hoodlums of the town hesitating to harass himwith the banter usually accorded the other bizarre characters of thestreets. The oldest inhabitants knew nothing of his past history, and they hadlong since lost their curiosity in the matter. He was a fixture, as wasthe old town hall with its surrounding park. His lonely cabin wasshunned by all who chanced to pass along the old dirt road that ledthrough the woods to nowhere and was rarely used. His only extravagance was in the matter of books, and the village bookstore profited considerably by his purchases. But, at the instigation ofCass Harmon, the bookseller, it was whispered about that Old Cromptonwas a believer in the black art--that he had made a pact with the devilhimself and was leagued with him and his imps. For the books he boughtwere strange ones; ancient volumes that Cass must needs order from NewYork or Chicago and that cost as much as ten and even fifteen dollars acopy; translations of the writings of the alchemists and astrologers andphilosophers of the dark ages. It was no wonder Old Crompton was looked at askance by the simple-livingand deeply religious natives of the small Pennsylvania town. But there came a day when the hermit was to have a neighbor, and thetown buzzed with excited speculation as to what would happen. * * * * * The property across the road from Old Crompton's hut belonged to AltonForsythe, Laketon's wealthiest resident--hundreds of acres of scrubbywoodland that he considered well nigh worthless. But Tom Forsythe, theonly son, had returned from college and his ambitions were of a naturestrange to his townspeople and utterly incomprehensible to his father. Something vague about biology and chemical experiments and the like iswhat he spoke of, and, when his parents objected on the grounds ofpossible explosions and other weird accidents, he prevailed upon hisfather to have a secluded laboratory built for him in the woods. When the workmen started the small frame structure not a quarter of amile from his own hut, Old Crompton was furious. He raged and stormed, but to no avail. Tom Forsythe had his heart set on the project and hewas somewhat of a successful debater himself. The fire that flashed fromhis cold gray eyes matched that from the pale blue ones of the elderlyanchorite. And the law was on his side. So the building was completed and Tom Forsythe moved in, bag andbaggage. For more than a year the hermit studiously avoided his neighbor, though, truth to tell, this required very little effort. For Tom Forsythe becamealmost as much of a recluse as his predecessor, remaining indoors fordays at a time and visiting the home of his people scarcely oftener thanOld Crompton visited the village. He too became the target of villagegossip and his name was ere long linked with that of the old man insimilar animadversion. But he cared naught for the opinions of histownspeople nor for the dark looks of suspicion that greeted him on hisrare appearances in the public places. His chosen work engrossed him sodeeply that all else counted for nothing. His parents remonstrated withhim in vain. Tom laughed away their recriminations and fears, continuingwith his labors more strenuously than ever. He never troubled his mindover the nearness of Old Crompton's hut, the existence of which hehardly noticed or considered. * * * * * It so happened one day that the old man's curiosity got the better ofhim and Tom caught him prowling about on his property, peeringwonderingly at the many rabbit hutches, chicken coops, dove cotes andthe like which cluttered the space to the rear of the laboratory. Seeing that he was discovered, the old man wrinkled his face into atoothless grin of conciliation. "Just looking over your place, Forsythe, " he said. "Sorry about the fussI made when you built the house. But I'm an old man, you know, andchanges are unwelcome. Now I have forgotten my objections and would liketo be friends. Can we?" Tom peered searchingly into the flinty eyes that were set so deeply inthe wrinkled, leathery countenance. He suspected an ulterior motive, butcould not find it within him to turn the old fellow down. "Why--I guess so, Crompton, " he hesitated: "I have nothing against you, but I came here for seclusion and I'll not have anyone bothering me inmy work. " "I'll not bother you, young man. But I'm fond of pets and I see you havemany of them here; guinea pigs, chickens, pigeons, and rabbits. Wouldyou mind if I make friends with some of them?" "They're not pets, " answered Tom dryly, "they are material for use in myexperiments. But you may amuse yourself with them if you wish. " "You mean that you cut them up--kill them, perhaps?" "Not that. But I sometimes change them in physical form, sometimes causethem to become of huge size, sometimes produce pigmy offspring of normalanimals. " "Don't they suffer?" "Very seldom, though occasionally a subject dies. But the benefit thatwill accrue to mankind is well worth the slight inconvenience to thedumb creatures and the infrequent loss of their lives. " * * * * * Old Crompton regarded him dubiously. "You are trying to find?" heinterrogated. "The secret of life!" Tom Forsythe's eyes took on the stare offanaticism. "Before I have finished I shall know the nature of the vitalforce--how to produce it. I shall prolong human life indefinitely;create artificial life. And the solution is more closely approached witheach passing day. " The hermit blinked in pretended mystification. But he understoodperfectly, and he bitterly envied the younger man's knowledge andability that enabled him to delve into the mysteries of nature which hadalways been so attractive to his own mind. And somehow, he acquired asudden deep hatred of the coolly confident young man who spoke sopositively of accomplishing the impossible. During the winter months that followed, the strange acquaintanceprogressed but little. Tom did not invite his neighbor to visit him, nor did Old Crompton go out of his way to impose his presence on theyounger man, though each spoke pleasantly enough to the other on the fewoccasions when they happened to meet. With the coming of spring they encountered one another more frequently, and Tom found considerable of interest in the quaint, borrowedphilosophy of the gloomy old man. Old Crompton, of course, wasdesperately interested in the things that were hidden in Tom'slaboratory, but he never requested permission to see them. He hid hisreal feelings extremely well and was apparently content to spend as muchtime as possible with the feathered and furred subjects for experiment, being very careful not to incur Tom's displeasure by displaying toogreat interest in the laboratory itself. * * * * * Then there came a day in early summer when an accident served to drawthe two men closer together, and Old Crompton's long-sought opportunityfollowed. He was starting for the village when, from down the road, there came aseries of tremendous squawkings, then a bellow of dismay in the voice ofhis young neighbor. He turned quickly and was astonished at the sight ofa monstrous rooster which had escaped and was headed straight for himwith head down and wings fluttering wildly. Tom followed close behind, but was unable to catch the darting monster. And monster it was, forthis rooster stood no less than three feet in height and appeared moreferocious than a large turkey. Old Crompton had his shopping bag, alarge one of burlap which he always carried to town, and he summonedenough courage to throw it over the head of the screeching, over-sizedfowl. So tangled did the panic-stricken bird become that it was acomparatively simple matter to effect his capture, and the old man roseto his feet triumphant with the bag securely closed over the strugglingcaptive. "Thanks, " panted Tom, when he drew alongside. "I should never havecaught him, and his appearance at large might have caused me a greatdeal of trouble--now of all times. " "It's all right, Forsythe, " smirked the old man. "Glad I was able to doit. " Secretly he gloated, for he knew this occurrence would be an open sesameto that laboratory of Tom's. And it proved to be just that. * * * * * A few nights later he was awakened by a vigorous thumping at his door, something that had never before occurred during his nearly sixty yearsoccupancy of the tumbledown hut. The moon was high and he cautiouslypeeped from the window and saw that his late visitor was none other thanyoung Forsythe. "With you in a minute!" he shouted, hastily thrusting his rheumatic oldlimbs into his shabby trousers. "Now to see the inside of thatlaboratory, " he chuckled to himself. It required but a moment to attire himself in the scanty raiment he woreduring the warm months, but he could hear Tom muttering and impatientlypacing the flagstones before his door. "What is it?" he asked, as he drew the bolt and emerged into thebrilliant light of the moon. "Success!" breathed Tom excitedly. "I have produced growing, livingmatter synthetically. More than this, I have learned the secret of thevital force--the spark of life. Immortality is within easy reach. Comeand see for yourself. " They quickly traversed the short distance to the two-story buildingwhich comprised Tom's workshop and living quarters. The entire groundfloor was taken up by the laboratory, and Old Crompton stared aghast atthe wealth of equipment it contained. Furnaces there were, and retortsthat reminded him of those pictured in the wood cuts in some of hismusty books. Then there were complicated machines with many levers anddials mounted on their faces, and with huge glass bulbs of peculiarshape with coils of wire connecting to knoblike protuberances of theirtransparent walls. In the exact center of the great single room therewas what appeared to be a dissecting table, with a brilliant lightoverhead and with two of the odd glass bulbs at either end. It was tothis table that Tom led the excited old man. "This is my perfected apparatus, " said Tom proudly, "and by its use Iintend to create a new race of supermen, men and women who will alwaysretain the vigor and strength of their youth and who can not dieexcepting by actual destruction of their bodies. Under the influence ofthe rays all bodily ailments vanish as if by magic, and organic defectsare quickly corrected. Watch this now. " * * * * * He stepped to one of the many cages at the side of the room and returnedwith a wriggling cottontail in his hands. Old Compton watched anxiouslyas he picked a nickeled instrument from a tray of surgical appliancesand requested his visitor to hold the protesting animal while he coveredits head with a handkerchief. "Ethyl chloride, " explained Tom, noting with amusement the look ofdistaste on the old man's face. "We'll just put him to sleep for aminute while I amputate a leg. " The struggles of the rabbit quickly ceased when the spray soaked thehandkerchief and the anaesthetic took effect. With a shining scalpel anda surgical saw, Tom speedily removed one of the forelegs of the animaland then he placed the limp body in the center of the table, removingthe handkerchief from its head as he did so. At the end of the tablethere was a panel with its glittering array of switches and electricalinstruments, and Old Crompton observed very closely the manipulations ofthe controls as Tom started the mechanism. With the ensuing hum of amotor-generator from a corner of the room, the four bulbs adjacent tothe table sprang into life, each glowing with a different color and eachemitting a different vibratory note as it responded to the energywithin. "Keep an eye on Mr. Rabbit now, " admonished Tom. From the body of the small animal there emanated an intangible thoughhazily visible aura as the combined effects of the rays grew inintensity. Old Crompton bent over the table and peered amazedly at thestump of the foreleg, from which blood no longer dripped. The stump washealing over! Yes--it seemed to elongate as one watched. A new limb wasgrowing on to replace the old! Then the animal struggled once more, thistime to regain consciousness. In a moment it was fully awake and, with afrightened hop, was off the table and hobbling about in search of ahiding place. * * * * * Tom Forsythe laughed. "Never knew what happened, " he exulted, "andexcepting for the temporary limp is not inconvenienced at all. Even thatwill be gone in a couple of hours, for the new limb will be completelygrown by that time. " "But--but, Tom, " stammered the old man, "this is wonderful. How do youaccomplish it?" "Ha! Don't think I'll reveal my secret. But this much I will tell you:the life force generated by my apparatus stimulates a certain glandthat's normally inactive in warm blooded animals. This gland, whenactive, possesses the function of growing new members to the body toreplace lost ones in much the same manner as this is done in case of thelobster and certain other crustaceans. Of course, the process isextremely rapid when the gland is stimulated by the vital rays from mytubes. But this is only one of the many wonders of the process. Here issomething far more remarkable. " He took from a large glass jar the body of a guinea pig, a body that wasrigid in death. "This guinea pig, " he explained, "was suffocated twenty-four hours agoand is stone dead. " "Suffocated?" "Yes. But quite painlessly, I assure you. I merely removed the air fromthe jar with a vacuum pump and the little creature passed out of thepicture very quickly. Now we'll revive it. " Old Crompton stretched forth a skinny hand to touch the dead animal, butwithdrew it hastily when he felt the clammy rigidity of the body. Therewas no doubt as to the lifelessness of this specimen. * * * * * Tom placed the dead guinea pig on the spot where the rabbit had beensubjected to the action of the rays. Again his visitor watched carefullyas he manipulated the controls of the apparatus. With the glow of the tubes and the ensuing haze of eery light thatsurrounded the little body, a marked change was apparent. The inanimateform relaxed suddenly and it seemed that the muscles pulsated with anaccession of energy. Then one leg was stretched forth spasmodically. There was a convulsive heave as the lungs drew in a first long breath, and, with that, an astonished and very much alive rodent scrambled toits feet, blinking wondering eyes in the dazzling light. "See? See?" shouted Tom, grasping Old Crompton by the arm in a viselikegrip. "It is the secret of life and death! Aristocrats, plutocrats andbeggars will beat a path to my door. But, never fear, I shall choose mysubjects well. The name of Thomas Forsythe will yet be emblazoned in theHall of Fame. I shall be master of the world!" Old Crompton began to fear the glitter in the eyes of the gaunt youngman who seemed suddenly to have become demented. And his envy and hatredof his talented host blazed anew as Forsythe gloried in the success ofhis efforts. Then he was struck with an idea and he affected his mostingratiating manner. "It is a marvelous thing, Tom, " he said, "and is entirely beyond my poorcomprehension. But I can see that it is all you say and more. Tellme--can you restore the youth of an aged person by these means?" "Positively!" Tom did not catch the eager note in the old man's voice. Rather he took the question as an inquiry into the further marvels ofhis process. "Here, " he continued, enthusiastically, "I'll prove that toyou also. My dog Spot is around the place somewhere. And he is adecrepit old hound, blind, lame and toothless. You've probably seen himwith me. " * * * * * He rushed to the stairs and whistled. There was an answering yelp fromabove and the pad of uncertain paws on the bare wooden steps. A dejectedold beagle blundered into the room, dragging a crippled hind leg as hefawned upon his master, who stretched forth a hand to pat the unsteadyhead. "Guess Spot is old enough for the test, " laughed Tom, "and I have beenmeaning to restore him to his youthful vigor, anyway. No time like thepresent. " He led his trembling pet to the table of the remarkable tubes and liftedhim to its surface. The poor old beast lay trustingly where he wasplaced, quiet, save for his husky asthmatic breathing. "Hold him, Crompton, " directed Tom as he pulled the starting lever ofhis apparatus. And Old Crompton watched in fascinated anticipation as the etherealluminosity bathed the dog's body in response to the action of the fourrays. Somewhat vaguely it came to him that the baggy flesh of his ownwrinkled hands took on a new firmness and color where they reposed onthe animal's back. Young Forsythe grinned triumphantly as Spot'sbreathing became more regular and the rasp gradually left it. Then thedog whined in pleasure and wagged his tail with increasing vigor. Suddenly he raised his head, perked his ears in astonishment and lookedhis master straight in the face with eyes that saw once more. The lowthroat cry rose to a full and joyous bark. He sprang to his feet fromunder the restraining hands and jumped to the floor in a lithe-muscledleap that carried him half way across the room. He capered about withthe abandon of a puppy, making extremely active use of four sound limbs. "Why--why, Forsythe, " stammered the hermit, "it's absolutely incredible. Tell me--tell me--what is this remarkable force?" * * * * * His host laughed gleefully. "You probably wouldn't understand it anyway, but I'll tell you. It is as simple as the nose on your face. The sparkof life, the vital force, is merely an extremely complicated electricalmanifestation which I have been able to duplicate artificially. Thisspark or force is all that distinguishes living from inanimate matter, and in living beings the force gradually decreases in power as the yearspass, causing loss of health and strength. The chemical composition ofbones and tissue alters, joints become stiff, muscles atrophied, andbones brittle. By recharging, as it were, with the vital force, thegland action is intensified, youth and strength is renewed. By repeatingthe process every ten or fifteen years the same degree of vigor can bemaintained indefinitely. Mankind will become immortal. That is why I sayI am to be master of the world. " For the moment Old Crompton forgot his jealous hatred in the enthusiasmwith which he was imbued. "Tom--Tom, " he pleaded in his excitement, "useme as a subject. Renew my youth. My life has been a sad one and a lonelyone, but I would that I might live it over. I should make of it a fardifferent one--something worth while. See, I am ready. " He sat on the edge of the gleaming table and made as if to lie down onits gleaming surface. But his young host only stared at him in openamusement. "What? You?" he sneered, unfeelingly. "Why, you old fossil! I told you Iwould choose my subjects carefully. They are to be people of standingand wealth, who can contribute to the fame and fortune of one ThomasForsythe. " "But Tom, I have money, " Old Crompton begged. But when he saw the hardmirth in the younger man's eyes, his old animosity flamed anew and hesprang from his position and shook a skinny forefinger in Tom's face. "Don't do that to me, you old fool!" shouted Tom, "and get out of here. Think I'd waste current on an old cadger like you? I guess not! Now getout. Get out, I say!" Then the old anchorite saw red. Something seemed to snap in his souredold brain. He found himself kicking and biting and punching at his host, who backed away from the furious onslaught in surprise. Then Tom trippedover a wire and fell to the floor with a force that rattled the windows, his ferocious little adversary on top. The younger man lay still wherehe had fallen, a trickle of blood showing at his temple. "My God! I've killed him!" gasped the old man. With trembling fingers he opened Tom's shirt and listened for hisheartbeats. Panic-stricken, he rubbed the young man's wrists, slappedhis cheeks, and ran for water to dash in his face. But all efforts torevive him proved futile, and then, in awful fear, Old Crompton dashedinto the night, the dog Spot snapping at his heels as he ran. * * * * * Hours later the stooped figure of a shabby old man might have been seenstealthily re-entering the lonely workshop where the lights still burnedbrightly. Tom Forsythe lay rigid in the position in which Old Cromptonhad left him, and the dog growled menacingly. Averting his gaze and circling wide of the body, Old Crompton made forthe table of the marvelous rays. In minute detail he recalled every movemade by Tom in starting and adjusting the apparatus to produce theincredible results he had witnessed. Not a moment was to be wasted now. Already he had hesitated too long, for soon would come the dawn andpossible discovery of his crime. But the invention of his victim wouldsave him from the long arm of the law, for, with youth restored, OldCrompton would cease to exist and a new life would open its doors to thestarved soul of the hermit. Hermit, indeed! He would begin life anew, anactive man with youthful vigor and ambition. Under an assumed name hewould travel abroad, would enjoy life, and would later become asuccessful man of affairs. He had enough money, he told himself. And thepolice would never find Old Crompton, the murderer of Tom Forsythe! Hedeposited his small traveling bag on the floor and fingered the controlsof Tom's apparatus. He threw the starting switch confidently and grinned in satisfaction asthe answering whine of the motor-generator came to his ears. One by onehe carefully made the adjustments in exactly the manner followed by thenow silenced discoverer of the process. Everything operated precisely asit had during the preceding experiments. Odd that he should haveanticipated some such necessity! But something had told him to observeTom's movements carefully, and now he rejoiced in the fact that hisintuition had led him aright. Painfully he climbed to the table top andstretched his aching body in the warm light of the four huge tubes. Hisexertions during the struggle with Tom were beginning to tell on him. But the soreness and stiffness of feeble muscles and stubborn jointswould soon be but a memory. His pulses quickened at the thought and hebreathed deep in a sudden feeling of unaccustomed well-being. * * * * * The dog growled continuously from his position at the head of hismaster, but did not move to interfere with the intruder. And OldCrompton, in the excitement of the momentous experience, paid him notthe slightest attention. His body tingled from head to foot with a not unpleasant sensation thatconveyed the assurance of radical changes taking place under theinfluence of the vital rays. The tingling sensation increased inintensity until it seemed that every corpuscle in his veins danced tothe tune of the vibration from those glowing tubes that bathed him in anever-spreading radiance. Aches and pains vanished from his body, but hesoon experienced a sharp stab of new pain in his lower jaw. With anexperimental forefinger he rubbed the gum. He laughed aloud as therealization came to him that in those gums where there had been no teethfor more than twenty years there was now growing a complete new set. Andthe rapidity of the process amazed him beyond measure. The aching areaspread quickly and was becoming really uncomfortable. But then--and heconsoled himself with the thought--nothing is brought into being withouta certain amount of pain. Besides, he was confident that his discomfortwould soon be over. He examined his hand, and found that the joints of two fingers longcrippled with rheumatism now moved freely and painlessly. The mistybrilliance surrounding his body was paling and he saw that the flesh wastaking on a faint green fluorescence instead. The rays had completedtheir work and soon the transformation would be fully effected. Heturned on his side and slipped to the floor with the agility of ayoungster. The dog snarled anew, but kept steadfastly to his position. * * * * * There was a small mirror over the wash stand at the far end of the roomand Old Crompton made haste to obtain the first view of his reflectedimage. His step was firm and springy, his bearing confident, and hefound that his long-stooped shoulders straightened naturally and easily. He felt that he had taken on at least two inches in stature, which wasindeed the case. When he reached the mirror he peered anxiously into itsdingy surface and what he saw there so startled him that he steppedbackward in amazement. This was not Larry Crompton, but an entirely newman. The straggly white hair had given way to soft, healthy waves ofchestnut hue. Gone were the seams from the leathery countenance and theeyes looked out clearly and steadily from under brows as thick and darkas they had been in his youth. The reflected features were those of anentire stranger. They were not even reminiscent of the Larry Crompton offifty years ago, but were the features of a far more vigorous andprepossessing individual than he had ever seemed, even in the best yearsof his life. The jaw was firm, the once sunken cheeks so well filled outthat his high cheek bones were no longer in evidence. It was the face ofa man of not more than thirty-eight years of age, reflecting exceptionalintelligence and strength of character. "What a disguise!" he exclaimed in delight. And his voice, echoing inthe stillness that followed the switching off of the apparatus, wasdeep-throated and mellow--the voice of a new man. Now, serenely confident that discovery was impossible, he picked up hissmall but heavy bag and started for the door. Dawn was breaking and hewished to put as many miles between himself and Tom's laboratory ascould be covered in the next few hours. But at the door he hesitated. Then, despite the furious yapping of Spot, he returned to the table ofthe rays and, with deliberate thoroughness smashed the costly tubeswhich had brought about his rehabilitation. With a pinch bar from anearby tool rack, he wrecked the controls and generating mechanismsbeyond recognition. Now he was absolutely secure! No meddling expertscould possibly discover the secret of Tom's invention. All evidencewould show that the young experimenter had met his death at the hands ofOld Crompton, the despised hermit of West Laketon. But none would dreamthat the handsome man of means who was henceforth to be known as GeorgeVoight was that same despised hermit. He recovered his satchel and left the scene. With long, rapid strides heproceeded down the old dirt road toward the main highway where, insteadof turning east into the village, he would turn west and walk toKernsburg, the neighboring town. There, in not more than two hours time, his new life would really begin! * * * * * Had you, a visitor, departed from Laketon when Old Crompton did andreturned twelve years later, you would have noticed very littledifference in the appearance of the village. The old town hall and thelittle park were the same, the dingy brick building among the treesbeing just a little dingier and its wooden steps more worn and sagged. The main street showed evidence of recent repaving, and, in consequenceof the resulting increase in through automobile traffic; there were twonew gasoline filling stations in the heart of the town. Down the roadabout a half mile there was a new building, which, upon inquiring fromone of the natives, would be proudly designated as the new high schoolbuilding. Otherwise there were no changes to be observed. In his dilapidated chair in the untidy office he had occupied for nearlythirty years, sat Asa Culkin, popularly known as "Judge" Culkin. Justiceof the peace, sheriff, attorney-at-law, and three times Mayor ofLaketon, he was still a controlling factor in local politics andgovernment. And many a knotty legal problem was settled in that gloomylittle office. Many a dispute in the town council was dependent forarbitration upon the keen mind and understanding wit of the old judge. The four o'clock train had just puffed its labored way from the stationwhen a stranger entered his office, a stranger of uncommonly prosperousair. The keen blue eyes of the old attorney appraised him instantly andclassified him as a successful man of business, not yet forty years ofage, and with a weighty problem on his mind. "What can I do for you, sir?" he asked, removing his feet from thebattered desk top. "You may be able to help me a great deal, Judge, " was the unexpectedreply. "I came to Laketon to give myself up. " "Give yourself up?" Culkin rose to his feet in surprise andunconsciously straightened his shoulders in the effort to seem lessdwarfed before the tall stranger. "Why, what do you mean?" he inquired. * * * * * "I wish to give myself up for murder, " answered the amazing visitor, slowly and with decision, "for a murder committed twelve years ago. Ishould like you to listen to my story first, though. It has been kepttoo long. " "But I still do not understand. " There was puzzlement in the honest oldface of the attorney. He shook his gray locks in uncertainty. "Whyshould you come here? Why come to me? What possible interest can I havein the matter?" "Just this, Judge. You do not recognize me now, and you will probablyconsider my story incredible when you hear it. But, when I have givenyou all the evidence, you will know who I am and will be compelled tobelieve. The murder was committed in Laketon. That is why I came toyou. " "A murder in Laketon? Twelve years ago?" Again the aged attorney shookhis head. "But--proceed. " "Yes. I killed Thomas Forsythe. " The stranger looked for an expression of horror in the features of hislistener, but there was none. Instead the benign countenance took on alook of deepening amazement, but the smile wrinkles had somehow vanishedand the old face was grave in its surprised interest. "You seem astonished, " continued the stranger. "Undoubtedly you wereconvinced that the murderer was Larry Crompton--Old Crompton, thehermit. He disappeared the night of the crime and has never been heardfrom since. Am I correct?" "Yes. He disappeared all right. But continue. " Not by a lift of his eyebrow did Culkin betray his disbelief, but thestranger sensed that his story was somehow not as startling as it shouldhave been. "You will think me crazy, I presume. But I am Old Crompton. It was myhand that felled the unfortunate young man in his laboratory out therein West Laketon twelve years ago to-night. It was his marvelousinvention that transformed the old hermit into the apparently young manyou see before you. But I swear that I am none other than Larry Cromptonand that I killed young Forsythe. I am ready to pay the penalty. I canbear the flagellation of my own conscience no longer. " * * * * * The visitor's voice had risen to the point of hysteria. But his listenerremained calm and unmoved. "Now just let me get this straight, " he said quietly. "Do I understandthat you claim to be Old Crompton, rejuvenated in some mysteriousmanner, and that you killed Tom Forsythe on that night twelve years ago?Do I understand that you wish now to go to trial for that crime and topay the penalty?" "Yes! Yes! And the sooner the better. I can stand it no longer. I am themost miserable man in the world!" "Hm-m--hm-m, " muttered the judge, "this is strange. " He spoke soothinglyto his visitor. "Do not upset yourself, I beg of you. I will take careof this thing for you, never fear. Just take a seat, Mister--er--" "You may call me Voight for the present, " said the stranger, in a morecomposed tone of voice, "George Voight. That is the name I have beenusing since the mur--since that fatal night. " "Very well, Mr. Voight, " replied the counsellor with an air of thegreatest solicitude, "please have a seat now, while I make a telephonecall. " And George Voight slipped into a stiff-backed chair with a sigh ofrelief. For he knew the judge from the old days and he was now certainthat his case would be disposed of very quickly. With the telephone receiver pressed to his ear, Culkin repeated anumber. The stranger listened intently during the ensuing silence. Thenthere came a muffled "hello" sounding in impatient response to the call. "Hello, Alton, " spoke the attorney, "this is Asa speaking. A strangerhas just stepped into my office and he claims to be Old Crompton. Remember the hermit across the road from your son's old laboratory?Well, this man, who bears no resemblance whatever to the old man heclaims to be and who seems to be less than half the age of Tom's oldneighbor, says that he killed Tom on that night we remember so well. " * * * * * There were some surprised remarks from the other end of the wire, butVoight was unable to catch them. He was in a cold perspiration at thethought of meeting his victim's father. "Why, yes, Alton, " continued Culkin, "I think there is something in thisstory, although I cannot believe it all. But I wish you would accompanyus and visit the laboratory. Will you?" "Lord, man, not that!" interrupted the judge's visitor. "I can hardlybear to visit the scene of my crime--and in the company of AltonForsythe. Please, not that!" "Now you just let me take care of this, young man, " replied the judge, testily. Then, once more speaking into the mouthpiece of the telephone, "All right, Alton. We'll pick you up at your office in five minutes. " He replaced the receiver on its hook and turned again to his visitor. "Please be so kind as to do exactly as I request, " he said. "I want tohelp you, but there is more to this thing than you know and I want youto follow unquestioningly where I lead and ask no questions at all forthe present. Things may turn out differently than you expect. " "All right, Judge. " The visitor resigned himself to whatever mighttranspire under the guidance of the man he had called upon to turn himover to the officers of the law. * * * * * Seated in the judge's ancient motor car, they stopped at the office ofAlton Forsythe a few minutes later and were joined by that red-faced andpompous old man. Few words were spoken during the short run to thewell-remembered location of Tom's laboratory, and the man who was knownas George Voight caught at his own throat with nervous fingers when theypassed the tumbledown remains of the hut in which Old Crompton had spentso many years. With a screeching of well-worn brakes the car stoppedbefore the laboratory, which was now almost hidden behind a mass ofshrubs and flowers. "Easy now, young man, " cautioned the judge, noting the look of fearwhich had clouded his new client's features. The three men advanced tothe door through which Old Crompton had fled on that night of horror, twelve years before. The elder Forsythe spoke not a word as he turnedthe knob and stepped within. Voight shrank from entering, but soonmastered his feelings and followed the other two. The sight that met hiseyes caused him to cry aloud in awe. At the dissecting table, which seemed to be exactly as he had seen itlast but with replicas of the tubes he had destroyed once more in place, stood Tom Forsythe! Considerably older and with hair prematurely gray, he was still the young man Old Crompton thought he had killed. TomForsythe was not dead after all! And all of his years of misery had gonefor nothing. He advanced slowly to the side of the wondering young man, Alton Forsythe and Asa Culkin watching silently from just inside thedoor. "Tom--Tom, " spoke the stranger, "you are alive? You were not dead when Ileft you on that terrible night when I smashed your precious tubes?Oh--it is too good to be true! I can scarcely believe my eyes!" * * * * * He stretched forth trembling fingers to touch the body of the young manto assure himself that it was not all a dream. "Why, " said Tom Forsythe, in astonishment. "I do not know you, sir. Never saw you in my life. What do you mean by your talk of smashing mytubes, of leaving me for dead?" "Mean?" The stranger's voice rose now; he was growing excited. "Why, Tom, I am Old Crompton. Remember the struggle, here in this very room?You refused to rejuvenate an unhappy old man with your marvelousapparatus, a temporarily insane old man--Crompton. I was that old manand I fought with you. You fell, striking your head. There was blood. You were unconscious. Yes, for many hours I was sure you were dead andthat I had murdered you. But I had watched your manipulations of theapparatus and I subjected myself to the action of the rays. My youth wasmiraculously restored. I became as you see me now. Detection wasimpossible, for I looked no more like Old Crompton than you do. Ismashed your machinery to avoid suspicion. Then I escaped. And, fortwelve years, I have thought myself a murderer. I have suffered thetortures of the damned!" Tom Forsythe advanced on this remarkable visitor with clenched fists. Staring him in the eyes with cold appraisal, his wrath was all tooapparent. The dog Spot, young as ever, entered the room and, uponobserving the stranger, set up an ominous growling and snarling. Atleast the dog recognized him! "What are you trying to do, catechise me? Are you another of thesealienists my father has been bringing around?" The young inventor wasfurious. "If you are, " he continued, "you can get out of here--now! I'llhave no more of this meddling with my affairs. I'm as sane as any of youand I refuse to submit to this continual persecution. " The elder Forsythe grunted, and Culkin laid a restraining hand on hisarm. "Just a minute now, Tom, " he said soothingly. "This stranger is noalienist. He has a story to tell. Please permit him to finish. " * * * * * Somewhat mollified, Tom Forsythe shrugged his assent. "Tom, " continued the stranger, more calmly now, "what I have said is thetruth. I shall prove it to you. I'll tell you things no mortals on earthcould know but we two. Remember the day I captured the big rooster foryou--the monster you had created? Remember the night you awakened me andbrought me here in the moonlight? Remember the rabbit whose leg youamputated and re-grew? The poor guinea pig you had suffocated and whoselife you restored? Spot here? Don't you remember rejuvenating him? I washere. And you refused to use your process on me, old man that I was. Then is when I went mad and attacked you. Do you believe me, Tom?" Then a strange thing happened. While Tom Forsythe gazed in growingbelief, the stranger's shoulders sagged and he trembled as with theague. The two older men who had kept in the background gasped theirastonishment as his hair faded to a sickly gray, then became as white asthe driven snow. Old Crompton was reverting to his previous state!Within five minutes, instead of the handsome young stranger, therestood before them a bent, withered old man--Old Crompton beyond a doubt. The effects of Tom's process were spent. "Well I'm damned!" ejaculated Alton Forsythe. "You have been right allalong, Asa. And I am mighty glad I did not commit Tom as I intended. Hehas told us the truth all these years and we were not wise enough to seeit. " "We!" exclaimed the judge. "You, Alton Forsythe! I have always upheldhim. You have done your son a grave injustice and you owe him yourapologies if ever a father owed his son anything. " "You are right, Asa. " And, his aristocratic pride forgotten, AltonForsythe rushed to the side of his son and embraced him. The judge turned to Old Crompton pityingly. "Rather a bad ending foryou, Crompton, " he said. "Still, it is better by far than being brandedas a murderer. " "Better? Better?" croaked Old Crompton. "It is wonderful, Judge. I havenever been so happy in my life!" * * * * * The face of the old man beamed, though scalding tears coursed down thewithered and seamed cheeks. The two Forsythes looked up from theirdemonstrations of peacemaking to listen to the amazing words of the oldhermit. "Yes, happy for the first time in my life, " he continued. "I am onehundred years of age, gentlemen, and I now look it and feel it. That isas it should be. And my experience has taught me a final lasting lesson. None of you know it, but, when I was but a very young man I was bitterlydisappointed in love. Ha! ha! Never think it to look at me now, wouldyou? But I was, and it ruined my entire life. I had a littlemoney--inherited--and I traveled about in the world for a few years, then settled in that old hut across the road where I buried myself forsixty years, becoming crabbed and sour and despicable. Young Tom herewas the first bright spot and, though I admired him, I hated him forhis opportunities, hated him for that which he had that I had not. Withthe promise of his invention I thought I saw happiness, a new life formyself. I got what I wanted, though not in the way I had expected. And Iwant to tell you gentlemen that there is nothing in it. Withdevelopments of modern science you may be able to restore a man'syouthful vigor of body, but you can't cure his mind with electricity. Though I had a youthful body, my brain was the brain of an oldman--memories were there which could not be suppressed. Even had I nothad the fancied death of young Tom on my conscience I should still havebeen miserable. I worked. God, how I worked--to forget! But I could notforget. I was successful in business and made a lot of money. I am moreindependent--probably wealthier than you, Alton Forsythe, but that didnot bring happiness. I longed to be myself once more, to have the achesand pains which had been taken from me. It is natural to age and to die. Immortality would make of us a people of restless misery. We wouldquarrel and bicker and long for death, which would not come to relieveus. Now it is over for me and I am glad--glad--glad!" * * * * * He paused for breath, looking beseechingly at Tom Forsythe. "Tom, " hesaid, "I suppose you have nothing for me in your heart but hatred. And Idon't blame you. But I wish--I wish you would try and forgive me. Canyou?" The years had brought increased understanding and tolerance to youngTom. He stared at Old Crompton and the long-nursed anger over thedestruction of his equipment melted into a strange mixture of pity andadmiration for the courageous old fellow. "Why, I guess I can, Crompton, " he replied. "There was many a day when Istruggled hopelessly to reconstruct my apparatus, cursing you with everybit of energy in my make-up. I could cheerfully have throttled you, hadyou been within reach. For twelve years I have labored incessantly toreproduce the results we obtained on the night of which you speak. People called me insane--even my father wished to have me committed toan asylum. And, until now, I have been unsuccessful. Only to-day has itseemed for the first time that the experiments will again succeed. Butmy ideas have changed with regard to the uses of the process. I was acocksure young pup in the old days, with foolish dreams of fame andinfluence. But I have seen the error of my ways. Your experience, too, convinces me that immortality may not be as desirable as I thought. Butthere are great possibilities in the way of relieving the sufferings ofmankind and in making this a better world in which to live. With youradvice and help I believe I can do great things. I now forgive youfreely and I ask you to remain here with me to assist in the work thatis to come. What do you say to the idea?" At the reverent thankfulness in the pale eyes of the broken old man whohad so recently been a perfect specimen of vigorous youth, AltonForsythe blew his nose noisily. The little judge smiled benevolently andshook his head as if to say, "I told you so. " Tom and Old Cromptongripped hands--mightily. * * * * * _COMING, NEXT MONTH_ BRIGANDS OF THE MOON By RAY CUMMINGS * * * * * Spawn of the Stars _By Charles Willard Diffin_ The Earth lay powerless beneath those loathsome, yellowish monsters that, sheathed in cometlike globes, sprang from the skies to annihilate man and reduce his cities to ashes. [Illustration: _The sky was alive with winged shapes, and high in theair shone the glittering menace, trailing five plumes of gas. _] When Cyrus R. Thurston bought himself a single-motored Stoughton job hewas looking for new thrills. Flying around the east coast had lost itszest: he wanted to join that jaunty group who spoke so easily of hoppingoff for Los Angeles. And what Cyrus Thurston wanted he usually obtained. But if that youngmillionaire-sportsman had been told that on his first flight thisblocky, bulletlike ship was to pitch him headlong into the exact centerof the wildest, strangest war this earth had ever seen--well, it isstill probable that the Stoughton company would not have lost the sale. They were roaring through the starlit, calm night, three thousand feetabove a sage sprinkled desert, when the trip ended. Slim Riley had thestick when the first blast of hot oil ripped slashingly across thepilot's window. "There goes your old trip!" he yelled. "Why don't theytry putting engines in these ships?" [Illustration] He jammed over the throttle and, with motor idling, swept down towardthe endless miles of moonlit waste. Wind? They had been boring into it. Through the opened window he spotted a likely stretch of ground. Settingdown the ship on a nice piece of Arizona desert was a mere detail forSlim. "Let off a flare, " he ordered, "when I give the word. " * * * * * The white glare of it faded the stars as he sideslipped, thenstraightened out on his hand-picked field. The plane rolled down a clearspace and stopped. The bright glare persisted while he stared curiouslyfrom the quiet cabin. Cutting the motor he opened both windows, thengrabbed Thurston by the shoulder. "'Tis a curious thing, that, " he said unsteadily. His hand pointedstraight ahead. The flare died, but the bright stars of the desertcountry still shone on a glistening, shining bulb. It was some two hundred feet away. The lower part was lost in shadow, but its upper surfaces shone rounded and silvery like a giant bubble. Ittowered in the air, scores of feet above the chapparal beside it. Therewas a round spot of black on its side, which looked absurdly like adoor. .. . "I saw something moving, " said Thurston slowly. "On the ground I saw. .. . Oh, good Lord, Slim, it isn't real!" Slim Riley made no reply. His eyes were riveted to an undulating, ghastly something that oozed and crawled in the pale light not far fromthe bulb. His hand was reaching, reaching. .. . It found what he sought;he leaned toward the window. In his hand was the Very pistol fordischarging the flares. He aimed forward and up. The second flare hung close before it settled on the sandy floor. Itsblinding whiteness made the more loathsome the sickening yellow of theflabby flowing thing that writhed frantically in the glare. It wasformless, shapeless, a heaving mound of nauseous matter. Yet even in itsagonized writhing distortions they sensed the beating pulsations thatmarked it a living thing. There were unending ripplings crossing and recrossing through theconvolutions. To Thurston there was suddenly a sickening likeness: thething was a brain from a gigantic skull--it was naked--wassuffering. .. . * * * * * The thing poured itself across the sand. Before the staring gaze of thespeechless men an excrescence appeared--a thick bulb on the mass--thatprotruded itself into a tentacle. At the end there grew instantly ahooked hand. It reached for the black opening in the great shell, foundit, and the whole loathsome shapelessness poured itself up and throughthe hole. Only at the last was it still. In the dark opening the last slipperymass held quiet for endless seconds. It formed, as they watched, to ahead--frightful--menacing. Eyes appeared in the head; eyes flat andround and black save for a cross slit in each; eyes that stared horriblyand unchangingly into theirs. Below them a gaping mouth opened andclosed. .. . The head melted--was gone. .. . And with its going came a rushing roar of sound. From under the metallic mass shrieked a vaporous cloud. It drove atthem, a swirling blast of snow and sand. Some buried memory of gasattacks woke Riley from his stupor. He slammed shut the windowsan instant before the cloud struck, but not before they had seen, in the moonlight, a gleaming, gigantic, elongated bulb riseswiftly--screamingly--into the upper air. The blast tore at their plane. And the cold in their tight compartmentwas like the cold of outer space. The men stared, speechless, panting. Their breath froze in that frigid room into steam clouds. "It--it. .. . " Thurston gasped--and slumped helpless upon the floor. * * * * * It was an hour before they dared open the door of their cabin. An hourof biting, numbing cold. Zero--on a warm summer night on the desert!Snow in the hurricane that had struck them! "'Twas the blast from the thing, " guessed the pilot; "though never didI see an engine with an exhaust like that. " He was pounding himself withhis arms to force up the chilled circulation. "But the beast--the--the _thing_!" exclaimed Thurston. "It's monstrous;indecent! It thought--no question of that--but no body! Horrible! Just araw, naked, thinking protoplasm!" It was here that he flung open the door. They sniffed cautiously of theair. It was warm again--clean--save for a hint of some nauseous odor. They walked forward; Riley carried a flash. The odor grew to a stench as they came where the great mass had lain. Onthe ground was a fleshy mound. There were bones showing, and horns on askull. Riley held the light close to show the body of a steer. A body ofraw bleeding meat. Half of it had been absorbed. .. . "The damned thing, " said Riley, and paused vainly for adequate words. "The damned thing was eating. .. . Like a jelly-fish, it was!" "Exactly, " Thurston agreed. He pointed about. There were other heapsscattered among the low sage. "Smothered, " guessed Thurston, "with that frozen exhaust. Then thefilthy thing landed and came out to eat. " "Hold the light for me, " the pilot commanded. "I'm goin' to fix thatbusted oil line. And I'm goin' to do it right now. Maybe the creature'sstill hungry. " * * * * * They sat in their room. About them was the luxury of a modern hotel. Cyrus Thurston stared vacantly at the breakfast he was forgetting toeat. He wiped his hands mechanically on a snowy napkin. He looked fromthe window. There were palm trees in the park, and autos in a ceaselessstream. And people! Sane, sober people, living in a sane world. Newsboyswere shouting; the life of the city was flowing. "Riley!" Thurston turned to the man across the table. His voice wascuriously toneless, and his face haggard. "Riley, I haven't slept forthree nights. Neither have you. We've got to get this thing straight. Wedidn't both become absolute maniacs at the same instant, but--it was_not_ there, it was _never_ there--not _that_. .. . " He was lost inunpleasant recollections. "There are other records of hallucinations. " "Hallucinations--hell!" said Slim Riley. He was looking at a Los Angelesnewspaper. He passed one hand wearily across his eyes, but his face washappier than it had been in days. "We didn't imagine it, we aren't crazy--it's real! Would you read thatnow!" He passed the paper across to Thurston. The headlines werestartling. "Pilot Killed by Mysterious Airship. Silvery Bubble Hangs Over New York. Downs Army Plane in Burst of Flame. Vanishes at Terrific Speed. " "It's our little friend, " said Thurston. And on his face, too, the lineswere vanishing; to find this horror a reality was positive relief. "Here's the same cloud of vapor--drifted slowly across the city, the accounts says, blowing this stuff like steam from underneath. Airplanes investigated--an army plane drove into the vapor--terrificexplosion--plane down in flames--others wrecked. The machine ascendedwith meteor speed, trailing blue flame. Come on, boy, where's that oldbus? Thought I never wanted to fly a plane again. Now I don't want to doanything but. " "Where to?" Slim inquired. "Headquarters, " Thurston told him. "Washington--let's go!" * * * * * From Los Angeles to Washington is not far, as the plane flies. There wasa stop or two for gasoline, but it was only a day later that they wereseated in the War Office. Thurston's card had gained immediateadmittance. "Got the low-down, " he had written on the back of his card, "on the mystery airship. " "What you have told me is incredible, " the Secretary was saying, "or would be if General Lozier here had not reported personally onthe occurrence at New York. But the monster, the thing you havedescribed. .. . Cy, if I didn't know you as I do I would have you lockedup. " "It's true, " said Thurston, simply. "It's damnable, but it's true. Nowwhat does it mean?" "Heaven knows, " was the response. "That's where it came from--out of theheavens. " "Not what we saw, " Slim Riley broke in. "That thing came straight out ofHell. " And in his voice was no suggestion of levity. "You left Los Angeles early yesterday; have you seen the papers?" Thurston shook his head. "They are back, " said the Secretary. "Reported over London--Paris--theWest Coast. Even China has seen them. Shanghai cabled an hour ago. " "Them? How many are there?" "Nobody knows. There were five seen at one time. There are more--unlessthe same ones go around the world in a matter of minutes. " * * * * * Thurston remembered that whirlwind of vapor and a vanishing speck in theArizona sky. "They could, " he asserted. "They're faster than anything onearth. Though what drives them . .. That gas--steam--whatever it is. .. . " "Hydrogen, " stated General Lozier. "I saw the New York show when poorDavis got his. He flew into the exhaust; it went off like a millionbombs. Characteristic hydrogen flame trailed the damn thing up out ofsight--a tail of blue fire. " "And cold, " stated Thurston. "Hot as a Bunsen burner, " the General contradicted. "Davis' plane almostmelted. " "Before it ignited, " said the other. He told of the cold in their plane. "Ha!" The General spoke explosively. "That's expansion. That's a tip ontheir motive power. Expansion of gas. That accounts for the cold andthe vapor. Suddenly expanded it would be intensely cold. The moisture ofthe air would condense, freeze. But how could they carry it? Or"--hefrowned for a moment, brows drawn over deep-set gray eyes--"or generateit? But that's crazy--that's impossible!" "So is the whole matter, " the Secretary reminded him. "With theinformation Mr. Thurston and Mr. Riley have given us, the whole affairis beyond any gage our past experience might supply. We start from theimpossible, and we go--where? What is to be done?" "With your permission, sir, a number of things shall be done. It wouldbe interesting to see what a squadron of planes might accomplish, divingon them from above. Or anti-aircraft fire. " * * * * * "No, " said the Secretary of War, "not yet. They have looked us over, but they have not attacked. For the present we do not know what theyare. All of us have our suspicions--thoughts of interplanetarytravel--thoughts too wild for serious utterance--but we know nothing. "Say nothing to the papers of what you have told me, " he directedThurston. "Lord knows their surmises are wild enough now. And for you, General, in the event of any hostile move, you will resist. " "Your order was anticipated, sir. " The General permitted himself aslight smile. "The air force is ready. " "Of course, " the Secretary of War nodded. "Meet me here to-night--nineo'clock. " He included Thurston and Riley in the command. "We need tothink . .. To think . .. And perhaps their mission is friendly. " "Friendly!" The two flyers exchanged glances as they went to the door. And each knew what the other was seeing--a viscous ocherous mass thatformed into a head where eyes devilish in their hate stared coldly intotheirs. .. . "Think, we need to think, " repeated Thurston later. "A creature that isjust one big hideous brain, that can think an arm into existence--thinka head where it wishes! What does a thing like that think of? Whatbeastly thoughts could that--that _thing_ conceive?" "If I got the sights of a Lewis gun on it, " said Riley vindictively, "I'd make it think. " "And my guess is that is all you would accomplish, " Thurston told him. "I am forming a few theories about our visitors. One is that it would bequite impossible to find a vital spot in that big homogeneous mass. " The pilot dispensed with theories: his was a more literal mind. "Whereon earth did they come from, do you suppose, Mr. Thurston?" * * * * * They were walking to their hotel. Thurston raised his eyes to the summerheavens. Faint stars were beginning to twinkle; there was one thatglowed steadily. "Nowhere on earth, " Thurston stated softly, "nowhere on earth. " "Maybe so, " said the pilot, "maybe so. We've thought about it and talkedabout it . .. And they've gone ahead and done it. " He called to anewsboy; they took the latest editions to their room. The papers were ablaze with speculation. There were dispatches from allcorners of the earth, interviews with scientists and near scientists. The machines were a Soviet invention--they were beyond anythinghuman--they were harmless--they would wipe out civilization--poisongas--blasts of fire like that which had enveloped the army flyer. .. . And through it all Thurston read an ill-concealed fear, a reflection ofpanic that was gripping the nation--the whole world. These greatmachines were sinister. Wherever they appeared came the sense of beingwatched, of a menace being calmly withheld. And at thought of theobscene monsters inside those spheres, Thurston's lips were compressedand his eyes hardened. He threw the papers aside. "They are here, " he said, "and that's all that we know. I hope theSecretary of War gets some good men together. And I hope someone isinspired with an answer. " "An answer is it?" said Riley. "I'm thinkin' that the answer will come, but not from these swivel-chair fighters. 'Tis the boys in the cockpitswith one hand on the stick and one on the guns that will have theanswer. " But Thurston shook his head. "Their speed, " he said, "and the gas!Remember that cold. How much of it can they lay over a city?" The question was unanswered, unless the quick ringing of the phone was areply. "War Department, " said a voice. "Hold the wire. " The voice of theSecretary of War came on immediately. "Thurston?" he asked. "Come over at once on the jump, old man. Hell'spopping. " * * * * * The windows of the War Department Building were all alight as theyapproached. Cars were coming and going; men in uniform, as the Secretaryhad said, "on the jump. " Soldiers with bayonets stopped them, thenpassed Thurston and his companion on. Bells were ringing from all sides. But in the Secretary's office was perfect quiet. General Lozier was there, Thurston saw, and an imposing array ofgold-braided men with a sprinkling of those in civilian clothes. One herecognized: MacGregor from the Bureau of Standards. The Secretary handedThurston some papers. "Radio, " he explained. "They are over the Pacific coast. Hit nearVancouver; Associated Press says city destroyed. They are working downthe coast. Same story--blast of hydrogen from their funnel shaped base. Colder than Greenland below them; snow fell in Seattle. No real attacksince Vancouver and little damage done--" A message was laid beforehim. "Portland, " he said. "Five mystery ships over city. Dart repeatedlytoward earth, deliver blast of gas and then retreat. Doing no damage. Apparently inviting attack. All commercial planes ordered grounded. Awaiting instructions. "Gentlemen, " said the Secretary, "I believe I speak for all present whenI say that, in the absence of first hand information, we are utterlyunable to arrive at any definite conclusion or make a definite plan. There is a menace in this, undeniably. Mr. Thurston and Mr. Riley havebeen good enough to report to me. They have seen one machine at closerange. It was occupied by a monster so incredible that the report wouldreceive no attention from me did I not know Mr. Thurston personally. "Where have they come from? What does it mean--what is their mission?Only God knows. "Gentlemen, I feel that I must see them. I want General Lozier toaccompany me, also Doctor MacGregor, to advise me from the scientificangle. I am going to the Pacific Coast. They may not wait--that istrue--but they appear to be going slowly south. I will leave to-nightfor San Diego. I hope to intercept them. We have strong air-forcesthere; the Navy Department is cooperating. " * * * * * He waited for no comment. "General, " he ordered, "will you kindlyarrange for a plane? Take an escort or not as you think best. "Mr. Thurston and Mr. Riley will also accompany us. We want all theauthoritative data we can get. This on my return will be placed beforeyou, gentlemen, for your consideration. " He rose from his chair. "I hopethey wait for us, " he said. Time was when a commander called loudly for a horse, but in this day aSecretary of War is not kept waiting for transportation. Sireningmotorcycles preceded them from the city. Within an hour, motors roaringwide open, propellers ripping into the summer night, lights slippingeastward three thousand feet below, the Secretary of War for the UnitedStates was on his way. And on either side from their plane stretched thearms of a V. Like a flight of gigantic wild geese, fast fighting planesof the Army air service bored steadily into the night, guarantors ofsafe convoy. "The Air Service is ready, " General Lozier had said. And Thurston andhis pilot knew that from East coast to West, swift scout planes, whoseidling engines could roar into action at a moment's notice, stoodwaiting; battle planes hidden in hangars would roll forth at theword--the Navy was cooperating--and at San Diego there were strong navalunits, Army units, and Marine Corps. "They don't know what we can do, what we have up our sleeve: they arefeeling us out, " said the Secretary. They had stopped more than once forgas and for wireless reports. He held a sheaf of typewritten briefs. "Going slowly south. They have taken their time. Hours over SanFrancisco and the bay district. Repeating same tactics; fall withterrific speed to cushion against their blast of gas. Trying to draw usout, provoke an attack, make us show our strength. Well, we shall beatthem to San Diego at this rate. We'll be there in a few hours. " * * * * * The afternoon sun was dropping ahead of them when they sighted thewater. "Eckener Pass, " the pilot told them, "where the Graf Zeppelincame through. Wonder what these birds would think of a Zepp! "There's the ocean, " he added after a time. San Diego glistened againstthe bare hills. "There's North Island--the Army field. " He staredintently ahead, then shouted: "And there they are! Look there!" Over the city a cluster of meteors was falling. Dark underneath, theirtops shone like pure silver in the sun's slanting glare. They felltoward the city, then buried themselves in a dense cloud of steam, rebounding at once to the upper air, vapor trailing behind them. The cloud billowed slowly. It struck the hills of the city, then liftedand vanished. "Land at once, " requested the Secretary. A flash of silver countermandedthe order. It hung there before them, a great gleaming globe, keeping always itsdistance ahead. It was elongated at the base, Thurston observed. Fromthat base shot the familiar blast that turned steamy a hundred feetbelow as it chilled the warm air. There were round orifices, like ports, ranged around the top, where an occasional jet of vapor showed this tobe a method of control. Other spots shone dark and glassy. Were theywindows? He hardly realized their peril, so interested was he in thestrange machine ahead. * * * * * Then: "Dodge that vapor, " ordered General Lozier. The plane wavered insignal to the others and swung sharply to the left. Each man knew theflaming death that was theirs if the fire of their exhaust touched thatexplosive mixture of hydrogen and air. The great bubble turned with themand paralleled their course. "He's watching us, " said Riley, "giving us the once over, the slimydevil. Ain't there a gun on this ship?" The General addressed his superior. Even above the roar of the motorshis voice seemed quiet, assured. "We must not land now, " he said. "Wecan't land at North Island. It would focus their attention upon ourdefenses. That thing--whatever it is--is looking for a vulnerable spot. We must. .. . Hold on--there he goes!" The big bulb shot upward. It slanted above them, and hovered there. "I think he is about to attack, " said the General quietly. And, to thecommander of their squadron: "It's in your hands now, Captain. It'syour fight. " The Captain nodded and squinted above. "He's got to throw heavier stuffthan that, " he remarked. A small object was falling from the cloud. Itpassed close to their ship. "Half-pint size, " said Cyrus Thurston, and laughed in derision. Therewas something ludicrous in the futility of the attack. He stuck his headfrom a window into the gale they created. He sheltered his eyes to tryto follow the missile in its fall. * * * * * They were over the city. The criss-cross of streets made a grill-work oflines; tall buildings were dwarfed from this three thousand footaltitude. The sun slanted across a projecting promontory to make goldenripples on a blue sea and the city sparkled back in the clear air. Tinywhite faces were massed in the streets, huddled in clusters where thefutile black missile had vanished. And then--then the city was gone. .. . A white cloud-bank billowed and mushroomed. Slowly, it seemed to thewatcher--so slowly. It was done in the fraction of a second. Yet in that brief time his eyesregistered the chaotic sweep in advance of the cloud. There came acrashing of buildings in some monster whirlwind, a white cloud engulfingit all. .. . It was rising--was on them. "God, " thought Thurston, "why can't I move!" The plane lifted andlurched. A thunder of sound crashed against them, an intolerable force. They were crushed to the floor as the plane was hurled over and upward. Out of the mad whirling tangle of flying bodies, Thurston glimpsed oneclear picture. The face of the pilot hung battered and blood-coveredbefore him, and over the limp body the hand of Slim Riley clutched atthe switch. "Bully boy, " he said dazedly, "he's cutting the motors. .. . " The thoughtended in blackness. There was no sound of engines or beating propellers when he came to hissenses. Something lay heavy upon him. He pushed it to one side. It wasthe body of General Lozier. * * * * * He drew himself to his knees to look slowly about, rubbed stupidly athis eyes to quiet the whirl, then stared at the blood on his hand. Itwas so quiet--the motors--what was it that happened? Slim had reachedfor the switch. .. . The whirling subsided. Before him he saw Slim Riley at the controls. Hegot to his feet and went unsteadily forward. It was a battered face thatwas lifted to his. "She was spinning, " the puffed lips were muttering slowly. "I broughther out . .. There's the field. .. . " His voice was thick; he formed thewords slowly, painfully. "Got to land . .. Can you take it? I'm--I'm--"He slumped limply in his seat. Thurston's arms were uninjured. He dragged the pilot to the floor andgot back of the wheel. The field was below them. There were planestaxiing out; he heard the roar of their motors. He tried the controls. The plane answered stiffly, but he managed to level off as the brownfield approached. Thurston never remembered that landing. He was trying to drag Riley fromthe battered plane when the first man got to him. "Secretary of War?" he gasped. "In there. .. . Take Riley; I can walk. " "We'll get them, " an officer assured him. "Knew you were coming. Theysure gave you hell! But look at the city!" Arms carried him stumbling from the field. Above the low hangars he sawsmoke clouds over the bay. These and red rolling flames marked what hadbeen an American city. Far in the heavens moved five glinting specks. His head reeled with the thunder of engines. There were planes standingin lines and more erupting from hangars, where khaki-clad men, facestense under leather helmets, rushed swiftly about. "General Lozier is dead, " said a voice. Thurston turned to the man. Theywere bringing the others. "The rest are smashed up some, " the officertold him, "but I think they'll pull through. " * * * * * The Secretary of War for the United States lay beside him. Men with redon their sleeves were slitting his coat. Through one good eye hesquinted at Thurston. He even managed a smile. "Well, I wanted to see them up close, " he said. "They say you saved us, old man. " Thurston waved that aside. "Thank Riley--" he began, but the words endedin the roar of an exhaust. A plane darted swiftly away to shootvertically a hundred feet in the air. Another followed and another. In acloud of brown dust they streamed endlessly out, zooming up like angryhornets, eager to get into the fight. "Fast little devils!" the ambulance man observed. "Here come the bigboys. " A leviathan went deafeningly past. And again others came on in quicksuccession. Farther up the field, silvery gray planes with ruddersflaunting their red, white and blue rose circling to the heights. "That's the Navy, " was the explanation. The surgeon straightened theSecretary's arm. "See them come off the big airplane carriers!" If his remarks were part of his professional training in removing apatient's thoughts from his pain, they were effective. The Secretarystared out to sea, where two great flat-decked craft were shootingplanes with the regularity of a rapid fire gun. They stood out sharplyagainst a bank of gray fog. Cyrus Thurston forgot his bruised body, forgot his own peril--even the inferno that raged back across the bay:he was lost in the sheer thrill of the spectacle. * * * * * Above them the sky was alive with winged shapes. And from all thedisorder there was order appearing. Squadron after squadron swept tobattle formation. Like flights of wild ducks the true sharp-pointed Vssoared off into the sky. Far above and beyond, rows of dots marked therace of swift scouts for the upper levels. And high in the clear airshone the glittering menace trailing their five plumes of gas. A deeper detonation was merging into the uproar. It came from the ships, Thurston knew, where anti-aircraft guns poured a rain of shells into thesky. About the invaders they bloomed into clusters of smoke balls. Theglobes shot a thousand feet into the air. Again the shells found them, and again they retreated. "Look!" said Thurston. "They got one!" He groaned as a long curving arc of speed showed that the big bulb wasunder control. Over the ships it paused, to balance and swing, then shotto the zenith as one of the great boats exploded in a cloud of vapor. The following blast swept the airdrome. Planes yet on the ground wentlike dry autumn leaves. The hangars were flattened. Thurston cowered in awe. They were sheltered, he saw, by a slope of theground. No ridicule now for the bombs! A second blast marked when the gas-cloud ignited. The billowing flameswere blue. They writhed in tortured convulsions through the air. Endlessexplosions merged into one rumbling roar. MacGregor had roused from his stupor; he raised to a sitting position. "Hydrogen, " he stated positively, and pointed where great volumes offlame were sent whirling aloft. "It burns as it mixes with air. " Thescientist was studying intently the mammoth reaction. "But the volume, "he marveled, "the volume! From that small container! Impossible!" "Impossible, " the Secretary agreed, "but. .. . " He pointed with his onegood arm toward the Pacific. Two great ships of steel, blackened andbattered in that fiery breath, tossed helplessly upon the pitching, heaving sea. They furnished to the scientist's exclamation the onlyadequate reply. Each man stared aghast into the pallid faces of his companions. "I thinkwe have underestimated the opposition, " said the Secretary of Warquietly. "Look--the fog is coming in, but it's too late to save them. " * * * * * The big ships were vanishing in the oncoming fog. Whirls of vapor wereeddying toward them in the flame-blaster air. Above them the watcherssaw dimly the five gleaming bulbs. There were airplanes attacking: thetapping of machine-gun fire came to them faintly. Fast planes circled and swooped toward the enemy. An armada of bigplanes drove in from beyond. Formations were blocking space above. .. . Every branch of the service was there, Thurston exulted, the army, Marine Corps, the Navy. He gripped hard at the dry ground in a paralysisof taut nerves. The battle was on, and in the balance hung the fate ofthe world. The fog drove in fast. Through straining eyes he tried in vain toglimpse the drama spread above. The world grew dark and gray. He buriedhis face in his hands. And again came the thunder. The men on the ground forced their gaze tothe clouds, though they knew some fresh horror awaited. The fog-clouds reflected the blue terror above. They were riven andtorn. And through them black objects were falling. Some blazed as theyfell. They slipped into unthought maneuvers--they darted to earthtrailing yellow and black of gasoline fires. The air was filled with thedread rain of death that was spewed from the gray clouds. Gone was theroaring of motors. The air-force of the San Diego area swept in silenceto the earth, whose impact alone could give kindly concealment to theirflame-stricken burden. Thurston's last control snapped. He flung himself flat to bury his facein the sheltering earth. * * * * * Only the driving necessity of work to be done saved the sanity of thesurvivors. The commercial broadcasting stations were demolished, a partof the fuel for the terrible furnace across the bay. But the Naval radiostation was beyond on an outlying hill. The Secretary of War was incharge. An hour's work and this was again in commission to flash to theworld the story of disaster. It told the world also of what lay ahead. The writing was plain. No prophet was needed to forecast the doom anddestruction that awaited the earth. Civilization was helpless. What of armies and cannon, of navies, ofaircraft, when from some unreachable height these monsters within theirbulbous machines could drop coldly--methodically--their diminutivebombs. And when each bomb meant shattering destruction; each explosionblasting all within a radius of miles; each followed by the blue blastof fire that melted the twisted framework of buildings and powdered thestones to make of a proud city a desolation of wreckage, black andsilent beneath the cold stars. There was no crumb of comfort for theworld in the terror the radio told. Slim Riley was lying on an improvised cot when Thurston and therepresentative of the Bureau of Standards joined him. Four walls of aroom still gave shelter in a half-wrecked building. There were candlesburning: the dark was unbearable. "Sit down, " said MacGregor quietly; "we must think. .. . " "Think!" Thurston's voice had an hysterical note. "I can't think! Imustn't think! I'll go raving crazy. .. . " "Yes, think, " said the scientist. "Had it occurred to you that that isour only weapon left? "We must think, we must analyze. Have these devils a vulnerable spot? Isthere any known means of attack? We do not know. We must learn. Here inthis room we have all the direct information the world possesses of thismenace. I have seen their machines in operation. You have seen more--youhave looked at the monsters themselves. At one of them, anyway. " * * * * * The man's voice was quiet, methodical. Mr. MacGregor was attacking aproblem. Problems called for concentration; not hysterics. He could havepoured the contents from a beaker without spilling a drop. His poise wasneeded: they were soon to make a laboratory experiment. The door burst open to admit a wild-eyed figure that snatched up theircandles and dashed them to the floor. "Lights out!" he screamed at them. "There's one of 'em coming back. " Hewas gone from the room. The men sprang for the door, then turned to where Riley was clumsilycrawling from his couch. An arm under each of his, and the three menstumbled from the room. They looked about them in the night. The fog-banks were high, driftingin from the ocean. Beneath them the air was clear; from somewhere abovea hidden moon forced a pale light through the clouds. And over theocean, close to the water, drifted a familiar shape. Familiar in itshuge sleek roundness, in its funnel-shaped base where a soft roar madevaporous clouds upon the water. Familiar, too, in the wild dread itinspired. The watchers were spellbound. To Thurston there came a fury of impotentfrenzy. It was so near! His hands trembled to tear at that door, to ripat that foul mass he knew was within. .. . The great bulb drifted past. Itwas nearing the shore. But its action! Its motion! Gone was the swift certainty of control. The thing settled and sank, torise weakly with a fresh blast of gas from its exhaust. It settledagain, and passed waveringly on in the night. * * * * * Thurston was throbbingly alive with hope that was certainty. "It's beenhit, " he exulted; "it's been hit. Quick! After it, follow it!" He dashedfor a car. There were some that had been salvaged from the less ruinedbuildings. He swung it quickly around where the others were waiting. "Get a gun, " he commanded. "Hey, you, "--to an officer whoappeared--"your pistol, man, quick! We're going after it!" He caught thetossed gun and hurried the others into the car. "Wait, " MacGregor commanded. "Would you hunt elephants with a pop-gun?Or these things?" "Yes, " the other told him, "or my bare hands! Are you coming, or aren'tyou?" The physicist was unmoved. "The creature you saw--you said that itwrithed in a bright light--you said it seemed almost in agony. There'san idea there! Yes, I'm going with you, but keep your shirt on, andthink. " He turned again to the officer. "We need lights, " he explained, "brightlights. What is there? Magnesium? Lights of any kind?" "Wait. " The man rushed off into the dark. He was back in a moment to thrust a pistol into the car. "Flares, " heexplained. "Here's a flashlight, if you need it. " The car tore at theground as Thurston opened it wide. He drove recklessly toward thehighway that followed the shore. The high fog had thinned to a mist. A full moon was breaking through totouch with silver the white breakers hissing on the sand. It spread itsfull glory on dunes and sea: one more of the countless soft nights wherepeace and calm beauty told of an ageless existence that made naught ofthe red havoc of men or of monsters. It shone on the ceaseless surfthat had beaten these shores before there were men, that would thunderthere still when men were no more. But to the tense crouching men in thecar it shone only ahead on a distant, glittering speck. A waveringreflection marked the uncertain flight of the stricken enemy. * * * * * Thurston drove like a maniac; the road carried them straight towardtheir quarry. What could he do when he overtook it? He neither knew norcared. There was only the blind fury forcing him on within reach of thething. He cursed as the lights of the car showed a bend in the road. Itwas leaving the shore. He slackened their speed to drive cautiously into the sand. It draggedat the car, but he fought through to the beach, where he hoped for firmfooting. The tide was out. They tore madly along the smooth sand, breakers clutching at the flying wheels. The strange aircraft was nearer; it was plainly over the shore, theysaw. Thurston groaned as it shot high in the air in an effort to clearthe cliffs ahead. But the heights were no longer a refuge. Again itsettled. It struck on the cliff to rebound in a last futile leap. Thegreat pear shape tilted, then shot end over end to crash hard on thefirm sand. The lights of the car struck the wreck, and they saw theshell roll over once. A ragged break was opening--the spherical top fellslowly to one side. It was still rocking as they brought the car to astop. Filling the lower shell, they saw dimly, was a mucouslike massthat seethed and struggled in the brilliance of their lights. MacGregor was persisting in his theory. "Keep the lights on it!" heshouted. "It can't stand the light. " While they watched, the hideous, bubbling beast oozed over the side ofthe broken shell to shelter itself in the shadow beneath. And againThurston sensed the pulse and throb of life in the monstrous mass. * * * * * He saw again in his rage the streaming rain of black airplanes; saw, too, the bodies, blackened and charred as they saw them when first theytried rescue from the crashed ships; the smoke clouds and flames fromthe blasted city, where people--his people, men and women and littlechildren--had met terrible death. He sprang from the car. Yet hefaltered with a revulsion that was almost a nausea. His gun was grippedin his hand as he ran toward the monster. "Come back!" shouted MacGregor. "Come back! Have you gone mad?" He wasjerking at the door of the car. Beyond the white funnel of their lights a yellow thing was moving. Ittwisted and flowed with incredible speed a hundred feet back to the baseof the cliff. It drew itself together in a quivering heap. An out-thrusting rock threw a sheltering shadow; the moon was low in thewest. In the blackness a phosphorescence was apparent. It rippled androse in the dark with the pulsing beat of the jellylike mass. Andthrough it were showing two discs. Gray at first, they formed to black, staring eyes. Thurston had followed. His gun was raised as he neared it. Then out ofthe mass shot a serpentine arm. It whipped about him, soft, sticky, viscid--utterly loathsome. He screamed once when it clung to his face, then tore savagely and in silence at the encircling folds. * * * * * The gun! He ripped a blinding mass from his face and emptied theautomatic in a stream of shots straight toward the eyes. And he knew ashe fired that the effort was useless; to have shot at the milky surfwould have been as vain. The thing was pulling him irresistibly; he sank to his knees; it draggedhim over the sand. He clutched at a rock. A vision was before him: thecarcass of a steer, half absorbed and still bleeding on the sand of anArizona desert. .. . To be drawn to the smothering embrace of that glutinous mass . .. Forthat monstrous appetite. .. . He tore afresh at the unyielding folds, thenknew MacGregor was beside him. In the man's hand was a flashlight. The scientist risked his life on aguess. He thrust the powerful light into the clinging serpent. It waslike the touch of hot iron to human flesh. The arm struggled and flailedin a paroxysm of pain. Thurston was free. He lay gasping on the sand. But MacGregor!. .. Helooked up to see him vanish in the clinging ooze. Another thick tentaclehad been projected from the main mass to sweep like a whip about theman. It hissed as it whirled about him in the still air. The flashlight was gone; Thurston's hand touched it in the sand. Hesprang to his feet and pressed the switch. No light responded; theflashlight was out--broken. A thick arm slashed and wrapped about him. .. . It beat him to the ground. The sand was moving beneath him; he was being dragged swiftly, helplessly, toward what waited in the shadow. He was smothering. .. . Ablinding glare filled his eyes. .. . * * * * * The flares were still burning when he dared look about. MacGregor waspulling frantically at his arm. "Quick--quick!" he was shouting. Thurston scrambled to his feet. One glimpse he caught of a heaving yellow mass in the white light; ittwisted in horrible convulsions. They ran stumblingly--drunkenly--towardthe car. Riley was half out of the machine. He had tried to drag himself to theirassistance. "I couldn't make it, " he said: "then I thought of theflares. " "Thank Heaven, " said MacGregor with emphasis, "it was your legs thatwere paralyzed, Riley, not your brain. " Thurston found his voice. "Let me have that Very pistol. If light hurtsthat damn thing, I am going to put a blaze of magnesium into the middleof it if I die for it. " "They're all gone, " said Riley. "Then let's get out of here. I've had enough. We can come back lateron. " He got back of the wheel and slammed the door of the sedan. Themoonlight was gone. The darkness was velvet just tinged with the graythat precedes the dawn. Back in the deeper blackness at the cliff-base aphosphorescent something wavered and glowed. The light rippled andflowed in all directions over the mass. Thurston felt, vaguely, itsmystery--the bulk was a vast, naked brain; its quiverings were likevisible thought waves. .. . * * * * * The phosphorescence grew brighter. The thing was approaching. Thurstonlet in his clutch, but the scientist checked him. "Wait, " he implored, "wait! I wouldn't miss this for the world. " Hewaved toward the east, where far distant ranges were etched in palestrose. "We know less than nothing of these creatures, in what partof the universe they are spawned, how they live, where theylive--Saturn!--Mars!--the Moon! But--we shall soon know how one dies!" The thing was coming from the cliff. In the dim grayness it seemed lessyellow, less fluid. A membrane enclosed it. It was close to the car. Wasit hunger that drove it, or cold rage for these puny opponents? Thehollow eyes were glaring; a thick arm formed quickly to dart out towardthe car. A cloud, high above, caught the color of approaching day. .. . Before their eyes the vile mass pulsed visibly; it quivered and beat. Then, sensing its danger, it darted like some headless serpent for itsmachine. It massed itself about the shattered top to heave convulsively. The topwas lifted, carried toward the rest of the great metal egg. The sun'sfirst rays made golden arrows through the distant peaks. The struggling mass released its burden to stretch its vile lengthtoward the dark caves under the cliffs. The last sheltering fog-veilparted. The thing was halfway to the high bank when the first brightshaft of direct sunlight shot through. Incredible in the concealment of night, the vast protoplasmic pod wasdoubly so in the glare of day. But it was there before them, not ahundred feet distant. And it boiled in vast tortured convulsions. Theclean sunshine struck it, and the mass heaved itself into the air in anauseous eruption, then fell limply to the earth. * * * * * The yellow membrane turned paler. Once more the staring black eyesformed to turn hopelessly toward the sheltering globe. Then the bulkflattened out on the sand. It was a jellylike mound, through whichtrembled endless quivering palpitations. The sun struck hot, and before the eyes of the watching, speechless menwas a sickening, horrible sight--a festering mass of corruption. The sickening yellow was liquid. It seethed and bubbled with liberatedgases; it decomposed to purplish fluid streams. A breath of wind blew intheir direction. The stench from the hideous pool was overpowering, unbearable. Their heads swam in the evil breath. .. . Thurston ripped thegears into reverse, nor stopped until they were far away on the cleansand. The tide was coming in when they returned. Gone was the vileputrescence. The waves were lapping at the base of the gleaming machine. "We'll have to work fast, " said MacGregor. "I must know, I must learn. "He drew himself up and into the shattered shell. It was of metal, some forty feet across, its framework a maze oflatticed struts. The central part was clear. Here in a wide, shallow panthe monster had rested. Below this was tubing, intricate coils, massive, heavy and strong. MacGregor lowered himself upon it, Thurston wasbeside him. They went down into the dim bowels of the deadly instrument. "Hydrogen, " the physicist was stating. "Hydrogen--there's our startingpoint. A generator, obviously, forming the gas--from what? They couldn'tcompress it! They couldn't carry it or make it, not the volume that theyevolved. But they did it, they did it!" * * * * * Close to the coils a dim light was glowing. It was a pin-point ofradiance in the half-darkness about them. The two men bent closer. "See, " directed MacGregor, "it strikes on this mirror--bright metal andparabolic. It disperses the light, doesn't concentrate it! Ah! Here isanother, and another. This one is bent--broken. They are adjustable. Hm!Micrometer accuracy for reducing the light. The last one could reflectthrough this slot. It's light that does it, Thurston, it's light thatdoes it!" "Does what?" Thurston had followed the other's analysis of the diffusionprocess. "The light that would finally reach that slot would be hardlyperceptible. " "It's the agent, " said MacGregor, "the activator--the catalyst! Whatdoes it strike upon? I must know--I must!" The waves were splashing outside the shell. Thurston turned in afeverish search of the unexplored depths. There was a surprisingsimplicity, an absence of complicated mechanism. The generator, with itstremendous braces to carry its thrust to the framework itself, filledmost of the space. Some of the ribs were thicker, he noticed. Solidmetal, as if they might carry great weights. Resting upon them wereranged numbers of objects. They were like eggs, slender, and inches inlength. On some were propellers. They worked through the shells on longslender rods. Each was threaded finely--an adjustable arm engaged thethread. Thurston called excitedly to the other. "Here they are, " he said. "Look! Here are the shells. Here's what blewus up!" * * * * * He pointed to the slim shafts with their little propellerlike fans. "Adjustable, see? Unwind in their fall . .. Set 'em for any length oftravel . .. Fires the charge in the air. That's how they wiped out ourair fleet. " There were others without the propellers; they had fins to hold themnose downward. On each nose was a small rounded cap. "Detonators of some sort, " said MacGregor. "We've got to have one. Wemust get it out quick; the tide's coming in. " He laid his hands upon oneof the slim, egg-shaped things. He lifted, then strained mightily. Butthe object did not rise; it only rolled sluggishly. The scientist stared at it amazed. "Specific gravity, " he exclaimed, "beyond anything known! There's nothing on earth . .. There is no suchsubstance . .. No form of matter. .. . " His eyes were incredulous. "Lots to learn, " Thurston answered grimly. "We've yet to learn how tofight off the other four. " The other nodded. "Here's the secret, " he said. "These shells liberatethe same gas that drives the machine. Solve one and we solve both--thenwe learn how to combat it. But how to remove it--that is the problem. You and I can never lift this out of here. " His glance darted about. There was a small door in the metal beam. Thegroove in which the shells were placed led to it; it was a port forlaunching the projectiles. He moved it, opened it. A dash of spraystruck him in the face. He glanced inquiringly at his companion. "Dare we do it?" he asked. "Slide one of them out?" Each man looked long into the eyes of the other. Was this, then, the endof their terrible night? One shell to be dropped--then a burstingvolcano to blast them to eternity. .. . "The boys in the planes risked it, " said Thurston quietly. "They gottheirs. " He stopped for a broken fragment of steel. "Try one with a fanon; it hasn't a detonator. " The men pried at the slim thing. It slid slowly toward the open port. One heave and it balanced on the edge, then vanished abruptly. The spraywas cold on their faces. They breathed heavily with the realization thatthey still lived. * * * * * There were days of horror that followed, horror tempered by a numbingparalysis of all emotions. There were bodies by thousands to be heapedin the pit where San Diego had stood, to be buried beneath countlesstons of debris and dirt. Trains brought an army of helpers; airplanescame with doctors and nurses and the beginning of a mountain ofsupplies. The need was there; it must be met. Yet the whole world waswaiting while it helped, waiting for the next blow to fall. Telegraph service was improvised, and radio receivers rushed in. Thenews of the world was theirs once more. And it told of a terrified, waiting world. There would be no temporizing now on the part of theinvaders. They had seen the airplanes swarming from the ground--theywould know an airdrome next time from the air. Thurston had noted thewindows in the great shell, windows of dull-colored glass which wouldprotect the darkness of the interior, essential to life for the horribleoccupant, but through which it could see. It could watch all directionsat once. * * * * * The great shell had vanished from the shore. Pounding waves and theshifting sands of high tide had obliterated all trace. More than oncehad Thurston uttered devout thanks for the chance shell from ananti-aircraft gun that had entered the funnel beneath the machine, hadbent and twisted the arrangement of mirrors that he and MacGregor hadseen, and, exploding, had cracked and broken the domed roof of thebulb. They had learned little, but MacGregor was up north within reachof Los Angeles laboratories. And he had with him the slim cylinder ofdeath. He was studying, thinking. Telephone service had been established for official business. The wholenation-wide system, for that matter, was under military control. TheSecretary of War had flown back to Washington. The whole world was on awar basis. War! And none knew where they should defend themselves, norhow. An orderly rushed Thurston to the telephone. "You are wanted at once;Los Angeles calling. " The voice of MacGregor was cool and unhurried as Thurston listened. "Grab a plane, old man, " he was saying, "and come up here on the jump. " The phrase brought a grim smile to Thurston's tired lips. "Hell'spopping!" the Secretary of War had added on that evening those long agesbefore. Did MacGregor have something? Was a different kind of hellpreparing to pop? The thoughts flashed through the listener's mind. "I need a good deputy, " MacGregor said. "You may be the whole works--mayhave to carry on--but I'll tell you it all later. Meet me at theBiltmore. " "In less than two hours, " Thurston assured him. * * * * * A plane was at his disposal. Riley's legs were functioning again, aftera fashion. They kept the appointment with minutes to spare. "Come on, " said MacGregor, "I'll talk to you in the car. " The automobilewhirled them out of the city to race off upon a winding highway thatclimbed into far hills. There was twenty miles of this; MacGregor hadtime for his talk. "They've struck, " he told the two men. "They were over Germanyyesterday. The news was kept quiet: I got the last report a half-hourago. They pretty well wiped out Berlin. No air-force there. France andEngland sent a swarm of planes, from the reports. Poor devils! No needto tell you what they got. We've seen it first hand. They headed westover the Atlantic, the four machines. Gave England a burst or two fromhigh up, paused over New York, then went on. But they're here somewhere, we think. Now listen: "How long was it from the time when you saw the first monster until weheard from them again?" * * * * * Thurston forced his mind back to those days that seemed so far in thepast. He tried to remember. "Four days, " broke in Riley. "It was the fourth day after we found thedevil feeding. " "Feeding!" interrupted the scientist. "That's the point I am making. Four days. Remember that! "And we knew they were down in the Argentine five days ago--that'sanother item kept from an hysterical public. They slaughtered somethousands of cattle; there were scores of them found where thedevils--I'll borrow Riley's word--where the devils had fed. Nothing leftbut hide and bones. "And--mark this--that was four days before they appeared over Berlin. "Why? Don't ask me. Do they have to lie quiet for that period miles upthere in space? God knows. Perhaps! These things seem outside theknowledge of a deity. But enough of that! Remember: four days! Let usassume that there is this four days waiting period. It will help us totime them. I'll come back to that later. "Here is what I have been doing. We know that light is a means ofattack. I believe that the detonators we saw on those bombs merelyopened a seal in the shell and forced in a flash of some sort. I believethat radiant energy is what fires the blast. "What is it that explodes? Nobody knows. We have opened the shell, working in the absolute blackness of a room a hundred feet underground. We found in it a powder--two powders, to be exact. "They are mixed. One is finely divided, the other rather granular. Theirspecific gravity is enormous, beyond anything known to physical scienceunless it would be the hypothetical neutron masses we think are incertain stars. But this is not matter as we know matter; it is somethingnew. * * * * * "Our theory is this: the hydrogen atom has been split, resolved intocomponents, not of electrons and the proton centers, but held at somehalfway point of decomposition. Matter composed only of neutrons wouldbe heavy beyond belief. This fits the theory in that respect. But thepoint is this: When these solids are formed--they are dense--theyrepresent in a cubic centimeter possibly a cubic mile of hydrogen gasunder normal pressure. That's a guess, but it will give you the idea. "Not compressed, you understand, but all the elements present in otherthan elemental form for the reconstruction of the atom . .. For a millionbillions of atoms. "Then the light strikes it. These dense solids become instantly agas--miles of it held in that small space. "There you have it: the gas, the explosion, the entire absence ofheat--which is to say, its terrific cold--when it expands. " Slim Riley was looking bewildered but game. "Sure, I saw it snow, " heaffirmed, "so I guess the rest must be O. K. But what are we going to doabout it? You say light kills 'em, and fires their bombs. But how can welet light into those big steel shells, or the little ones either?" "Not through those thick walls, " said MacGregor. "Not light. One of ouranti-aircraft shells made a direct hit. That might not happen again in amillion shots. But there are other forms of radiant energy that dopenetrate steel. .. . " * * * * * The car had stopped beside a grove of eucalyptus. A barren, sun-bakedhillside stretched beyond. MacGregor motioned them to alight. Riley was afire with optimism. "And do you believe it?" he askedeagerly. "Do you believe that we've got 'em licked?" Thurston, too, looked into MacGregor's face: Riley was not the only onewho needed encouragement. But the gray eyes were suddenly tired andhopeless. "You ask what I believe, " said the scientist slowly. "I believe we arewitnessing the end of the world, our world of humans, their struggles, their grave hopes and happiness and aspirations. .. . " He was not looking at them. His gaze was far off in space. "Men will struggle and fight with their puny weapons, but these monsterswill win, and they will have their way with us. Then more of them willcome. The world, I believe, is doomed. .. . " He straightened his shoulders. "But we can die fighting, " he added, andpointed over the hill. "Over there, " he said, "in the valley beyond, is a charge of theirexplosive and a little apparatus of mine. I intend to fire the chargefrom a distance of three hundred yards. I expect to be safe, perfectlysafe. But accidents happen. "In Washington a plane is being prepared. I have given instructionsthrough hours of phoning. They are working night and day. It willcontain a huge generator for producing my ray. Nothing new! Just theproduct of our knowledge of radiant energy up to date. But the man whoflies that plane will die--horribly. No time to experiment withprotection. The rays will destroy him, though he may live a month. "I am asking you, " he told Cyrus Thurston, "to handle that plane. Youmay be of service to the world--you may find you are utterly powerless. You surely will die. But you know the machines and the monsters; yourknowledge may be of value in an attack. " He waited. The silence lastedfor only a moment. "Why, sure, " said Cyrus Thurston. * * * * * He looked at the eucalyptus grove with earnest appraisal. The sun madelovely shadows among their stripped trunks: the world was a beautifulplace. A lingering death, MacGregor had intimated--and horrible. .. . "Why, sure, " he repeated steadily. Slim Riley shoved him firmly aside to stand facing MacGregor. "Sure, hell!" he said. "I'm your man, Mr. MacGregor. "What do you know about flying?" he asked Cyrus Thurston. "You'regood--for a beginner. But men like you two have got brains, and I'mthinkin' the world will be needin' them. Now me, all I'm good for isholdin' a shtick"--his brogue had returned to his speech, and wasevidence of his earnestness. "And, besides"--the smile faded from his lips, and his voice wassuddenly soft--"them boys we saw take their last flip was just pilots toyou, just a bunch of good fighters. Well, they're buddies of mine. Ifought beside some of them in France. .. . I belong!" He grinned happily at Thurston. "Besides, " he said, "what do you knowabout dog-fights?" MacGregor gripped him by the hand. "You win, " he said. "Report toWashington. The Secretary of War has all the dope. " * * * * * He turned to Thurston. "Now for you! Get this! The enemy machines almostattacked New York. One of them came low, then went back, and the fourflashed out of sight toward the west. It is my belief that New York isnext, but the devils are hungry. The beast that attacked us wasravenous, remember. They need food and lots of it. You will hear oftheir feeding, and you can count on four days. Keep Rileyinformed--that's your job. "Now I'm going over the hill. If this experiment works, there's a chancewe can repeat it on a larger scale. No certainty, but a chance! I'll beback. Full instructions at the hotel in case. .. . " He vanished into thescrub growth. "Not exactly encouraging, " Thurston pondered, "but he's a good man, Mac, a good egg! Not as big a brain as the one we saw, but perhaps it's abetter one--cleaner--and it's working!" They were sheltered under the brow of the hill, but the blast from thevalley beyond rocked them like an earthquake. They rushed to the top ofthe knoll. MacGregor was standing in the valley; he waved them agreeting and shouted something unintelligible. The gas had mushroomed into a cloud of steamy vapor. From above camesnowflakes to whirl in the churning mass, then fall to the ground. Awind came howling about them to beat upon the cloud. It swirled slowlyback and down the valley. The figure of MacGregor vanished in itssmothering embrace. "Exit, MacGregor!" said Cyrus Thurston softly. He held tight to thestruggling figure of Slim Riley. "He couldn't live a minute in that atmosphere of hydrogen, " heexplained. "They can--the devils!--but not a good egg like Mac. It's ourjob now--yours and mine. " Slowly the gas retreated, lifted to permit their passage down the slope. * * * * * MacGregor was a good prophet. Thurston admitted that when, four dayslater, he stood on the roof of the Equitable Building in lower New York. The monsters had fed as predicted. Out in Wyoming a desolate area markedthe place of their meal, where a great herd of cattle lay smothered andfrozen. There were ranch houses, too, in the circle of destruction, their occupants frozen stiff as the carcasses that dotted the plains. The country had stood tense for the following blow. Only Thurston hadlived in certainty of a few days reprieve. And now had come the fourthday. In Washington was Riley. Thurston had been in touch with him frequently. "Sure, it's a crazy machine, " the pilot had told him, "and 'tis not muchI think of it at all. Neither bullets nor guns, just this big glasscontraption and speed. She's fast, man, she's fast . .. But it's littlehope I have. " And Thurston, remembering the scientist's words, washeartless and sick with dreadful certainty. There were aircraft ready near New York; it was generally felt that herewas the next objective. The enemy had looked it over carefully. AndWashington, too, was guarded. The nation's capital must receive whatlittle help the aircraft could afford. There were other cities waiting for destruction. If not thistime--later! The horror hung over them all. * * * * * The fourth day! And Thurston was suddenly certain of the fate of NewYork. He hurried to a telephone. Of the Secretary of War he imploredassistance. "Send your planes, " he begged. "Here's where we will get it next. SendRiley. Let's make a last stand--win or lose. " "I'll give you a squadron, " was the concession. "What difference whetherthey die there or here. .. ?" The voice was that of a weary man, wearyand sleepless and hopeless. "Good-by Cy, old man!" The click of the receiver sounded in Thurston'sear. He returned to the roof for his vigil. To wait, to stride nervously back and forth in impotent expectancy. Hecould leave, go out into open country, but what were a few days ormonths--or a year--with this horror upon them? It was the end. MacGregorwas right. "Good old Mac!" There were airplanes roaring overhead. It meant. .. . Thurston abruptlywas cold; a chill gripped at his heart. The paroxysm passed. He was doubled with laughter--or was it he who waslaughing? He was suddenly buoyantly carefree. Who was he that itmattered? Cyrus Thurston--an ant! And their ant-hill was about to besnuffed out. .. . He walked over to a waiting group and clapped one man on the shoulder. "Well, how does it feel to be an ant?" he inquired and laughed loudly atthe jest. "You and your millions of dollars, your acres of factories, your steamships, railroads!" The man looked at him strangely and edged cautiously away. His eyes, like those of the others, had a dazed, stricken look. A woman wassobbing softly as she clung to her husband. From the streets far belowcame a quavering shrillness of sound. The planes gathered in climbing circles. Far on the horizon were fourtiny glinting specks. .. . * * * * * Thurston stared until his eyes were stinging. He was walking in a wakingsleep as he made his way to the stone coping beyond which was the streetfar below. He was dead--dead!--right this minute. What were a fewminutes more or less? He could climb over the coping; none of thehuddled, fear-gripped group would stop him. He could step out into spaceand fool them, the devils. They could never kill him. .. . What was it MacGregor had said? Good egg, MacGregor! "But we can diefighting. .. . " Yes, that was it--die fighting. But he couldn't fight; hecould only wait. Well, what were the others doing, down there in thestreets--in their homes? He could wait with them, die with them. .. . He straightened slowly and drew one long breath. He looked steadily andunafraid at the advancing specks. They were larger now. He could seetheir round forms. The planes were less noisy: they were far up in theheights--climbing--climbing. The bulbs came slantingly down. They were separating. Thurston wonderedvaguely. What had they done in Berlin? Yes, he remembered. Placed themselves atthe four corners of a great square and wiped out the whole city in oneexplosion. Four bombs dropped at the same instant while they shot up tosafety in the thin air. How did they communicate? Thought transference, most likely. Telepathy between those great brains, one to another. Aplane was falling. It curved and swooped in a trail of flame, then fellstraight toward the earth. They were fighting. .. . * * * * * Thurston stared above. There were clusters of planes diving down from onhigh. Machine-guns stuttered faintly. "Machine-guns--toys! Brave, thatwas it! 'We can die fighting. '" His thoughts were far off; it was likelistening to another's mind. The air was filled with swelling clouds. He saw them before the blaststruck where he stood. The great building shuddered at the impact. Therewere things falling from the clouds, wrecks of planes, blazing andshattered. Still came others; he saw them faintly through the clouds. They came in from the West; they had gone far to gain altitude. Theydrove down from the heights--the enemy had drifted--they were over thebay. More clouds, and another blast thundering at the city. There werespecks, Thurston saw, falling into the water. Again the invaders came down from the heights where they had escapedtheir own shattering attack. There was the faint roar of motors behind, from the south. The squadron from Washington passed overhead. They surely had seen the fate that awaited. And they drove on to theattack, to strike at an enemy that shot instantly into the sky leavingcrashing destruction about the torn dead. "Now!" said Cyrus Thurston aloud. * * * * * The big bulbs were back. They floated easily in the air, a plume ofvapor billowing beneath. They were ranging to the four corners of agreat square. One plane only was left, coming in from the south, a lone straggler, late for the fray. One plane! Thurston's shoulders sagged heavily. Allthey had left! It went swiftly overhead. .. . It was fast--fast. Thurstonsuddenly knew. It was Riley in that plane. "Go back, you fool!"--he was screaming at the top of hisvoice--"Back--back--you poor, damned, decent Irishman!" Tears were streaming down his face. "His buddies, " Riley had said. Andthis was Riley, driving swiftly in, alone, to avenge them. .. . He saw dimly as the swift plane sped over the first bulb, on and overthe second. The soft roar of gas from the machines drowned the sound ofhis engine. The plane passed them in silence to bank sharply toward thethird corner of the forming square. He was looking them over, Thurston thought. And the damn beastsdisregarded so contemptible an opponent. He could still leave. "ForGod's sake, Riley, beat it--escape!" Thurston's mind was solely on the fate of the lone voyager--until theimpossible was borne in upon him. The square was disrupted. Three great bulbs were now drifting. The windwas carrying them out toward the bay. They were coming down in a long, smooth descent. The plane shot like a winged rocket at the fourth great, shining ball. To the watcher, aghast with sudden hope, it seemed barelyto crawl. "The ray! The ray. .. . " Thurston saw as if straining eyes had piercedthrough the distance to see the invisible. He saw from below the swiftplane, the streaming, intangible ray. That was why Riley had flownclosely past and above them--the ray poured from below. His throat waschoking him, strangling. .. . * * * * * The last enemy took alarm. Had it seen the slow sinking of itscompanions, failed to hear them in reply to his mental call? The shiningpear shape shot violently upward; the attacking plane rolled to avertical bank as it missed the threatening clouds of exhaust. "What doyou know about dog-fights?" And Riley had grinned . .. Riley belonged! The bulb swelled before Thurston's eyes in its swift descent. It cantedto one side to head off the struggling plane that could never escape, did not try to escape. The steady wings held true upon their straightcourse. From above came the silver meteor; it seemed striking at thevery plane itself. It was almost upon it before it belched forth thecushioning blast of gas. Through the forming clouds a plane bored in swiftly. It rolled slowly, was flying upside down. It was under the enemy! Its ray. .. . Thurston wasthrown a score of feet away to crash helpless into the stone coping bythe thunderous crash of the explosion. There were fragments falling from a dense cloud--fragments of curved andsilvery metal . .. The wing of a plane danced and fluttered in theair. .. . "He fired its bombs, " whispered Thurston in a shaking voice. "He killedthe other devils where they lay--he destroyed this with its ownexplosive. He flew upside down to shoot up with the ray, to set off itsshells. .. . " His mind was fumbling with the miracle of it. "Clever pilot, Riley, in adog-fight. .. . " And then he realized. Cyrus Thurston, millionaire sportsman, sank slowly, numbly to the roofof the Equitable Building that still stood. And New York was still there. .. And the whole world. .. . He sobbed weakly, brokenly. Through his dazed brain flashed a sudden, mind-saving thought. He laughed foolishly through his sobs. "And you said he'd die horribly, Mac, a horrible death. " His headdropped upon his arms, unconscious--and safe--with the rest ofhumanity. * * * * * The Corpse on the Grating _By Hugh B. Cave_ In the gloomy depths of the old warehouse Dale saw a thing that drew a scream of horror to his dry lips. It was a corpse--the mold of decay on its long-dead features--and yet it was alive! [Illustration: _It was a corpse, standing before me like some propped-upthing from the grave. _] It was ten o'clock on the morning of December 5 when M. S. And I leftthe study of Professor Daimler. You are perhaps acquainted with M. S. His name appears constantly in the pages of the Illustrated News, inconjunction with some very technical article on psycho-analysis or withsome extensive study of the human brain and its functions. He is apsycho-fanatic, more or less, and has spent an entire lifetime of someseventy-odd years in pulling apart human skulls for the purpose ofinvestigation. Lovely pursuit! For some twenty years I have mocked him, in a friendly, half-heartedfashion. I am a medical man, and my own profession is one that does notsympathize with radicals. As for Professor Daimler, the third member of our triangle--perhaps, ifI take a moment to outline the events of that evening, the Professor'spart in what follows will be less obscure. We had called on him, M. S. And I, at his urgent request. His rooms were in a narrow, unlightedstreet just off the square, and Daimler himself opened the door to us. Atall, loosely built chap he was, standing in the doorway like amotionless ape, arms half extended. "I've summoned you, gentlemen, " he said quietly, "because you two, ofall London, are the only persons who know the nature of my recentexperiments. I should like to acquaint you with the results!" He led the way to his study, then kicked the door shut with his foot, seizing my arm as he did so. Quietly he dragged me to the table thatstood against the farther wall. In the same even, unemotional tone of aman completely sure of himself, he commanded me to inspect it. For a moment, in the semi-gloom of the room, I saw nothing. At length, however, the contents of the table revealed themselves, and Idistinguished a motley collection of test tubes, each filled with somefluid. The tubes were attached to each other by some ingeniousarrangement of thistles, and at the end of the table, where a chanceblow could not brush it aside, lay a tiny phial of the resulting serum. From the appearance of the table, Daimler had evidently drawn a certainamount of gas from each of the smaller tubes, distilling them throughacid into the minute phial at the end. Yet even now, as I stared down atthe fantastic paraphernalia before me, I could sense no conclusivereason for its existence. I turned to the Professor with a quiet stare of bewilderment. He smiled. "The experiment is over, " he said. "As to its conclusion, you, Dale, asa medical man, will be sceptical. And you"--turning to M. S. --"as ascientist you will be amazed. I, being neither physician nor scientist, am merely filled with wonder!" * * * * * He stepped to a long, square table-like structure in the center of theroom. Standing over it, he glanced quizzically at M. S. , then at me. "For a period of two weeks, " he went on, "I have kept, on the tablehere, the body of a man who has been dead more than a month. I havetried, gentlemen, with acid combinations of my own origination, to bringthat body back to life. And . .. I have--failed! "But, " he added quickly, noting the smile that crept across my face, "that failure was in itself worth more than the average scientist'sgreatest achievement! You know, Dale, that heat, if a man is not trulydead, will sometimes resurrect him. In a case of epilepsy, for instance, victims have been pronounced dead only to return to life--sometimes inthe grave. "I say 'if a man be not truly dead. ' But what if that man _is_ trulydead? Does the cure alter itself in any manner? The motor of your cardies--do you bury it? You do not; you locate the faulty part, correctit, and infuse new life. And so, gentlemen, after remedying the rupturedheart of this dead man, by operation, I proceeded to bring him back tolife. "I used heat. Terrific heat will sometimes originate a spark of new lifein something long dead. Gentlemen, on the fourth day of my tests, following a continued application of electric and acid heat, thepatient--" Daimler leaned over the table and took up a cigarette. Lighting it, hedropped the match and resumed his monologue. "The patient turned suddenly over and drew his arm weakly across hiseyes. I rushed to his side. When I reached him, the body was once againstiff and lifeless. And--it has remained so. " The Professor stared at us quietly, waiting for comment. I answered him, as carelessly as I could, with a shrug of my shoulders. "Professor, have you ever played with the dead body of a frog?" I saidsoftly. * * * * * He shook his head silently. "You would find it interesting sport, " I told him. "Take a common drycell battery with enough voltage to render a sharp shock. Then applyyour wires to various parts of the frog's anatomy. If you are lucky, andstrike the right set of muscles, you will have the pleasure of seeing adead frog leap suddenly forward. Understand, he will not regain life. You have merely released his dead muscles by shock, and sent himbolting. " The Professor did not reply. I could feel his eyes on me, and had Iturned, I should probably had found M. S. Glaring at me in honest hate. These men were students of mesmerism, of spiritualism, and mycommonplace contradiction was not over welcome. "You are cynical, Dale, " said M. S. Coldly, "because you do notunderstand!" "Understand? I am a doctor--not a ghost!" But M. S. Had turned eagerly to the Professor. "Where is this body--this experiment?" he demanded. Daimler shook his head. Evidently he had acknowledged failure and didnot intend to drag his dead man before our eyes, unless he could bringthat man forth alive, upright, and ready to join our conversation! "I've put it away, " he said distantly. "There is nothing more to bedone, now that our reverend doctor has insisted in making a matter offact thing out of our experiment. You understand, I had not intended togo in for wholesale resurrection, even if I had met with success. It wasmy belief that a dead body, like a dead piece of mechanism, can bebrought to life again, provided we are intelligent enough to discoverthe secret. And by God, it is _still_ my belief!" * * * * * That was the situation, then, when M. S. And I paced slowly back alongthe narrow street that contained the Professor's dwelling-place. Mycompanion was strangely silent. More than once I felt his eyes upon mein an uncomfortable stare, yet he said nothing. Nothing, that is, untilI had opened the conversation with some casual remark about the lunacyof the man we had just left. "You are wrong in mocking him, Dale, " M. S. Replied bitterly. "Daimleris a man of science. He is no child, experimenting with a toy; he is agrown man who has the courage to believe in his powers. One of thesedays. .. . " He had intended to say that some day I should respect the Professor'sefforts. One of these days! The interval of time was far shorter thananything so indefinite. The first event, with its succeeding series ofhorrors, came within the next three minutes. * * * * * We had reached a more deserted section of the square, a black, uninhabited street extending like a shadowed band of darkness betweengaunt, high walls. I had noticed for some time that the stone structurebeside us seemed to be unbroken by door or window--that it appeared tobe a single gigantic building, black and forbidding. I mentioned thefact to M. S. "The warehouse, " he said simply. "A lonely, God-forsaken place. We shallprobably see the flicker of the watchman's light in one of the upperchinks. " At his words, I glanced up. True enough, the higher part of the grimstructure was punctured by narrow, barred openings. Safety vaults, probably. But the light, unless its tiny gleam was somewhere in theinner recesses of the warehouse, was dead. The great building was likean immense burial vault, a tomb--silent and lifeless. We had reached the most forbidding section of the narrow street, where asingle arch-lamp overhead cast a halo of ghastly yellow light over thepavement. At the very rim of the circle of illumination, where theshadows were deeper and more silent, I could make out the blackmouldings of a heavy iron grating. The bars of metal were designed, Ibelieve, to seal the side entrance of the great warehouse from nightmarauders. It was bolted in place and secured with a set of immensechains, immovable. This much I saw as my intent gaze swept the wall before me. This hugetomb of silence held for me a peculiar fascination, and as I paced alongbeside my gloomy companion, I stared directly ahead of me into thedarkness of the street. I wish to God my eyes had been closed orblinded! * * * * * He was hanging on the grating. Hanging there, with white, twisted handsclutching the rigid bars of iron, straining to force them apart. Hiswhole distorted body was forced against the barrier, like the form of amadman struggling to escape from his cage. His face--the image of itstill haunts me whenever I see iron bars in the darkness of apassage--was the face of a man who has died from utter, stark horror. Itwas frozen in a silent shriek of agony, staring out at me with fiendishmaliciousness. Lips twisted apart. White teeth gleaming in the light. Bloody eyes, with a horrible glare of colorless pigment. And--_dead_. I believe M. S. Saw him at the very instant I recoiled. I felt a suddengrip on my arm; and then, as an exclamation came harshly from mycompanion's lips, I was pulled forward roughly. I found myself staringstraight into the dead eyes of that fearful thing before me, foundmyself standing rigid, motionless, before the corpse that hung withinreach of my arm. And then, through that overwhelming sense of the horrible, came thequiet voice of my comrade--the voice of a man who looks upon death asnothing more than an opportunity for research. "The fellow has been frightened to death, Dale. Frightened mosthorribly. Note the expression of his mouth, the evident struggle toforce these bars apart and escape. Something has driven fear to hissoul, killed him. " * * * * * I remember the words vaguely. When M. S. Had finished speaking, I didnot reply. Not until he had stepped forward and bent over the distortedface of the thing before me, did I attempt to speak. When I did, mythoughts were a jargon. "What, in God's name, " I cried, "could have brought such horror to astrong man? What--" "Loneliness, perhaps, " suggested M. S. With a smile. "The fellow isevidently the watchman. He is alone, in a huge, deserted pit ofdarkness, for hours at a time. His light is merely a ghostly ray ofillumination, hardly enough to do more than increase the darkness. Ihave heard of such cases before. " He shrugged his shoulders. Even as he spoke, I sensed the evasion in hiswords. When I replied, he hardly heard my answer, for he had suddenlystepped forward, where he could look directly into those fear twistedeyes. "Dale, " he said at length, turning slowly to face me, "you ask for anexplanation of this horror? There _is_ an explanation. It is writtenwith an almost fearful clearness on this fellow's mind. Yet if I tellyou, you will return to your old skepticism--your damnable habit ofdisbelief!" I looked at him quietly. I had heard M. S. Claim, at other times, thathe could read the thoughts of a dead man by the mental image that lay onthat man's brain. I had laughed at him. Evidently, in the presentmoment, he recalled those laughs. Nevertheless, he faced me seriously. "I can see two things, Dale, " he said deliberately. "One of them is adark, narrow room--a room piled with indistinct boxes and crates, andwith an open door bearing the black number 4167. And in that opendoorway, coming forward with slow steps--alive, with arms extended and afrightful face of passion--is a decayed human form. A corpse, Dale. Aman who has been dead for many days, and is now--_alive_!" * * * * * M. S. Turned slowly and pointed with upraised hand to the corpse on thegrating. "That is why, " he said simply, "this fellow died from horror. " His words died into emptiness. For a moment I stared at him. Then, inspite of our surroundings, in spite of the late hour, the loneliness ofthe street, the awful thing beside us, I laughed. He turned upon me with a snarl. For the first time in my life I saw M. S. Convulsed with rage. His old, lined face had suddenly become savagewith intensity. "You laugh at me, Dale, " he thundered. "By God, you make a mockery outof a science that I have spent more than my life in studying! You callyourself a medical man--and you are not fit to carry the name! I willwager you, man, that your laughter is not backed by courage!" I fell away from him. Had I stood within reach, I am sure he would havestruck me. Struck me! And I have been nearer to M. S. For the past tenyears than any man in London. And as I retreated from his temper, hereached forward to seize my arm. I could not help but feel impressed athis grim intentness. "Look here, Dale, " he said bitterly, "I will wager you a hundred poundsthat you will not spend the remainder of this night in the warehouseabove you! I will wager a hundred pounds against your own courage thatyou will not back your laughter by going through what this fellow hasgone through. That you will not prowl through the corridors of thisgreat structure until you have found room 4167--_and remain in that roomuntil dawn_!" * * * * * There was no choice. I glanced at the dead man, at the face of fear andthe clutching, twisted hands, and a cold dread filled me. But to refusemy friend's wager would have been to brand myself an empty coward. I hadmocked him. Now, whatever the cost, I must stand ready to pay for thatmockery. "Room 4167?" I replied quietly, in a voice which I made every effort tocontrol, lest he should discover the tremor in it. "Very well, I will doit!" It was nearly midnight when I found myself alone, climbing a musty, winding ramp between the first and second floors of the desertedbuilding. Not a sound, except the sharp intake of my breath and thedismal creak of the wooden stairs, echoed through that tomb of death. There was no light, not even the usual dim glow that is left toilluminate an unused corridor. Moreover, I had brought no means of lightwith me--nothing but a half empty box of safety matches which, by someunholy premonition, I had forced myself to save for some future moment. The stairs were black and difficult, and I mounted them slowly, gropingwith both hands along the rough wall. I had left M. S. Some few moments before. In his usual decisive mannerhe had helped me to climb the iron grating and lower myself to thesealed alley-way on the farther side. Then, leaving him without a word, for I was bitter against the triumphant tone of his parting words, Iproceeded into the darkness, fumbling forward until I had discovered theopen door in the lower part of the warehouse. And then the ramp, winding crazily upward--upward--upward, seeminglywithout end. I was seeking blindly for that particular room which was tobe my destination. Room 4167, with its high number, could hardly be onthe lower floors, and so I had stumbled upward. .. . * * * * * It was at the entrance of the second floor corridor that I struck thefirst of my desultory supply of matches, and by its light discovered aplacard nailed to the wall. The thing was yellow with age and hardlylegible. In the drab light of the match I had difficulty in readingit--but, as far as I can remember, the notice went something like this: WAREHOUSE RULES 1. No light shall be permitted in any room or corridor, as a prevention against fire. 2. No person shall be admitted to rooms or corridors unless accompanied by an employee. 3. A watchman shall be on the premises from 7 P. M. Until 6 A. M. He shall make the round of the corridors every hour during that interval, at a quarter past the hour. 4. Rooms are located by their numbers: the first figure in the room number indicating its floor location. I could read no further. The match in my fingers burned to a blackthread and dropped. Then, with the burnt stump still in my hand, Igroped through the darkness to the bottom of the second ramp. Room 4167, then, was on the fourth floor--the topmost floor of thestructure. I must confess that the knowledge did not bring any renewedburst of courage! The top floor! Three black stair-pits would liebetween me and the safety of escape. There would be no escape! No humanbeing in the throes of fear could hope to discover that tortured outlet, could hope to grope his way through Stygian gloom down a triple ramp ofblack stairs. And even though he succeeded in reaching the lowercorridors, there was still a blind alley-way, sealed at the outer end bya high grating of iron bars. .. . * * * * * Escape! The mockery of it caused me to stop suddenly in my ascent andstand rigid, my whole body trembling violently. But outside, in the gloom of the street, M. S. Was waiting, waiting withthat fiendish glare of triumph that would brand me a man withoutcourage. I could not return to face him, not though all the horrors ofhell inhabited this gruesome place of mystery. And horrors must surelyinhabit it, else how could one account for that fearful thing on thegrating below? But I had been through horror before. I had seen a man, supposedly dead on the operating table, jerk suddenly to his feet andscream. I had seen a young girl, not long before, awake in the midst ofan operation, with the knife already in her frail body. Surely, afterthose definite horrors, no _unknown_ danger would send me cringing backto the man who was waiting so bitterly for me to return. Those were the thoughts pregnant in my mind as I groped slowly, cautiously along the corridor of the upper floor, searching each closeddoor for the indistinct number 4167. The place was like the center of ahuge labyrinth, a spider-web of black, repelling passages, leading intosome central chamber of utter silence and blackness. I went forward withdragging steps, fighting back the dread that gripped me as I wentfarther and farther from the outlet of escape. And then, after losingmyself completely in the gloom, I threw aside all thoughts of return andpushed on with a careless, surface bravado, and laughed aloud. * * * * * So, at length, I reached that room of horror, secreted high in thedeeper recesses of the deserted warehouse. The number--God grant I neversee it again!--was scrawled in black chalk on the door--4167. I pushedthe half-open barrier wide, and entered. It was a small room, even as M. S. Had forewarned me--or as the deadmind of that thing on the grate had forewarned M. S. The glow of myout-thrust match revealed a great stack of dusty boxes and crates, piledagainst the farther wall. Revealed, too, the black corridor beyond theentrance, and a small, upright table before me. It was the table, and the stool beside it, that drew my attention andbrought a muffled exclamation from my lips. The thing had been thrustout of its usual place, pushed aside as if some frenzied shape hadlunged against it. I could make out its former position by the marks onthe dusty floor at my feet. Now it was nearer to the center of the room, and had been wrenched sidewise from its holdings. A shudder took hold ofme as I looked at it. A living person, sitting on the stool before me, staring at the door, would have wrenched the table in just this mannerin his frenzy to escape from the room! * * * * * The light of the match died, plunging me into a pit of gloom. I struckanother and stepped closer to the table. And there, on the floor, Ifound two more things that brought fear to my soul. One of them was aheavy flash-lamp--a watchman's lamp--where it had evidently beendropped. Been dropped in flight! But what awful terror must have grippedthe fellow to make him forsake his only means of escape through thoseblack passages? And the second thing--a worn copy of a leather-boundbook, flung open on the boards below the stool! The flash-lamp, thank God! had not been shattered. I switched it on, directing its white circle of light over the room. This time, in thevivid glare, the room became even more unreal. Black walls, clumsy, distorted shadows on the wall, thrown by those huge piles of woodenboxes. Shadows that were like crouching men, groping toward me. Andbeyond, where the single door opened into a passage of Stygian darkness, that yawning entrance was thrown into hideous detail. Had any uprightfigure been standing there, the light would have made an unholyphosphorescent specter out of it. I summoned enough courage to cross the room and pull the door shut. There was no way of locking it. Had I been able to fasten it, I shouldsurely have done so; but the room was evidently an unused chamber, filled with empty refuse. This was the reason, probably, why thewatchman had made use of it as a retreat during the intervals betweenhis rounds. But I had no desire to ponder over the sordidness of my surroundings. Ireturned to my stool in silence, and stooping, picked up the fallen bookfrom the floor. Carefully I placed the lamp on the table, where itslight would shine on the open page. Then, turning the cover, I began toglance through the thing which the man before me had evidently beenstudying. And before I had read two lines, the explanation of the whole horriblething struck me. I stared dumbly down at the little book and laughed. Laughed harshly, so that the sound of my mad cackle echoed in a thousandghastly reverberations through the dead corridors of the building. * * * * * It was a book of horror, of fantasy. A collection of weird, terrifying, supernatural tales with grotesque illustrations in funereal black andwhite. And the very line I had turned to, the line which had probablystruck terror to that unlucky devil's soul, explained M. S. 's "decayedhuman form, standing in the doorway with arms extended and a frightfulface of passion!" The description--the same description--lay before me, almost in my friend's words. Little wonder that the fellow on thegrating below, after reading this orgy of horror, had suddenly gone madwith fright. Little wonder that the picture engraved on his dead mindwas a picture of a corpse standing in the doorway of room 4167! I glanced at that doorway and laughed. No doubt of it, it was that awfuldescription in M. S. 's untempered language that had made me dread mysurroundings, not the loneliness and silence of the corridors about me. Now, as I stared at the room, the closed door, the shadows on the wall, I could not repress a grin. But the grin was not long in duration. A six-hour siege awaited mebefore I could hear the sound of human voice again--six hours ofsilence and gloom. I did not relish it. Thank God the fellow before mehad had foresight enough to leave his book of fantasy for my amusement! * * * * * I turned to the beginning of the story. A lovely beginning it was, outlining in some detail how a certain Jack Fulton, English adventurer, had suddenly found himself imprisoned (by a mysterious black gang ofmonks, or something of the sort) in a forgotten cell at the monastery ofEl Toro. The cell, according to the pages before me, was located in the"empty, haunted pits below the stone floors of the structure. .. . " Lovelysetting! And the brave Fulton had been secured firmly to a huge metalring set in the farther wall, opposite the entrance. I read the description twice. At the end of it I could not help but liftmy head to stare at my own surroundings. Except for the location of thecell, I might have been in they same setting. The same darkness, samesilence, same loneliness. Peculiar similarity! And then: "Fulton lay quietly, without attempt to struggle. In the dark, the stillness of the vaults became unbearable, terrifying. Not asuggestion of sound, except the scraping of unseen rats--" I dropped the book with a start. From the opposite end of the room inwhich I sat came a half inaudible scuffling noise--the sound of hiddenrodents scrambling through the great pile of boxes. Imagination? I amnot sure. At the moment, I would have sworn that the sound was adefinite one, that I had heard it distinctly. Now, as I recount thistale of horror, I am not sure. But I am sure of this: There was no smile on my lips as I picked up thebook again with trembling fingers and continued. "The sound died into silence. For an eternity, the prisoner lay rigid, staring at the open door of his cell. The opening was black, deserted, like the mouth of a deep tunnel, leading to hell. And then, suddenly, from the gloom beyond that opening, came an almost noiseless, paddedfootfall!" * * * * * This time there was no doubt of it. The book fell from my fingers, dropped to the floor with a clatter. Yet even through the sound of itsfalling, I heard that fearful sound--the shuffle of a living foot! I satmotionless, staring with bloodless face at the door of room 4167. And asI stared, the sound came again, and again--_the slow tread of draggingfootsteps, approaching along the black corridor without_! I got to my feet like an automaton, swaying heavily. Every drop ofcourage ebbed from my soul as I stood there, one hand clutching thetable, waiting. .. . And then, with an effort, I moved forward. My hand was outstretched tograsp the wooden handle of the door. And--I did not have the courage. Like a cowed beast I crept back to my place and slumped down on thestool, my eyes still transfixed in a mute stare of terror. I waited. For more than half an hour I waited, motionless. Not a soundstirred in the passage beyond that closed barrier. Not a suggestion ofany living presence came to me. Then, leaning back against the wall witha harsh laugh, I wiped away the cold moisture that had trickled over myforehead into my eyes. It was another five minutes before I picked up the book again. You callme a fool for continuing it? A fool? I tell you, even a story of horroris more comfort than a room of grotesque shadows and silence. Even aprinted page is better than grim reality! * * * * * And so I read on. The story was one of suspense, madness. For the nexttwo pages I read a cunning description of the prisoner's mentalreaction. Strangely enough, it conformed precisely with my own. "Fulton's head had fallen to his chest, " the script read. "For anendless while he did not stir, did not dare to lift his eyes. And then, after more than an hour of silent agony and suspense, the boy's headcame up mechanically. Came up--and suddenly jerked rigid. A horriblescream burst from his dry lips as he stared--stared like a dead man--atthe black entrance to his cell. There, standing without motion in theopening, stood a shrouded figure of death. Empty eyes, glaring withawful hate, bored into his own. Great arms, bony and rotten, extendedtoward him. Decayed flesh--" I read no more. Even as I lunged to my feet, with that mad book stillgripped in my hand, I heard the door of my room grind open. I screamed, screamed in utter horror at the thing I saw there. Dead? Good God, I donot know. It was a corpse, a dead human body, standing before me likesome propped-up thing from the grave. A face half eaten away, terriblein its leering grin. Twisted mouth, with only a suggestion of lips, curled back over broken teeth. Hair--writhing, distorted--like a mass ofmoving, bloody coils. And its arms, ghastly white, bloodless, wereextended toward me, with open, clutching hands. * * * * * It was alive! Alive! Even while I stood there, crouching against thewall, it stepped forward toward me. I saw a heavy shudder pass over it, and the sound of its scraping feet burned its way into my soul. Andthen, with its second step, the fearful thing stumbled to its knees. Thewhite, gleaming arms, thrown into streaks of living fire by the light ofmy lamp, flung violently upwards, twisting toward the ceiling. I saw thegrin change to an expression of agony, of torment. And then the thingcrashed upon me--dead. With a great cry of fear I stumbled to the door. I groped out of thatroom of horror, stumbled along the corridor. No light. I left it behind, on the table, to throw a circle of white glare over the decayed, living-dead intruder who had driven me mad. My return down those winding ramps to the lower floor was a nightmare offear. I remember that I stumbled, that I plunged through the darknesslike a man gone mad. I had no thought of caution, no thought of anythingexcept escape. And then the lower door, and the alley of gloom. I reached the grating, flung myself upon it and pressed my face against the bars in a futileeffort to escape. The same--as the fear-tortured man--who had--comebefore--me. I felt strong hands lifting me up. A dash of cool air, and then therefreshing patter of falling rain. * * * * * It was the afternoon of the following day, December 6, when M. S. Satacross the table from me in my own study. I had made a rather hesitantattempt to tell him, without dramatics and without dwelling on my ownlack of courage, of the events of the previous night. "You deserved it, Dale, " he said quietly. "You are a medical man, nothing more, and yet you mock the beliefs of a scientist as great asDaimler. I wonder--do you still mock the Professor's beliefs?" "That he can bring a dead man to life?" I smiled, a bit doubtfully. "I will tell you something, Dale, " said M. S. Deliberately. He wasleaning across the table, staring at me. "The Professor made only onemistake in his great experiment. He did not wait long enough for theeffect of his strange acids to work. He acknowledged failure too soon, and got rid of the body. " He paused. "When the Professor stored his patient away, Dale, " he said quietly, "hestored it in room 4170, at the great warehouse. If you are acquaintedwith the place, you will know that room 4170 is directly across thecorridor from 4167. " * * * * * Creatures of the Light _By Sophie Wenzel Ellis_ He had striven to perfect the faultless man of the future, and had succeeded--too well. For in the pitilessly cold eyes of Adam, his super-human creation, Dr. Mundson saw only contempt--and annihilation--for the human race. [Illustration] In a night club of many lights and much high-pitched laughter, where hehad come for an hour of forgetfulness and an execrable dinner, JohnNorthwood was suddenly conscious that Fate had begun shuffling the cardsof his destiny for a dramatic game. First, he was aware that the singularly ugly and deformed man at thenext table was gazing at him with an intense, almost excited scrutiny. But, more disturbing than this, was the scowl of hate on the face ofanother man, as handsome as this other was hideous, who sat in a farcorner hidden behind a broad column, with rude elbows on the table, gawking first at Northwood and then at the deformed, almost hideousman. [Illustration: _The projector, belching forth its stinking breath ofcorruption, swung in a mad arc over the ceiling, over the walls. _] Northwood's blood chilled over the expression on the handsome, fair-haired stranger's perfectly carved face. If a figure in marblecould display a fierce, unnatural passion, it would seem no moreeldritch than the hate in the icy blue eyes. It was not a new experience for Northwood to be stared at: he was notmerely a good-looking young fellow of twenty-five, he was scenery, magnificent and compelling. Furthermore, he had been in the public eyefor years, first as a precocious child and, later, as a brilliant youngscientist. Yet, for all his experience with hero worshippers to put anadamantine crust on his sensibilities, he grew warm-eared under the gazeof these two strangers--this hunchback with a face like a grotesque maskin a Greek play, this other who, even handsomer than himself, chilledthe blood queerly with the cold perfection of his godlike masculinebeauty. * * * * * Northwood sensed something familiar about the hunchback. Somewhere hehad seen that huge, round, intelligent face splattered with startlingfeatures. The very breadth of the man's massive brow was not altogetherunknown to him, nor could Northwood look into the mournful, near-sightedblack eyes without trying to recall when and where he had last seenthem. But this other of the marble-perfect nose and jaw, the blond, thick-waved hair, was totally a stranger, whom Northwood fervently hopedhe would never know too well. Trying to analyze the queer repugnance that he felt for this handsome, boldly staring fellow, Northwood decided: "He's like a newly-made waxfigure endowed with life. " Shivering over his own fantastic thought, he again glanced swiftly atthe hunchback, who he noticed was playing with his coffee, evidently toprolong the meal. One year of calm-headed scientific teaching in a famous old easternuniversity had not made him callous to mysteries. Thus, with a feelingof high adventure, he finished his supper and prepared to go. From thecorner of his eye, he saw the hunchback leave his seat, while thehandsome man behind the column rose furtively, as though he, too, intended to follow. Northwood was out in the dusky street about thirty seconds, when thehunchback came from the foyer. Without apparently noticing Northwood, hehailed a taxi. For a moment, he stood still, waiting for the taxi topull up at the curb. Standing thus, with the street light limning everyunnatural angle of his twisted body and every queer abnormality of hishuge features, he looked almost repulsive. On his way to the taxi, his thick shoulder jostled the younger man. Northwood felt something strike his foot, and, stooping in the crowdedstreet, picked up a black leather wallet. "Wait!" he shouted as the hunchback stepped into the waiting taxi. But the man did not falter. In a moment, Northwood lost sight of him asthe taxi moved away. * * * * * He debated with himself whether or not he should attempt to follow. Andwhile he stood thus in indecision, the handsome stranger approached him. "Good evening to you, " he said curtly. His rich, musical voice, for allits deepness, held a faint hint of the tremulous, birdlike notes heardin the voice of a young child who has not used his vocal chords longenough for them to have lost their exquisite newness. "Good evening, " echoed Northwood, somewhat uncertainly. A sudden aura ofrepulsion swept coldly over him. Seen close, with the brilliant light ofthe street directly on his too perfect face, the man was more sinisterthan in the café. Yet Northwood, struggling desperately for a reason toexplain his violent dislike, could not discover why he shrank from thissplendid creature, whose eyes and flesh had a new, fresh appearancerarely seen except in very young boys. "I want what you picked up, " went on the stranger. "It isn't yours!" Northwood flashed back. Ah! that effluvium of hatredwhich seemed to weave a tangible net around him! "Nor is it yours. Give it to me!" "You're insolent, aren't you?" "If you don't give it to me, you will be sorry. " The man did not raisehis voice in anger, yet the words whipped Northwood with almost physicalviolence. "If he knew that I saw everything that happened in there--thatI am talking to you at this moment--he would tremble with fear. " "But you can't intimidate me. " "No?" For a long moment, the cold blue eyes held his contemptuously. "No? I can't frighten you--you worm of the Black Age?" Before Northwood's horrified sight, he vanished; vanished as though hehad turned suddenly to air and floated away. * * * * * The street was not crowded at that time, and there was no pressing groupof bodies to hide the splendid creature. Northwood gawked stupidly, mouth half open, eyes searching wildly everywhere. The man was gone. Hehad simply disappeared, in this sane, electric-lighted street. Suddenly, close to Northwood's ear, grated a derisive laugh. "I can'tfrighten you?" From nowhere came that singularly young-old voice. As Northwood jerked his head around to meet blank space, a blow struckthe corner of his mouth. He felt the warm blood run over his chin. "I could take that wallet from you, worm, but you may keep it, and seeme later. But remember this--the thing inside never will be yours. " The words fell from empty air. For several minutes, Northwood waited at the spot, expecting anotherdemonstration of the abnormal, but nothing else occurred. At last, trembling violently, he wiped the thick moisture from his forehead anddabbed at the blood which he still felt on his chin. But when he looked at his handkerchief, he muttered: "Well, I'll be jiggered!" The handkerchief bore not the slightest trace of blood. * * * * * Under the light in his bedroom, Northwood examined the wallet. It wasmade of alligator skin, clasped with a gold signet that bore the initialM. The first pocket was empty; the second yielded an object that sent awarm flush to his face. It was the photograph of a gloriously beautiful girl, so seductivelylovely that the picture seemed almost to be alive. The short, curvedupper lip, the full, delicately voluptuous lower, parted slightly in asmile that seemed to linger in every exquisite line of her face. Shelooked as though she had just spoken passionately, and the spirit of herwords had inspired her sweet flesh and eyes. Northwood turned his head abruptly and groaned, "Good Heavens!" He had no right to palpitate over the picture of an unknown beauty. Onlya month ago, he had become engaged to a young woman whose mind was asbrilliant as her face was plain. Always he had vowed that he would nevermarry a pretty girl, for he detested his own masculine beauty sincerely. He tried to grasp a mental picture of Mary Burns, who had never stirredin him the emotion that this smiling picture invoked. But, gazing at thepicture, he could not remember how his fiancée looked. Suddenly the picture fell from his fingers and dropped to the floor onits face, revealing an inscription on the back. In a bold, masculinehand, he read: "Your future wife. " "Some lucky fellow is headed for a life of bliss, " was his jealousthought. He frowned at the beautiful face. What was this girl to that hideoushunchback? Why did the handsome stranger warn him, "_The thing insidenever will be yours_?" Again he turned eagerly to the wallet. In the last flap he found something that gave him another surprise: aplain white card on which a name and address were written by the samehand that had penned the inscription on the picture. Emil Mundson, Ph. D. , 44-1/2 Indian Court Emil Mundson, the electrical wizard and distinguished scientific writer, friend of the professor of science at the university where Northwood wasan assistant professor; Emil Mundson, whom, a week ago, Northwood hadyearned mightily to meet. Now Northwood knew why the hunchback's intelligent, ugly face wasfamiliar to him. He had seen it pictured as often as enterprising newsphotographers could steal a likeness from the over-sensitive scientist, who would never sit for a formal portrait. * * * * * Even before Northwood had graduated from the university where he nowtaught, he had been avidly interested in Emil Mundson's fantasticarticles in scientific journals. Only a week ago, Professor Michael hadcome to him with the current issue of New Science, shouting excitedly: "Did you read this, John, this article by Emil Mundson?" His shaking, gnarled old fingers tapped the open magazine. Northwood seized the magazine and looked avidly at the title of thearticle, "Creatures of the Light. " "No, I haven't read it, " he admitted. "My magazine hasn't come yet. " "Run through it now briefly, will you? And note with especial care thepassages I have marked. In fact, you needn't bother with anything elsejust now. Read this--and this--and this. " He pointed out penciledparagraphs. Northwood read: Man always has been, always will be a creature of the light. He is forever reaching for some future point of perfected evolution which, even when his most remote ancestor was a fish creature composed of a few cells, was the guiding power that brought him up from the first stinking sea and caused him to create gods in his own image. It is this yearning for perfection which sets man apart from all other life, which made him _man_ even in the rudimentary stages of his development. He was man when he wallowed in the slime of the new world and yearned for the air above. He will still be man when he has evolved into that glorious creature of the future whose body is deathless and whose mind rules the universe. Professor Michael, looking over Northwood's shoulder, interrupted thereading: "_Man always has been man_, " he droned emphatically. "That's notoriginal with friend Mundson, of course; yet it is a theory that has notreceived sufficient investigation. " He indicated another markedparagraph. "Read this thoughtfully, John. It's the crux of Mundson'sthought. " Northwood continued: Since the human body is chemical and electrical, increased knowledge of its powers and limitations will enable us to work with Nature in her sublime but infinitely slow processes of human evolution. We need not wait another fifty thousand years to be godlike creatures. Perhaps even now we may be standing at the beginning of the splendid bridge that will take us to that state of perfected evolution when we shall be Creatures who have reached the Light. Northwood looked questioningly at the professor. "Queer, fantasticthing, isn't it?" * * * * * Professor Michael smoothed his thin, gray hair with his dried-out hand. "Fantastic?" His intellectual eyes behind the thick glasses sought theceiling. "Who can say? Haven't you ever wondered why all parents expecttheir children to be nearer perfection than themselves, and why is it anatural impulse for them to be willing to sacrifice themselves to bettertheir offspring?" He paused and moistened his pale, wrinkled lips. "Instinct, Northwood. We Creatures of the Light know that our race shallreach that point in evolution when, as perfect creatures, we shall ruleall matter and live forever. " He punctuated the last words with blowson the table. Northwood laughed dryly. "How many thousands of years are you lookingforward, Professor?" The professor made an obscure noise that sounded like a smothered sniff. "You and I shall never agree on the point that mental advancement maywipe out physical limitations in the human race, perhaps in a fewhundred years. It seems as though your profound admiration for Dr. Mundson would win you over to this pet theory. " "But what sane man can believe that even perfectly developed beings, through mental control, could overcome Nature's fixed laws?" "We don't know! We don't know!" The professor slapped the magazine withan emphatic hand. "Emil Mundson hasn't written this article for nothing. He's paving the way for some announcement that will startle thescientific world. I know him. In the same manner he gave out veiledhints of his various brilliant discoveries and inventions long before heoffered them to the world. " "But Dr. Mundson is an electrical wizard. He would not be delvingseriously into the mysteries of evolution, would he?" "Why not?" The professor's wizened face screwed up wisely. "A year ago, when he was back from one of those mysterious long excursions he takesin that weirdly different aircraft of his, about which he is sosecretive, he told me that he was conducting experiments to prove hisbelief that the human brain generates electric current, and that theelectrical impulses in the brain set up radioactive waves that some day, among other miracles, will make thought communication possible. Perfectman, he says, will perform mental feats which will give him completemental domination over the physical. " * * * * * Northwood finished reading and turned thoughtfully to the window. Hisprofile in repose had the straight-nosed, full-lipped perfection of aGreek coin. Old, wizened Professor Michael, gazing at him covertly, smothered a sigh. "I wish you knew Dr. Mundson, " he said. "He, the ugliest man in theworld, delights in physical perfection. He would revel in your splendidbody and brilliant mind. " Northwood blushed hotly. "You'll have to arrange a meeting between us. " "I have. " The professor's thin, dry lips pursed comically. "He'll dropin to see you within a few days. " And now John Northwood sat holding Dr. Mundson's card and the walletwhich the scientist had so mysteriously dropped at his feet. * * * * * Here was high adventure, perhaps, for which he had been singled out bythe famous electrical wizard. While excitement mounted in his blood, Northwood again examined the photograph. The girl's strange eyes, odd inexpression rather than in size or shape, seemed to hold him. The youngman's breath came quicker. "It's a challenge, " he said softly. "It won't hurt to see what it's allabout. " His watch showed eleven o'clock. He would return the wallet that night. Into his coat pocket he slipped a revolver. One sometimes needed weaponsin Indian Court. He took a taxi, which soon turned from the well-lighted streets into asection where squalid houses crowded against each other, and dirtychildren swarmed in the streets in their last games of the day. Indian Court was little more than an alley, dark and evil smelling. The chauffeur stopped at the entrance and said: "If I drive in, I'll have to back out, sir. Number forty-four and a halfis the end house, facing the entrance. " "You've been here before?" asked Northwood. "Last week I drove the queerest bird here--a fellow as good-looking asyou, who had me follow the taxi occupied by a hunchback with a facelike Old Nick. " The man hesitated and went on haltingly: "It might soundgoofy, mister, but there was something funny about my fare. He jumpedout, asked me the charge, and, in the moment I glanced at my taxi-meter, he disappeared. Yes, sir. Vanished, owing me four dollars, six bits. Itwas almost ghostlike, mister. " Northwood laughed nervously and dismissed him. He found his number andknocked at the dilapidated door. He heard a sudden movement in thelighted room beyond, and the door opened quickly. Dr. Mundson faced him. "I knew you'd come!" he said with a slight Teutonic accent. "Often I'mnot wrong in sizing up my man. Come in. " Northwood cleared his throat awkwardly. "You dropped your wallet at myfeet, Dr. Mundson. I tried to stop you before you got away, but I guessyou did not hear me. " He offered the wallet, but the hunchback waved it aside. "A ruse, of course, " he confessed. "It just was my way of testing whatyour Professor Michael told about you--that you are extraordinarilyintelligent, virile, and imaginative. Had you sent the wallet to me, Ishould have sought elsewhere for my man. Come in. " * * * * * Northwood followed him into a living room evidently recently furnishedin a somewhat hurried manner. The furniture, although rich, was notplaced to best advantage. The new rug was a trifle crooked on the floor, and the lamp shades clashed in color with the other furnishings. Dr. Mundson's intense eyes swept over Northwood's tall, slim body. "Ah, you're a man!" he said softly. "You are what all men would be if wefollowed Nature's plan that only the fit shall survive. But modernscience is permitting the unfit to live and to mix their defectivebeings with the developing race!" His huge fist gesticulated madly. "Fools! Fools! They need me and perfect men like you. " "Why?" "Because you can help me in my plan to populate the earth with a newrace of godlike people. But don't question me too closely now. Even if Ishould explain, you would call me insane. But watch; gradually I shallunfold the mystery before you, so that you will believe. " He reached for the wallet that Northwood still held, opened it with amonstrous hand, and reached for the photograph. "She shall bring youlove. She's more beautiful than a poet's dream. " A warm flush crept over the young man's face. "I can easily understand, " he said, "how a man could love her, but forme she comes too late. " "Pooh! Fiddlesticks!" The scientist snapped his fingers. "This girl wascreated for you. That other--you will forget her the moment you set eyeson the sweet flesh of this Athalia. She is an houri from Paradise--amaiden of musk and incense. " He held the girl's photograph toward theyoung man. "Keep it. She is yours, if you are strong enough to holdher. " Northwood opened his card case and placed the picture inside, facingMary's photograph. Again the warning words of the mysterious strangerrang in his memory: "_The thing inside never will be yours. _" "Where to, " he said eagerly; "and when do we start?" "To the new Garden of Eden, " said the scientist, with such a beatificsmile that his face was less hideous. "We start immediately. I havearranged with Professor Michael for you to go. " * * * * * Northwood followed Dr. Mundson to the street and walked with him a fewblocks to a garage where the scientist's motor car waited. "The apartment in Indian Court is just a little eccentricity of mine, "explained Dr. Mundson. "I need people in my work, people whom I mustselect through swift, sure tests. The apartment comes in handy, asto-night. " Northwood scarcely noted where they were going, or how long they hadbeen on the way. He was vaguely aware that they had left the citybehind, and were now passing through farms bathed in moonlight. At last they entered a path that led through a bit of woodland. For halfa mile the path continued, and then ended at a small, enclosed field. Inthe middle of this rested a queer aircraft. Northwood knew it was aflying machine only by the propellers mounted on the top of the hugeball-shaped body. There were no wings, no birdlike hull, no tail. "It looks almost like a little world ready to fly off into space, " hecommented. "It is just about that. " The scientist's squat, bunched-out body, settled squarely on long, thin, straddled legs, looked gnomelike in themoonlight. "One cannot copy flesh with steel and wood, but one can makemetal perform magic of which flesh is not capable. My sun-ship is not amechanical reproduction of a bird. It is--but, climb in, young friend. " * * * * * Northwood followed Dr. Mundson into the aircraft. The moment thescientist closed the metal door behind them, Northwood was instantlyaware of some concealed horror that vibrated through his nerves. For onedreadful moment, he expected some terrific agent of the shadows thatescaped the electric lights to leap upon him. And this was odd, fornothing could be saner than the globular interior of the aircraft, divided into four wedge-shaped apartments. Dr. Mundson also paused at the door, puzzled, hesitant. "Someone has been here!" he exclaimed. "Look, Northwood! The bunk hasbeen occupied--the one in this cabin I had set aside for you. " He pointed to the disarranged bunk, where the impression of a head couldstill be seen on a pillow. "A tramp, perhaps. " "No! The door was locked, and, as you saw, the fence around this fieldwas protected with barbed wire. There's something wrong. I felt it on mytrip here all the way, like someone watching me in the dark. And don'tlaugh! I have stopped laughing at all things that seem unnatural. Youdon't know what is natural. " Northwood shivered. "Maybe someone is concealed about the ship. " "Impossible. Me, I thought so, too. But I looked and looked, and therewas nothing. " All evening Northwood had burned to tell the scientist about thehandsome stranger in the Mad Hatter Club. But even now he shrank fromsaying that a man had vanished before his eyes. Dr. Mundson was working with a succession of buttons and levers. Therewas a slight jerk, and then the strange craft shot up, straight as abullet from a gun, with scarcely a sound other than a continuouswhistle. "The vertical rising aircraft perfected, " explained Dr. Mundson. "Butwhat would you think if I told you that there is not an ounce ofgasoline in my heavier-than-air craft?" "I shouldn't be surprised. An electrical genius would seek for a lessobsolete source of power. " * * * * * In the bright flare of the electric lights, the scientist's ugly faceflushed. "The man who harnesses the sun rules the world. He can make thedesert places bloom, the frozen poles balmy and verdant. You, JohnNorthwood, are one of the very few to fly in a machine operated solelyby electrical energy from the sun's rays. " "Are you telling me that this airship is operated with power from thesun?" "Yes. And I cannot take the credit for its invention. " He sighed. "Thedream was mine, but a greater brain developed it--a brain that may begreater than I suspect. " His face grew suddenly graver. A little later Northwood said: "It seems that we must be making fabulousspeed. " "Perhaps!" Dr. Mundson worked with the controls. "Here, I've cut herdown to the average speed of the ordinary airplane. Now you can see abit of the night scenery. " Northwood peeped out the thick glass porthole. Far below, he saw twotiny streaks of light, one smooth and stationery, the other wavering asthough it were a reflection in water. "That can't be a lighthouse!" he cried. The scientist glanced out. "It is. We're approaching the Florida Keys. " "Impossible! We've been traveling less than an hour. " "But, my young friend, do you realize that my sun-ship has a speed ofover one thousand miles an hour, how much over I dare not tell you?" Throughout the night, Northwood sat beside Dr. Mundson, watching hisdeft fingers control the simple-looking buttons and levers. So fast wastheir flight now that, through the portholes, sky and earth looked thesame: dark gray films of emptiness. The continuous weird whistle fromthe hidden mechanism of the sun-ship was like the drone of a monsterinsect, monotonous and soporific during the long intervals when thescientist was too busy with his controls to engage in conversation. For some reason that he could not explain, Northwood had an aversion togoing into the sleeping apartment behind the control room. Then, towardsmorning, when the suddenly falling temperature struck a biting chillthroughout the sun-ship, Northwood, going into the cabin for fur coats, discovered why his mind and body shrank in horror from the cabin. * * * * * After he had procured the fur coats from a closet, he paused a moment, in the privacy of the cabin, to look at Athalia's picture. Every nervein his body leaped to meet the magnetism of her beautiful eyes. Neverhad Mary Burns stirred emotion like this in him. He hung over Mary'spicture, wistfully, hoping almost prayerfully that he could react to heras he did to Athalia; but her pale, over-intellectual face left himcold. "Cad!" he ground out between his teeth. "Forgetting her so soon!" The two pictures were lying side by side on a little table. Suddenly anobscure noise in the room caught his attention. It was more vibrationthan noise, for small sounds could scarcely be heard above the whistleof the sun-ship. A slight compression of the air against his neck gavehim the eery feeling that someone was standing close behind him. Hewheeled and looked over his shoulder. Half ashamed of his startledgesture, he again turned to his pictures. Then a sharp cry broke fromhim. Athalia's picture was gone. He searched for it everywhere in the room, in his own pockets, under thefurniture. It was nowhere to be found. In sudden, overpowering horror, he seized the fur coats and returned tothe control room. * * * * * Dr. Mundson was changing the speed. "Look out the window!" he called to Northwood. The young man looked and started violently. Day had come, and now thatthe sun-ship was flying at a moderate speed, the ocean beneath wasplainly visible; and its entire surface was covered with broken floes ofice and small, ragged icebergs. He seized a telescope and focused itbelow. A typical polar scene met his eyes: penguins strutted about oncakes of ice, a whale blowing in the icy water. "A part of the Antarctic that has never been explored, " said Dr. Mundson; "and there, just showing on the horizon, is the Great IceBarrier. " His characteristic smile lighted the morose black eyes. "I amenough of the dramatist to wish you to be impressed with what I shallshow you within less than an hour. Accordingly, I shall make a landingand let you feel polar ice under your feet. " After less than a minute's search, Dr. Mundson found a suitable place onthe ice for a landing, and, with a few deft manipulations of thecontrols, brought the sun-ship swooping down like an eagle on its prey. For a long moment after the scientist had stepped out on the ice, Northwood paused at the door. His feet were chained by a strangereluctance to enter this white, dead wilderness of ice. But Dr. Mundson's impatient, "Ready?" drew from him one last glance at the cozyinterior of the sun-ship before he, too, went out into the frozenstillness. They left the sun-ship resting on the ice like a fallen silver moon, while they wandered to the edge of the Barrier and looked at the gray, narrow stretch of sea between the ice pack and the high cliffs of theBarrier. The sun of the commencing six-months' Antarctic day was a low, cold ball whose slanted rays struck the ice with blinding whiteness. There were constant falls of ice from the Barrier, which thundered intothe ocean amid great clouds of ice smoke that lingered like wraithsaround the edge. It was a scene of loneliness and waiting death. "What's that?" exclaimed the scientist suddenly. Out of the white silence shrilled a low whistle, a familiar whistle. Both men wheeled toward the sun-ship. Before their horrified eyes, the great sphere jerked and glided up, andswerved into the heavens. * * * * * Up it soared; then, gaining speed, it swung into the blue distanceuntil, in a moment, it was a tiny star that flickered out even as theywatched. Both men screamed and cursed and flung up their arms despairingly. Apenguin, attracted by their cries, waddled solemnly over to them andregarded them with manlike curiosity. "Stranded in the coldest spot on earth!" groaned the scientist. "Why did it start itself, Dr. Mundson!" Northwood narrowed his eyes ashe spoke. "It didn't!" The scientist's huge face, red from cold, quivered withhelpless rage. "Human hands started it. " "What! Whose hands?" "_Ach!_ Do I know?" His Teutonic accent grew more pronounced, as italways did when he was under emotional stress. "Somebody whose brain isbetter than mine. Somebody who found a way to hide away from our eyes. _Ach, Gott!_ Don't let me think!" His great head sank between his shoulders, giving him, in his fur suit, the grotesque appearance of a friendly brown bear. "Doctor Mundson, " said Northwood suddenly, "did you have an enemy, a manwith the face and body of a pagan god--a great, blond creature with eyesas cold and cruel as the ice under our feet?" "Wait!" The huge round head jerked up. "How do you know about Adam? Youhave not seen him, won't see him until we arrive at our destination. " "But I have seen him. He was sitting not thirty feet from you in the MadHatter's Club last night. Didn't you know? He followed me to the street, spoke to me, and then--" Northwood stopped. How could he let the insanewords pass his lips? "Then, what? Speak up!" * * * * * Northwood laughed nervously. "It sounds foolish, but I saw him vanishlike that. " He snapped his fingers. "_Ach, Gott!_" All the ruddy color drained from the scientist's face. Asthough talking to himself, he continued: "Then it is true, as he said. He has crossed the bridge. He has reachedthe Light. And now he comes to see the world he will conquer--cameunseen when I refused my permission. " He was silent for a long time, pondering. Then he turned passionately toNorthwood. "John Northwood, kill me! I have brought a new horror into the world. From the unborn future, I have snatched a creature who has reached theLight too soon. Kill me!" He bowed his great, shaggy head. "What do you mean, Dr. Mundson: that this Adam has arrived at a point inevolution beyond this age?" "Yes. Think of it! I visioned godlike creatures with the souls of gods. But, Heaven help us, man always will be man: always will lust forconquest. You and I, Northwood, and all others are barbarians to Adam. He and his kind will do what men always do to barbarians--conquer andkill. " "Are there more like him?" Northwood struggled with a smile of unbelief. "I don't know. I did not know that Adam had reached a point so near theultimate. But you have seen. Already he is able to set aside what wecall natural laws. " Northwood looked at the scientist closely. The man was surely mad--madin this desert of white death. "Come!" he said cheerfully. "Let's build an Eskimo snow house. We canlive on penguins for days. And who knows what may rescue us?" For three hours the two worked at cutting ice blocks. With snow formortar, they built a crude shelter which enabled them to rest out of thecold breath of the spiral polar winds that blew from the south. * * * * * Dr. Mundson was sitting at the door of their hut, moodily pulling at hisstrong, black pipe. As though a fit had seized him, he leaped up and lethis pipe fall to the ice. "Look!" he shouted. "The sun-ship!" It seemed but a moment before the tiny speck on the horizon had sweptoverhead, a silver comet on the grayish-blue polar sky. In anothermoment it had swooped down, eaglewise, scarcely fifty feet from the icehut. Dr. Mundson and Northwood ran forward. From the metal sphere stepped thestranger of the Mad Hatter Club. His tall, straight form, erect andslim, swung toward them over the ice. "Adam!" shouted Dr. Mundson. "What does this mean? How dare you!" Adam's laugh was like the happy demonstration of a boy. "So? You thinkyou still are master? You think I returned because I reverenced youyet?" Hate shot viciously through the freezing blue eyes. "You worm ofthe Black Age!" Northwood shuddered. He had heard those strange words addressed tohimself scarcely more than twelve hours ago. Adam was still speaking: "With a thought I could annihilate you whereyou are standing. But I have use for you. Get in. " He swept his hand tothe sun-ship. Both men hesitated. Then Northwood strode forward until he was withinthree feet of Adam. They stood thus, eyeing each other, two splendidbeings, one blond as a Viking, the other dark and vital. "Just what is your game?" demanded Northwood. The icy eyes shot forth a gleam like lightning. "I needn't tell you, ofcourse, but I may as well let you suffer over the knowledge. " He curledhis lips with superb scorn. "I have one human weakness. I want Athalia. "The icy eyes warmed for a fleeting second. "She is anticipating hermeeting with you--bah! The taste of these women of the Black Age! Icould kill you, of course; but that would only inflame her. And so Itake you to her, thrust you down her throat. When she sees you, she willfly to me. " He spread his magnificent chest. "Adam!" Dr. Mundson's face was dark with anger. "What of Eve?" "Who are you to question my actions? What a fool you were to let me, whom you forced into life thousands of years too soon, grow morepowerful than you! Before I am through with all of you petty creaturesof the Black Age, you will call me more terrible than your Jehovah! Forsee what you have called forth from unborn time. " He vanished. * * * * * Before the startled men could recover from the shock of it, the vibrant, too-new voice went on: "I am sorry for you, Mundson, because, like you, I need specimens for myexperiments. What a splendid specimen you will be!" His laugh was uglywith significance. "Get in, worms!" Unseen hands cuffed and pushed them into the sun-ship. Inside, Dr. Mundson stumbled to the control room, white and drawn offace, his great brain seemingly paralyzed by the catastrophe. "You needn't attempt tricks, " went on the voice. "I am watching youboth. You cannot even hide your thoughts from me. " And thus began the strange continuation of the journey. Not once, inthat wild half-hour's rush over the polar ice clouds, did they see Adam. They saw and heard only the weird signs of his presence: a puffing cigarhanging in midair, a glass of water swinging to unseen lips, a ghostlyvoice hurling threats and insults at them. Once the scientist whispered: "Don't cross him; it is useless. JohnNorthwood, you'll have to fight a demigod for your woman!" Because of the terrific speed of the sun-ship, Northwood coulddistinguish nothing of the topographical details below. At the end ofhalf-an-hour, the scientist slowed enough to point out a tall range ofsnow-covered mountains, over which hovered a play of colored lights likethe _aurora australis_. "Behind those mountains, " he said, "is our destination. " * * * * * Almost in a moment, the sun-ship had soared over the peaks. Dr. Mundsonkept the speed low enough for Northwood to see the splendid view below. In the giant cup formed by the encircling mountain range was a greenvalley of tropical luxuriance. Stretches of dense forest swept half upthe mountains and filled the valley cup with tangled verdure. In thecenter, surrounded by a broad field and a narrow ring of woods, towereda group of buildings. From the largest, which was circular, came theauroralike radiance that formed an umbrella of light over the entirevalley. "Do I guess right, " said Northwood, "that the light is responsible forthis oasis in the ice?" "Yes, " said Dr. Mundson. "In your American slang, it is canned sunshinecontaining an overabundance of certain rays, especially the Life Ray, which I have isolated. " He smiled proudly. "You needn't look startled, my friend. Some of the most common things store sunlight. On very darknights, if you have sharp eyes, you can see the radiance given off bycertain flowers, which many naturalists say is trapped sunshine. Thefamiliar nasturtium and the marigold opened for me the way to holdsunshine against the long polar night, for they taught me how to applythe Einstein theory of bent light. Stated simply, during the polarnight, when the sun is hidden over the rim of the world, we steal someof his rays; during the polar day we concentrate the light. " "But could stored sunshine alone give enough warmth for the luxuriantgrowth of those jungles?" "An overabundance of the Life Ray is responsible for the miraculousgrowth of all life in New Eden. The Life Ray is Nature's most powerfulforce. Yet Nature is often niggardly and paradoxical in her use of herpowers. In New Eden, we have forced the powers of creation to takeascendency over the powers of destruction. " At Northwood's sudden start, the scientist laughed and continued: "Is itnot a pity that Nature, left alone, requires twenty years to make a manwho begins to die in another ten years? Such waste is not tolerated inNew Eden, where supermen are younger than babes and--" "Come, worms; let's land. " It was Adam's voice. Suddenly he materialized, a blond god, whose eyesand flesh were too new. * * * * * They were in a world of golden skylight, warmth and tropical vegetation. The field on which they had landed was covered with a velvety greengrowth of very soft, fine-bladed grass, sprinkled with tiny, star-shapedblue flowers. A balmy, sweet-scented wind, downy as the breeze of adream, blew gently along the grass and tingled against Northwood's skinrefreshingly. Almost instantly he had the sensation of perfect wellbeing, and this feeling of physical perfection was part of the ecstasythat seemed to pervade the entire valley. Grass and breeze and goldenskylight were saturated with a strange ether of joyousness. At one end of the field was a dense jungle, cut through by a road thatled to the towering building from which, while above in the sun-ship, they had seen the golden light issue. From the jungle road came a man and a woman, large, handsome people, whose flesh and eyes had the sinister newness of Adam's. Even beforethey came close enough to speak, Northwood was aware that while theyseemed of Adam's breed, they were yet unlike him. The difference waspsychical rather than physical; they lacked the aura of hate and horrorthat surrounded Adam. The woman drew Adam's head down and kissed himaffectionately on both cheeks. Adam, from his towering height, patted her shoulder impatiently andsaid: "Run on back to the laboratory, grandmother. We're followingsoon. You have some new human embryos, I believe you told me thismorning. " "Four fine specimens, two of them being your sister's twins. " "Splendid! I was sure that creation had stopped with my generation. Imust see them. " He turned to the scientist and Northwood. "You needn'ttry to leave this spot. Of course I shall know instantly and deal withyou in my own way. Wait here. " He strode over the emerald grass on the heels of the woman. Northwood asked: "Why does he call that girl grandmother?" "Because she is his ancestress. " He stirred uneasily. "She is of thefirst generation brought forth in the laboratory, and is no differentfrom you or I, except that, at the age of five years, she is theancestress of twenty generations. " "My God!" muttered Northwood. "Don't start being horrified, my friend. Forget about so-called naturallaws while you are in New Eden. Remember, here we have isolated the LifeRay. But look! Here comes your Athalia!" * * * * * Northwood gazed covertly at the beautiful girl approaching them with ararely graceful walk. She was tall, slender, round-bosomed, narrow-hipped, and she held her lovely body in the erect poise ofsplendid health. Northwood had a confused realization of uncoveredbronzy hair, drawn to the back of a white neck in a bunch of shortcurls; of immense soft black eyes; lips the color of blood, anddelicate, plump flesh on which the golden skylight lingered graciously. He was instantly glad to see that while she possessed the freshness ofyoung girlhood, her skin and eyes did not have the horrible newness ofAdam's. When she was still twenty feet distant, Northwood met her eyes and shesmiled shyly. The rich, red blood ran through her face; and he, too, flushed. She went to Dr. Mundson and, placing her hands on his thick shoulders, kissed him affectionately. "I've been worried about you, Daddy Mundson. " Her rich contralto voicematched her exotic beauty. "Since you and Adam had that quarrel the dayyou left, I did not see him until this morning, when he landed thesun-ship alone. " "And you pleaded with him to return for us?" "Yes. " Her eyes drooped and a hot flush swept over her face. Dr. Mundson smiled. "But I'm back now, Athalia, and I've brought someone whom I hope you will be glad to know. " Reaching for her hand, he placed it simply in Northwood's. "This is John, Athalia. Isn't he handsomer than the pictures of himwhich I televisioned to you? God bless both of you. " He walked ahead and turned his back. * * * * * A magical half hour followed for Northwood and Athalia. The girl toldhim of her past life, how Dr. Mundson had discovered her one year agoworking in a New York sweat shop, half dead from consumption. Withoutfriends, she was eager to follow the scientist to New Eden, where hepromised she would recover her health immediately. "And he was right, John, " she said shyly. "The Life Ray, that marvelousenergy ray which penetrates to the utmost depths of earth and ocean, giving to the cells of all living bodies the power to grow and remainanimate, has been concentrated by Dr. Mundson in his stored sunshine. The Life Ray healed me almost immediately. " Northwood looked down at the glorious girl beside him, whose eyesalready fluttered away from his like shy black butterflies. Suddenly hesqueezed the soft hand in his and said passionately: "Athalia! Because Adam wants you and will get you if he can, let us setaside all the artificialities of civilization. I have loved you madlyever since I saw your picture. If you can say the same to me, it willgive me courage to face what I know lies before me. " Athalia, her face suddenly tender, came closer to him. "John Northwood, I love you. " Her red lips came temptingly close; but before he could touch them, Adamsuddenly pushed his body between him and Athalia. Adam was pale, and allthe iciness was gone from his blue eyes, which were deep and dark andvery human. He looked down at Athalia, and she looked up at him, twohandsome specimens of perfect manhood and womanhood. "Fast work, Athalia!" The new vibrant voice was strained. "I was hopingyou would be disappointed in him, especially after having been wooed byme this morning. I could take you if I wished, of course; but I preferto win you in the ancient manner. Dismiss him!" He jerked his thumb overhis shoulder in Northwood's direction. Athalia flushed vividly and looked at him almost compassionately. "I amnot great enough for you, Adam. I dare not love you. " * * * * * Adam laughed, and still oblivious of Northwood and Dr. Mundson, foldedhis arms over his breast. With the golden skylight on his burnishedhair, he was a valiant, magnificent spectacle. "Since the beginning of time, gods and archangels have looked upon thedaughters of men and found them fair. Mate with me, Athalia, and I, fifty thousand years beyond the creature Mundson has selected for you, will make you as I am, the deathless overlord of life and all nature. " He drew her hand to his bosom. For one dark moment, Northwood felt himself seared by jealousy, for, through the plump, sweet flesh of Athalia's face, he saw the red bloodleap again. How could she withhold herself from this splendid superman? But her answer, given with faltering voice, was the old, simple one: "Ihave promised him, Adam. I love him. " Tears trembled on her thicklashes. "So! I cannot get you in the ancient manner. Now I'll use my own. " He seized her in his arms crushed her against him, and, laughing overher head at Northwood, bent his glistening head and kissed her on themouth. There was a blinding flash of blue electric sparks--and nothing else. Both Adam and Athalia had vanished. * * * * * Adam's voice came in a last mocking challenge: "I shall be what no othergods before me have been--a good sport. I'll leave you both to your owndevices, until I want you again. " White-lipped and trembling, Northwood groaned: "What has he done now?" Dr. Mundson's great head drooped. "I don't know. Our bodies are electricand chemical machines; and a super intelligence has discovered new lawsof which you and I are ignorant. " "But Athalia. .. . " "She is safe; he loves her. " "Loves her!" Northwood shivered. "I cannot believe that those freezingeyes could ever look with love on a woman. " "Adam is a man. At heart he is as human as the first man-creature thatwallowed in the new earth's slime. " His voice dropped as though he weremusing aloud. "It might be well to let him have Athalia. She will helpto keep vigor in the new race, which would stop reproducing in anotherfew generations without the injection of Black Age blood. " "Do you want to bring more creatures like Adam into the world?"Northwood flung at him. "You have tampered with life enough, Dr. Mundson. But, although Adam has my sympathy, I'm not willing to turnAthalia over to him. " "Well said! Now come to the laboratory for chemical nourishment and restunder the Life Ray. " They went to the great circular building from whose highest tower issuedthe golden radiance that shamed the light of the sun, hanging low in thenortheast. "John Northwood, " said Dr. Mundson, "with that laboratory, which is thecenter of all life in New Eden, we'll have to whip Adam. He gave us whathe called a 'sporting chance' because he knew that he is able to send usand all mankind to a doom more terrible than hell. Even now we might beentering some hideous trap that he has set for us. " * * * * * They entered by a side entrance and went immediately to what Dr. Mundsoncalled the Rest Ward. Here, in a large room, were ranged rows of cots, on many of which lay men basking in the deep orange flood of light whichpoured from individual lamps set above each cot. "It is the Life Ray!" said Dr. Mundson reverently. "The source of allgrowth and restoration in Nature. It is the power that bursts open theseed and brings forth the shoot, that increases the shoot into a gianttree. It is the same power that enables the fertilized ovum to developinto an animal. It creates and recreates cells almost instantly;accordingly, it is the perfect substitute for sleep. Stretch out, enjoyits power; and while you rest, eat these nourishing tablets. " Northwood lay on a cot, and Dr. Mundson turned the Life Ray on him. Fora few minutes a delicious drowsiness fell upon him, producing a spell ofperfect peace which the cells of his being seemed to drink in. Foranother delirious, fleeting space, every inch of him vibrated with athrilling sensation of freshness. He took a deep, ecstatic breath andopened his eyes. "Enough, " said Dr. Mundson, switching off the Ray. "After three minutesof rejuvenation, you are commencing again with perfect cells. Allravages from disease and wear have been corrected. " Northwood leaped up joyously. His handsome eyes sparkled, his skinglowed. "I feel great! Never felt so good since I was a kid. " A pleased grin spread over the scientist's homely face. "See what mydiscovery will mean to the world! In the future we shall all go to thelaboratory for recuperation and nourishment. We'll have almosttwenty-four hours a day for work and play. " * * * * * He stretched out on the bed contentedly. "Some day, when my work isnearly done, I shall permit the Life Ray to cure my hump. " "Why not now?" Dr. Mundson sighed. "If I were perfect, I should cease to be sooverwhelmingly conscious of the importance of perfection. " He settledback to enjoyment of the Life Ray. A few minutes later, he jumped up, alert as a boy. "_Ach!_ That's fine. Now I'll show you how the Life Ray speeds up development and producesfour generations of humans a year. " With restored energy, Northwood began thinking of Athalia. As hefollowed Dr. Mundson down a long corridor, he yearned to see her again, to be certain that she was safe. Once he imagined he felt a gentle, soft-fleshed touch against his hand, and was disappointed not to see herwalking by his side. Was she with him, unseen? The thought was sweet. Before Dr. Mundson opened the massive bronze door at the end of thecorridor, he said: "Don't be surprised or shocked over anything you see here, JohnNorthwood. This is the Baby Laboratory. " They entered a room which seemed no different from a hospital ward. Onlittle white beds lay naked children of various sizes, perfect, solemn-eyed youngsters and older children as beautiful as animatedstatues. Above each bed was a small Life Ray projector. A white-cappednurse went from bed to bed. "They are recuperating from the daily educational period, " said thescientist. "After a few minutes of this they will go into the growingroom, which I shall have to show you through a window. Should you and Ienter, we might be changed in a most extraordinary manner. " He laughedmischievously. "But, look, Northwood!" * * * * * He slid back a panel in the wall, and Northwood peered in through athick pane of clear glass. The room was really an immense outdoor arena, its only carpet the fine-bladed grass, its roof the blue sky cut in themiddle by an enormous disc from which shot the aurora of trappedsunshine which made a golden umbrella over the valley. Through openingsin the bottom of the disc poured a fine rain of rays which fellconstantly upon groups of children, youths and young girls, all clad inthe merest scraps of clothing. Some were dancing, others were playinggames, but all seemed as supremely happy as the birds and butterflieswhich fluttered about the shrubs and flowers edging the arena. "I don't expect you to believe, " said Dr. Mundson, "that the oldestyoung man in there is three months old. You cannot see visible changesin a body which grows as slowly as the human being, whose normal periodof development is twenty years or more. But I can give you visible proofof how fast growth takes place under the full power of the Life Ray. Plant life, which, even when left to nature, often develops from seed toflower within a few weeks or months, can be seen making its miraculouschanges under the Life Ray. Watch those gorgeous purple flowers overwhich the butterflies are hovering. " Northwood followed his pointing finger. Near the glass window throughwhich they looked grew an enormous bank of resplendent violet coloredflowers, which literally enshrouded the entire bush with their royalglory. At first glance it seemed as though a violent wind weresnatching at flower and bush, but closer inspection proved that theagitation was part of the plant itself. And then he saw that themovements were the result of perpetual composition and growth. * * * * * He fastened his eyes on one huge bud. He saw it swell, burst, spread outits passionate purple velvet, lift the broad flower face to the lightfor a joyous minute. A few seconds later a butterfly lighted airily tosample its nectar and to brush the pollen from its yellow dusted wings. Scarcely had the winged visitor flown away than the purple petals beganto wither and fall away, leaving the seed pod on the stem. The visiblechange went on in this seed pod. It turned rapidly brown, dried out, andthen sent the released seeds in a shower to the rich black earth below. Scarcely had the seeds touched the ground than they sent up tiny greenshoots that grew larger each moment. Within ten minutes there was a newplant a foot high. Within half an hour, the plant budded, blossomed, andcast forth its own seed. "You understand?" asked the scientist. "Development is going on asrapidly among the children. Before the first year has passed, theyoungest baby will have grandchildren; that is, if the baby tests outfit to pass its seed down to the new generation. I know it soundsabsurd. Yet you saw the plant. " "But Doctor, " Northwood rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, "Nature's forces ofdestruction, of tearing down, are as powerful as her creative powers. You have discovered the ultimate in creation and upbuilding. Butperhaps--oh, Lord, it is too awful to think!" "Speak, Northwood!" The scientist's voice was impatient. "It is nothing!" The pale young man attempted a smile. "I was onlyimagining some of the horror that could be thrust on the world if asupermind like Adam's should discover Nature's secret of death anddestruction and speed it up as you have sped the life force. " "_Ach Gott!_" Dr. Mundson's face was white. "He has his own laboratory, where he works every day. Don't talk so loud. He might be listening. AndI believe he can do anything he sets out to accomplish. " Close to Northwood's ear fell a faint, triumphant whisper: "Yes, he cando anything. How did you guess, worm?" It was Adam's voice. * * * * * "Now come and see the Leyden jar mothers, " said Dr. Mundson. "We do notwait for the child to be born to start our work. " He took Northwood to a laboratory crowded with strange apparatus, whereyoung men and women worked. Northwood knew instantly that these people, although unusually handsome and strong, were not of Adam's generation. None of them had the look of newness which marked those who had grown upunder the Life Ray. "They are the perfect couples whom I combed the world to find, " said thescientist. "From their eugenic marriages sprang the first children thatpassed through the laboratory. I had hoped, " he hesitated and lookedsideways at Northwood, "I had dreamed of having the children of you andAthalia to help strengthen the New Race. " A wave of sudden disgust passed over Northwood. "Thanks, " he said tartly. "When I marry Athalia, I intend to have anold-fashioned home and a Black Age family. I don't relish having mychildren turned into--experiments. " "But wait until you see all the wonders of the laboratory! That is why Iam showing you all this. " Northwood drew his handkerchief and mopped his brow. "It sickens me, Doctor! The more I see, the more pity I have for Adam--and the less Iblame him for his rebellion and his desire to kill and to rule. Heavens!What a terrible thing you have done, experimenting with human life. " "Nonsense! Can you say that all life--all matter--is not the result ofscientific experiment? Can you?" His black gaze made Northwooduncomfortable. "Buck up, young friend, for now I am going to show you amarvelous improvement on Nature's bungling ways--the Leyden jar mother. "He raised his voice and called, "Lilith!" The woman whom they had met on the field came forward. "May we take a peep at Lona's twins?" asked the scientist. "They areabout ready to go to the growing dome, are they not?" "In five more minutes, " said the woman. "Come see. " * * * * * She lifted one of the black velvet curtains that lined an entire side ofthe laboratory and thereby disclosed a globular jar of glass and metal, connected by wires to a dynamo. Above the jar was a Life Ray projector. Lilith slid aside a metal portion of the jar, disclosing through theglass underneath the squirming, kicking body of a baby, resting on a bedof soft, spongy substance, to which it was connected by the navel cord. "The Leyden jar mother, " said Dr. Mundson. "It is the dream of usscientists realized. The human mother's body does nothing but nourishand protect her unborn child, a job which science can do better. And so, in New Eden, we take the young embryo and place it in the Leyden jarmother, where the Life Ray, electricity, and chemical food shortens theperiod of gestation to a few days. " At that moment a bell under the Leyden jar began to ring. Dr. Mundsonuncovered the jar and lifted out the child, a beautiful, perfectlyformed boy, who began to cry lustily. "Here is one baby who'll never be kissed, " he said. "He'll be nourishedchemically, and, at the end of the week, will no longer be a baby. Ifyou are patient, you can actually see the processes of developmenttaking place under the Life Ray, for babies develop very fast. " Northwood buried his face in his hands. "Lord! This is awful. Nochildhood; no mother to mould his mind! No parents to watch over him, togive him their tender care!" "Awful, fiddlesticks! Come see how children get their education, howthey learn to use their hands and feet so they need not pass through theawkwardness of childhood. " * * * * * He led Northwood to a magnificent building whose façade of white marblewas as simply beautiful as a Greek temple. The side walls, built almostentirely of glass, permitted the synthetic sunshine to sweep from end toend. They first entered a library, where youths and young girls pouredover books of all kinds. Their manner of reading mystified Northwood. With a single sweep of the eye, they seemed to devour a page, and thenturned to the next. He stepped closer to peer over the shoulder of abeautiful girl. She was reading "Euclid's Elements of Geometry, " inLatin, and she turned the pages as swiftly as the other girl occupyingher table, who was devouring "Paradise Lost. " Dr. Mundson whispered to him: "If you do not believe that Ruth here isgetting her Euclid, which she probably never saw before to-day, examineher from the book; that is, if you are a good enough Latin scholar. " Ruth stopped her reading to talk to him, and, in a few minutes, hadcompletely dumbfounded him with her pedantic replies, which fell fromlips as luscious and unformed as an infant's. "Now, " said Dr. Mundson, "test Rachael on her Milton. As far as she hasread, she should not misquote a line, and her comments will probablyprove her scholarly appreciation of Milton. " Word for word, Rachael was able to give him "Paradise Lost" from memory, except the last four pages, which she had not read. Then, taking thebook from him, she swept her eyes over these pages, returned the book tohim, and quoted copiously and correctly. * * * * * Dr. Mundson gloated triumphantly over his astonishment. "There, myfriend. Could you now be satisfied with old-fashioned children who spendlong, expensive years in getting an education? Of course, your childrenwill not have the perfect brains of these, yet, developed under the LifeRay, they should have splendid mentality. "These children, through selective breeding, have brains that makeeverlasting records instantly. A page in a book, once seen, is indeliblyretained by them, and understood. The same is true of a lecture, of anexplanation given by a teacher, of even idle conversation. Any man orwoman in this room should be able to repeat the most trivialconversation days old. " "But what of the arts, Dr. Mundson? Surely even your supermen and womencannot instantly learn to paint a masterpiece or to guide their fingersand their brains through the intricacies of a difficult musicalcomposition. " "No?" His dark eyes glowed. "Come see!" Before they entered another wing of the building, they heard a violinbeing played masterfully. Dr. Mundson paused at the door. "So that you may understand what you shall see, let me remind you thatthe nerve impulses and the coordinating means in the human body arepurely electrical. The world has not yet accepted my theory, but itwill. Under superman's system of education, the instantaneous recordsmade on the brain give immediate skill to the acting parts of the body. Accordingly, musicians are made over night. " He threw open the door. Under a Life Ray projector, a beautiful, Juno-esque woman was playing a violin. Facing her, and with eyesfastened to hers, stood a young man, whose arms and slender fingersmimicked every motion she made. Presently she stopped playing and handedthe violin to him. In her own masterly manner, he repeated the score shehad played. "That is Eve, " whispered Dr. Mundson. "I had selected her as Adam'swife. But he does not want her, the most brilliant woman of the NewRace. " Northwood gave the woman an appraising look. "Who wants a perfect woman?I don't blame Adam for preferring Athalia. But how is she teaching herpupil?" "Through thought vibration, which these perfect people have developeduntil they can record permanently the radioactive waves of the brains ofothers. " Eve turned, caught Northwood's eyes in her magnetic blue gaze, andsmiled as only a goddess can smile upon a mortal she has marked as herown. She came toward him with outflung hands. "So you have come!" Her vibrant contralto voice, like Adam's, held thebirdlike, broken tremulo of a young child's. "I have been waiting foryou, John Northwood. " * * * * * Her eyes, as blue and icy as Adam's, lingered long on him, until heflinched from their steely magnetism. She slipped her arm through hisand drew him gently but firmly from the room, while Dr. Mundson stoodgaping after them. They were on a flagged terrace arched with roses of gigantic size, whichsent forth billows of sensuous fragrance. Eve led him to a white marbleseat piled with silk cushions, on which she reclined her superb body, while she regarded him from narrowed lids. "I saw your picture that he televisioned to Athalia, " she said. "What abotch Dr. Mundson has made of his mating. " Her laugh rippled likefalling water. "I want you, John Northwood!" Northwood started and blushed furiously. Smile dimples broke around herred, humid lips. "Ah, you're old-fashioned!" Her large, beautiful hand, fleshed more tenderly than any woman's handhe had ever seen, went out to him appealingly. "I can bring you amorousdelight that your Athalia never could offer in her few years of youth. And I'll never grow old, John Northwood. " She came closer until he could feel the fragrant warmth of her tawny, ribbon bound hair pulse against his face. In sudden panic he drew back. "But I am pledged to Athalia!" tumbled from him. "It is all a dreadfulmistake, Eve. You and Adam were created for each other. " "Hush!" The lightning that flashed from her blue eyes changed her fromseductress to angry goddess. "Created for each other! Who wants amade-to-measure lover?" * * * * * The luscious lips trembled slightly, and into the vivid eyes crept asuspicion of moisture. Eternal Eve's weapons! Northwood's handsome facerelaxed with pity. "I want you, John Northwood, " she continued shamelessly. "Our love willbe sublime. " She leaned heavily against him, and her lips were like ablood red flower pressed against white satin. "Come, beloved, kiss me!" Northwood gasped and turned his head. "Don't, Eve!" "But a kiss from me will set you apart from all your generation, JohnNorthwood, and you shall understand what no man of the Black Age couldpossibly fathom. " Her hair had partly fallen from its ribbon bandage and poured itsfragrant gold against his shoulder. "For God's sake, don't tempt me!" he groaned. "What do you mean?" "That mental and physical and spiritual contact with me will temporarilygive you, a three-dimension creature, the power of the new sense, whichyour race will not have for fifty thousand years. " White-lipped and trembling, he demanded: "Explain!" Eve smiled. "Have you not guessed that Adam has developed an additionalsense? You've seen him vanish. He and I have the sixth sense of TimePerception--the new sense which enables us to penetrate what you of theBlack Age call the Fourth Dimension. Even you whose mentalities areframed by three dimensions have this sixth sense instinct. Your veryreligion is based on it, for you believe that in another life you shallstep into Time, or, as you call it, eternity. " She leaned closer so thather hair brushed his cheek. "What is eternity, John Northwood? Is it notkeeping forever ahead of the Destroyer? The future is eternal, for it isnever reached. Adam and I, through our new sense which comprehends Timeand Space, can vanish by stepping a few seconds into the future, theFourth Dimension of Space. Death can never reach us, not even accidentaldeath, unless that which causes death could also slip into the future, which is not yet possible. " "But if the Fourth Dimension is future Time, why can one in the thirddimension feel the touch of an unseen presence in the FourthDimension--hear his voice, even?" "Thought vibration. The touch is not really felt nor the voice heard:they are only imagined. The radioactive waves of the brain of even youBlack Age people are swift enough to bridge Space and Time. And it isthe mind that carries us beyond the third dimension. " * * * * * Her red mouth reached closer to him, her blue eyes touched hidden forcesthat slept in remote cells of his being. "You are going into EternalTime, John Northwood, Eternity without beginning or end. You understand?You feel it? Comprehend it? Now for the contact--kiss me!" Northwood had seen Athalia vanish under Adam's kiss. Suddenly, in onemad burst of understanding, he leaned over to his magnificent temptress. For a split second he felt the sweet pressure of baby-soft lips, andthen the atoms of his body seemed to fly asunder. Black chaos held himfor a frightful moment before he felt sanity return. He was back on the terrace again, with Eve by his side. They werestanding now. The world about him looked the same, yet there was asubtle change in everything. Eve laughed softly. "It is puzzling, isn't it? You're seeing everythingas in a mirror. What was left before is now right. Only you and I arereal. All else is but a vision, a dream. For now you and I are existingone minute in future time, or, more simply, we are in the FourthDimension. To everything in the third dimension, we are invisible. Letme show you that Dr. Mundson cannot see you. " They went back to the room beyond the terrace. Dr. Mundson was notpresent. "There he goes down the jungle path, " said Eve, looking out a window. She laughed. "Poor old fellow. The children of his genius are worryinghim. " * * * * * They were standing in the recess formed by a bay window. Eve picked uphis hand and laid it against her face, giving him the full, blastingglory of her smiling blue eyes. Northwood, looking away miserably, uttered a low cry. Coming over thefield beyond were Adam and Athalia. By the trimming on the blue dressshe wore, he could see that she was still in the Fourth Dimension, forhe did not see her as a mirror image. A look of fear leaped to Eve's face. She clutched Northwood's arm, trembling. "I don't want Adam to see that I have passed you beyond, " she gasped. "We are existing but one minute in the future. Always Adam and I havefeared to pass too far beyond the sweetness of reality. But now, so thatAdam may not see us, we shall step five minutes into what-is-yet-to-be. And even he, with all his power, cannot see into a future that is moredistant than that in which he exists. " She raised her humid lips to his. "Come, beloved. " Northwood kissed her. Again came the moment of confusion, of the awfulvacancy that was like death, and then he found himself and Eve in thelaboratory, following Adam and Athalia down a long corridor. Athalia wascrying and pleading frantically with Adam. Once she stopped and threwherself at his feet in a gesture of dramatic supplication, armsoutflung, streaming eyes wide open with fear. Adam stooped and lifted her gently and continued on his way, supportingher against his side. * * * * * Eve dug her fingers into Northwood's arm. Horror contorted her face, horror mixed with rage. "My mind hears what he is saying, understands the vile plan he has made, John Northwood. He is on his way to his laboratory to destroy not onlyyou and most of these in New Eden, but me as well. He wants onlyAthalia. " Striding forward like an avenging goddess, she pulled Northwood afterher. "Hurry!" she whispered. "Remember, you and I are five minutes in thefuture, and Adam is only one. We are witnessing what will occur fourminutes from now. We yet have time to reach the laboratory before himand be ready for him when he enters. And because he will have to go backto Present Time to do his work of destruction, I will be able to destroyhim. Ah!" Fierce joy burned in her flashing blue eyes, and her slender nostrilsquivered delicately. Northwood, peeping at her in horror, knew that nomercy could be expected of her. And when she stopped at a certain doorand inserted a key, he remembered Athalia. What if she should enter withAdam in Present Time? * * * * * They were inside Adam's laboratory, a huge apartment filled with queerapparatus and cages of live animals. The room was a strange paradox. Part of the equipment, the walls, and the floor was glistening withnewness, and part was moulding with extreme age. The powers ofdisintegration that haunt a tropical forest seemed to be devouringcertain spots of the room. Here, in the midst of bright marble, was asection of wall that seemed as old as the pyramids. The surface of thestone had an appalling mouldiness, as though it had been lifted from anancient graveyard where it had lain in the festering ground forunwholesome centuries. Between cracks in this stained and decayed section of stone grew fetidmoss that quivered with the microscopic organisms that infest age-rottenplaces. Sections of the flooring and woodwork also reeked withmustiness. In one dark, webby corner of the room lay a pile of bleachedbones, still tinted with the ghastly grays and pinks of putrefaction. Northwood, overwhelmingly nauseated, withdrew his eyes from the bones, only to see, in another corner, a pile of worm-eaten clothing that layon the floor in the outline of a man. Faint with the reek of ancient mustiness, Northwood retreated to thedoor, dizzy and staggering. "It sickens you, " said Eve, "and it sickens me also, for death and decayare not pleasant. Yet Nature, left to herself, reduces all to this. Every grave that has yawned to receive its prey hides corruption no lessshocking. Nature's forces of creation and destruction forever work inpartnership. Never satisfied with her composition, she destroys andstarts again, building, building towards the ultimate of perfection. Thus, it is natural that if Dr. Mundson isolated the Life Ray, Nature'ssupreme force of compensation, isolation of the Death Ray should closelyfollow. Adam, thirsting for power, has succeeded. A few sweeps of hisunholy ray of decomposition will undo all Dr. Mundson's work in thisvalley and reduce it to a stinking holocaust of destruction. And thetime for his striking has come!" She seized his face and drew it toward her. "Quick!" she said. "We'llhave to go back to the third dimension. I could leave you safe in thefourth, but if anything should happen to me, you would be strandedforever in future time. " She kissed his lips. In a moment, he was back in the old familiar world, where right is right and left is left. Again the subtle change wroughtby Eve's magic lips had taken place. * * * * * Eve went to a machine standing in a corner of the room. "Come here and get behind me, John Northwood. I want to test it beforehe enters. " Northwood stood behind her shoulder. "Now watch!" she ordered. "I shall turn it on one of those cages ofguinea pigs over there. " She swung the projector around, pointed it at the cage of small, squealing animals, and threw a lever. Instantly a cone of black mephitisshot forth, a loathsome, bituminous stream of putrefaction that reekedof the grave and the cesspool, of the utmost reaches of decay before thedust accepts the disintegrated atoms. The first touch of seething, pitchy destruction brought screams of sudden agony from the guinea pigs, but the screams were cut short as the little animals fell in shocking, instant decay. The very cage which imprisoned them shriveled andretreated from the hellish, devouring breath that struck its noisome rotinto the heart of the wood and the metal, reducing both to revoltingruin. Eve cut off the frightful power, and the black cone disappeared, leavingthe room putrid with its defilement. "And Adam would do that to the world, " she said, her blue eyes likeelectric-shot icicles. "He would do it to you, John Northwood--and tome!" Her full bosom strained under the passion beneath. "Listen!" She raised her hand warningly. "He comes! The destroyercomes!" * * * * * A hand was at the door. Eve reached for the lever, and, the same moment, Northwood leaned over her imploringly. "If Athalia is with him!" he gasped. "You will not harm her?" A wild shriek at the door, a slight scuffle, and then the doorknob waswrenched as though two were fighting over it. "For God's sake, Eve!" implored Northwood. "Wait! Wait!" "No! She shall die, too. You love her!" Icy, cruel eyes cut into him, and a new-fleshed hand tried to push himaside. The door was straining open. A beloved voice shrieked. "John!" Eve and Northwood both leaped for the lever. Under her tender whiteflesh she was as strong as a man. In the midst of the struggle, her red, humid lips approached his--closer. Closer. Their merest pressure wouldthrust him into Future Time, where the laboratory and all it containedwould be but a shadow, and where he would be helpless to interfere withher terrible will. He saw the door open and Adam stride into the room. Behind him, lyingprone in the hall where she had probably fainted, was Athalia. In a madburst of strength he touched the lever together with Eve. The projector, belching forth its stinking breath of corruption swung ina mad arc over the ceiling, over the walls--and then straight at Adam. Then, quicker than thought, came the accident. Eve, attempting to throwNorthwood off, tripped, fell half over the machine, and, with a shortscream of despair, dropped into the black path of destruction. * * * * * Northwood paused, horrified. The Death Ray was pointed at an inner wallof the room, which, even as he looked, crumbled and disappeared, bringing down upon him dust more foul than any obscenity the bowels ofthe earth might yield. In an instant the black cone ate through theouter parts of the building, where crashing stone and screams that weremore horrible because of their shortness followed the ruin that sweptfar into the fair reaches of the valley. The paralyzing odor of decay took his breath, numbed his muscles, until, of all that huge building, the wall behind him and one small section ofthe room by the doorway alone remained whole. He was trying to nervehimself to reach for the lever close to that quiet formless thing stillpartly draped over the machine, when a faint sound in the doorelectrified him. At first, he dared not look, but his own name, spokenalmost in a gasp, gave him courage. Athalia lay on the floor, apparently untouched. He jerked the lever violently before running to her, exultant with theknowledge that his own efforts to keep the ray from the door had savedher. "And you're not hurt!" He gathered her close. "John! I saw it get Adam. " She pointed to a new mound of mouldy clotheson the floor. "Oh, it is hideous for me to be so glad, but he was goingto destroy everything and everyone except me. He made the ray projectorfor that one purpose. " Northwood looked over the pile of putrid ruins which a few minutes agohad been a building. There was not a wall left intact. "His intention is accomplished, Athalia, " he said sadly. "Let's get outbefore more stones fall. " * * * * * In a moment they were in the open. An ominous stillness seemed to gripthe very air--the awful silence of the polar wastes which lay not farbeyond the mountains. "How dark it is, John!" cried Athalia. "Dark and cold!" "The sunshine projector!" gasped Northwood. "It must have beendestroyed. Look, dearest! The golden light has disappeared. " "And the warm air of the valley will lift immediately. That means apolar blizzard. " She shuddered and clung closer to him. "I've seenAntarctic storms, John. They're death. " Northwood avoided her eyes. "There's the sun-ship. We'll give the ruinsthe once over in case there are any survivors; then we'll saveourselves. " Even a cursory examination of the mouldy piles of stone and dustconvinced them that there could be no survivors. The ruins looked asthough they had lain in those crumbling piles for centuries. Northwood, smothering his repugnance, stepped among them--among the green, slimystones and the unspeakable revolting débris, staggering back and faintand shocked when he came upon dust that was once human. "God!" he groaned, hands over eyes. "We're alone, Athalia! Alone in acharnal house. The laboratory housed the entire population, didn't it?" "Yes. Needing no sleep nor food, we did not need houses. We all workedhere, under Dr. Mundson's generalship, and, lately under Adam's, like alittle band of soldiers fighting for a great cause. " "Let's go to the sun-ship, dearest. " "But Daddy Mundson was in the library, " sobbed Athalia. "Let's look forhim a little longer. " * * * * * Sudden remembrance came to Northwood. "No, Athalia! He left the library. I saw him go down the jungle path several minutes before I and Eve wentto Adam's laboratory. " "Then he might be safe!" Her eyes danced. "He might have gone to thesun-ship. " Shivering, she slumped against him. "Oh, John! I'm cold. " Her face was blue. Northwood jerked off his coat and wrapped it aroundher, taking the intense cold against his unprotected shoulders. The low, gray sky was rapidly darkening, and the feeble light of the sun couldscarcely pierce the clouds. It was disturbing to know that even thesummer temperature in the Antarctic was far below zero. "Come, girl, " said Northwood gravely. "Hurry! It's snowing. " They started to run down the road through the narrow strip of jungle. The Death Ray had cut huge swathes in the tangle of trees and vines, andnow areas of heaped débris, livid with the colors of recent decay, exhaled a mephitic humidity altogether alien to the snow that fell insoft, slow flakes. Each hesitated to voice the new fear: had thesun-ship been destroyed? By the time they reached the open field, the snow stung their flesh likesharp needles, but it was not yet thick enough to hide from them ahideous fact. The sun-ship was gone. * * * * * It might have occupied one of several black, foul areas on the greengrass, where the searching Death Ray had made the very soil putrefy, andthe rocks crumble into shocking dust. Northwood snatched Athalia to him, too full of despair to speak. Asudden terrific flurry of snow whirled around them, and they were almostblown from their feet by the icy wind that tore over the unprotectedfield. "It won't be long, " said Athalia faintly. "Freezing doesn't hurt, John, dear. " "It isn't fair, Athalia! There never would have been such a marriage asours. Dr. Mundson searched the world to bring us together. " "For scientific experiment!" she sobbed. "I'd rather die, John. I wantan old-fashioned home, a Black Age family. I want to grow old with youand leave the earth to my children. Or else I want to die here now underthe kind, white blanket the snow is already spreading over us. " Shedrooped in his arms. Clinging together, they stood in the howling wind, looking at each otherhungrily, as though they would snatch from death this one last pictureof the other. Northwood's freezing lips translated some of the futile words thatcrowded against them. "I love you because you are not perfect. I hateperfection!" "Yes. Perfection is the only hopeless state, John. That is why Adamwanted to destroy, so that he might build again. " They were sitting in the snow now, for they were very tired. The stormbegan whistling louder, as though it were only a few feet above theirheads. "That sounds almost like the sun-ship, " said Athalia drowsily. "It's only the wind. Hold your face down so it won't strike your fleshso cruelly. " "I'm not suffering. I'm getting warm again. " She smiled at him sleepily. * * * * * Little icicles began to form on their clothing, and the powdery snowfrosted their uncovered hair. Suddenly came a familiar voice: "_Ach Gott!_" Dr. Mundson stood before them, covered with snow until he looked like apolar bear. "Get up!" he shouted. "Quick! To the sun-ship!" He seized Athalia and jerked her to her feet. She looked at him sleepilyfor a moment, and then threw herself at him and hugged him frantically. "You're not dead?" Taking each by the arm, he half dragged them to the sun-ship, which hadlanded only a few feet away. In a few minutes he had hot brandy forthem. While they sipped greedily, he talked, between working the sun-ship'scontrols. "No, I wouldn't say it was a lucky moment that drew me to the sun-ship. When I saw Eve trying to charm John, I had what you American slangistscall a hunch, which sent me to the sun-ship to get it off the ground sothat Adam couldn't commandeer it. And what is a hunch but a mentalpenetration into the Fourth Dimension?" For a long moment, he brooded, absent-minded. "I was in the air when the black ray, which I suppose isAdam's deviltry, began to destroy everything it touched. From a safeelevation I saw it wreck all my work. " A sudden spasm crossed his face. "I've flown over the entire valley. We're the only survivors--thankGod!" "And so at last you confess that it is not well to tamper with humanlife?" Northwood, warmed with hot brandy, was his old self again. "Oh, I have not altogether wasted my efforts. I went to elaborate painsto bring together a perfect man and a perfect woman of what Adam calledour Black Age. " He smiled at them whimsically. "And who can say to what extent you have thus furthered naturalevolution?" Northwood slipped his arm around Athalia. "Our childrenmight be more than geniuses, Doctor!" Dr. Mundson nodded his huge, shaggy head gravely. "The true instinct of a Creature of the Light, " he declared. * * * * * _Remember_ ASTOUNDING STORIES _Appears on Newsstands_ THE FIRST THURSDAY IN EACH MONTH * * * * * Into Space _By Sterner St. Paul_ What was the extraordinary connection between Dr. Livermore's sudden disappearance and the coming of a new satellite to the Earth? [Illustration: _A loud hum filled the air, and suddenly the projectilerose, gaining speed rapidly. _] Many of my readers will remember the mysterious radio messages whichwere heard by both amateur and professional short wave operators duringthe nights of the twenty-third and twenty-fourth of last September, andeven more will remember the astounding discovery made by ProfessorMontescue of the Lick Observatory on the night of Septembertwenty-fifth. At the time, some inspired writers tried to connect thetwo events, maintaining that the discovery of the fact that the earthhad a new satellite coincident with the receipt of the mysteriousmessages was evidence that the new planetoid was inhabited and that themessages were attempts on the part of the inhabitants to communicatewith us. The fact that the messages were on a lower wave length than any receiverthen in existence could receive with any degree of clarity, and theadditional fact that they appeared to come from an immense distance lenta certain air of plausibility to these ebullitions in the Sundaymagazine sections. For some weeks the feature writers harped on thesubject, but the hurried construction of new receivers which would workon a lower wave length yielded no results, and the solemn pronouncementsof astronomers to the effect that the new celestial body could by nopossibility have an atmosphere on account of its small size finally putan end to the talk. So the matter lapsed into oblivion. While quite a few people will remember the two events I have noted, Idoubt whether there are five hundred people alive who will rememberanything at all about the disappearance of Dr. Livermore of theUniversity of Calvada on September twenty-third. He was a man of somelocal prominence, but he had no more than a local fame, and few papersoutside of California even noted the event in their columns. I do notthink that anyone ever tried to connect up his disappearance with theradio messages or the discovery of the new earthly satellite; yet thethree events were closely bound up together, and but for the Doctor'sdisappearance, the other two would never have happened. * * * * * Dr. Livermore taught physics at Calvada, or at least he taught thesubject when he remembered that he had a class and felt like teaching. His students never knew whether he would appear at class or not; but healways passed everyone who took his courses and so, of course, theywere always crowded. The University authorities used to remonstrate withhim, but his ability as a research worker was so well known andrecognized that he was allowed to go about as he pleased. He was abachelor who lived alone and who had no interests in life, so far asanyone knew, other than his work. I first made contact with him when I was a freshman at Calvada, and forsome unknown reason he took a liking to me. My father had insisted thatI follow in his footsteps as an electrical engineer; as he was paying mybills, I had to make a show at studying engineering while Iclandestinely pursued my hobby, literature. Dr. Livermore's courses werethe easiest in the school and they counted as science, so I regularlyregistered for them, cut them, and attended a class in literature as anauditor. The Doctor used to meet me on the campus and laughingly scoldme for my absence, but he was really in sympathy with my ambition and heregularly gave me a passing mark and my units of credit without regardto my attendance, or, rather, lack of it. When I graduated from Calvada I was theoretically an electricalengineer. Practically I had a pretty good knowledge of contemporaryliterature and knew almost nothing about my so-called profession. Istalled around Dad's office for a few months until I landed a job as acub reporter on the San Francisco _Graphic_ and then I quit him cold. When the storm blew over, Dad admitted that you couldn't make a silkpurse out of a sow's ear and agreed with a grunt to my new line of work. He said that I would probably be a better reporter than an engineerbecause I couldn't by any possibility be a worse one, and let it go atthat. However, all this has nothing to do with the story. It justexplains how I came to be acquainted with Dr. Livermore, in the firstplace, and why he sent for me on September twenty-second, in the secondplace. * * * * * The morning of the twenty-second the City Editor called me in and askedme if I knew "Old Liverpills. " "He says that he has a good story ready to break but he won't talk toanyone but you, " went on Barnes. "I offered to send out a good man, forwhen Old Liverpills starts a story it ought to be good, but all I gotwas a high powered bawling out. He said that he would talk to you or noone and would just as soon talk to no one as to me any longer. Then hehung up. You'd better take a run out to Calvada and see what he has tosay. I can have a good man rewrite your drivel when you get back. " I was more or less used to that sort of talk from Barnes so I paid noattention to it. I drove my flivver down to Calvada and asked for theDoctor. "Dr. Livermore?" said the bursar. "Why, he hasn't been around here forthe last ten months. This is his sabbatical year and he is spending iton a ranch he owns up at Hat Creek, near Mount Lassen. You'll have to gothere if you want to see him. " I knew better than to report back to Barnes without the story, so therewas nothing to it but to drive up to Hat Creek, and a long, hard driveit was. I made Redding late that night; the next day I drove on toBurney and asked for directions to the Doctor's ranch. "So you're going up to Doc Livermore's, are you?" asked the Postmaster, my informant. "Have you got an invitation?" I assured him that I had. "It's a good thing, " he replied, "because he don't allow anyone on hisplace without one. I'd like to go up there myself and see what's goingon, but I don't want to get shot at like old Pete Johnson did when hetried to drop in on the Doc and pay him a little call. There's somethingmighty funny going on up there. " * * * * * Naturally I tried to find out what was going on but evidently thePostmaster, who was also the express agent, didn't know. All he couldtell me was that a "lot of junk" had come for the Doctor by express andthat a lot more had been hauled in by truck from Redding. "What kind of junk?" I asked him. "Almost everything, Bub: sheet steel, machinery, batteries, cases ofglass, and Lord knows what all. It's been going on ever since he landedthere. He has a bunch of Indians working for him and he don't let awhite man on the place. " Forced to be satisfied with this meager information, I started oldLizzie and lit out for the ranch. After I had turned off the main trailI met no one until the ranch house was in sight. As I rounded a bend inthe road which brought me in sight of the building, I was forced to puton my brakes at top speed to avoid running into a chain which wasstretched across the road. An Indian armed with a Winchester rifle stoodbehind it, and when I stopped he came up and asked my business. "My business is with Dr. Livermore, " I said tartly. "You got letter?" he inquired. "No, " I answered. "No ketchum letter, no ketchum Doctor, " he replied, and walked stolidlyback to his post. "This is absurd, " I shouted, and drove Lizzie up to the chain. I sawthat it was merely hooked to a ring at the end, and I climbed out andstarted to take it down. A thirty-thirty bullet embedded itself in thepost an inch or two from my head, and I changed my mind about takingdown that chain. "No ketchum letter, no ketchum Doctor, " said the Indian laconically ashe pumped another shell into his gun. * * * * * I was balked, until I noticed a pair of telephone wires running from thehouse to the tree to which one end of the chain was fastened. "Is that a telephone to the house?" I demanded. The Indian grunted an assent. "Dr. Livermore telephoned me to come and see him, " I said. "Can't I callhim up and see if he still wants to see me?" The Indian debated the question with himself for a minute and thennodded a doubtful assent. I cranked the old coffee mill type oftelephone which I found, and presently heard the voice of Dr. Livermore. "This is Tom Faber, Doctor, " I said. "The _Graphic_ sent me up to get astory from you, but there's an Indian here who started to murder me whenI tried to get past your barricade. " "Good for him, " chuckled the Doctor. "I heard the shot, but didn't knowthat he was shooting at you. Tell him to talk to me. " The Indian took the telephone at my bidding and listened for a minute. "You go in, " he agreed when he hung up the receiver. He took down the chain and I drove on up to the house, to find theDoctor waiting for me on the veranda. "Hello, Tom, " he greeted me heartily. "So you had trouble with my guard, did you?" "I nearly got murdered, " I said ruefully. "I expect that Joe would have drilled you if you had tried to force yourway in, " he remarked cheerfully. "I forgot to tell him that you werecoming to-day. I told him you would be here yesterday, but yesterdayisn't to-day to that Indian. I wasn't sure you would get here at all, inpoint of fact, for I didn't know whether that old fool I talked to inyour office would send you or some one else. If anyone else had beensent, he would have never got by Joe, I can tell you. Come in. Where'syour bag?" "I haven't one, " I replied. "I went to Calvada yesterday to see you, anddidn't know until I got there that you were up here. " The Doctor chuckled. "I guess I forgot to tell where I was, " he said. "That man I talked togot me so mad that I hung up on him before I told him. It doesn'tmatter, though. I can dig you up a new toothbrush, and I guess you canmake out with that. Come in. " * * * * * I followed him into the house, and he showed me a room fitted with acrude bunk, a washstand, a bowl and a pitcher. "You won't have many luxuries here, Tom, " he said, "but you won't needto stay here for more than a few days. My work is done: I am ready tostart. In fact, I would have started yesterday instead of to-day, hadyou arrived. Now don't ask any questions; it's nearly lunch time. " "What's the story, Doctor?" I asked after lunch as I puffed one of hisexcellent cigars. "And why did you pick me to tell it to?" "For several reasons, " he replied, ignoring my first question. "In thefirst place, I like you and I think that you can keep your mouth shutuntil you are told to open it. In the second place, I have always foundthat you had the gift of vision or imagination and have the ability tobelieve. In the third place, you are the only man I know who had theliterary ability to write up a good story and at the same time has thescientific background to grasp what it is all about. Understand thatunless I have your promise not to write this story until I tell you thatyou can, not a word will I tell you. " I reflected for a moment. The _Graphic_ would expect the story when Igot back, but on the other hand I knew that unless I gave the desiredpromise, the Doctor wouldn't talk. "All right, " I assented, "I'll promise. " "Good!" he replied. "In that case, I'll tell you all about it. No doubtyou, like the rest of the world, think that I'm crazy?" "Why, not at all, " I stammered. In point of fact, I had often harboredsuch a suspicion. "Oh, that's all right, " he went on cheerfully. "I _am_ crazy, crazy as aloon, which, by the way, is a highly sensible bird with a well balancedmentality. There is no doubt that I am crazy, but my craziness is not ofthe usual type. Mine is the insanity of genius. " * * * * * He looked at me sharply as he spoke, but long sessions at poker in theSan Francisco Press Club had taught me how to control my facial muscles, and I never batted an eye. He seemed satisfied, and went on. "From your college work you are familiar with the laws of magnetism, " hesaid. "Perhaps, considering just what your college career really was, Imight better say that you are supposed to be familiar with them. " I joined with him in his laughter. "It won't require a very deep knowledge to follow the thread of myargument, " he went on. "You know, of course, that the force of magneticattraction is inversely proportional to the square of the distancesseparating the magnet and the attracted particles, and also that eachmagnetized particle had two poles, a positive and a negative pole, or anorth pole and a south pole, as they are usually called?" I nodded. "Consider for a moment that the laws of magnetism, insofar as concernsthe relation between distance and power of attraction, are exactlymatched by the laws of gravitation. " "But there the similarity between the two forces ends, " I interrupted. "But there the similarity does _not_ end, " he said sharply. "That is thecrux of the discovery which I have made: that magnetism and gravity areone and the same, or, rather, that the two are separate, but similarmanifestations of one force. The parallel between the two grows closerwith each succeeding experiment. You know, for example, that eachmagnetized particle has two poles. Similarly each gravitized particle, to coin a new word, had two poles, one positive and one negative. Everyparticle on the earth is so oriented that the negative poles pointtoward the positive center of the earth. This is what causes thecommonly known phenomena of gravity or weight. " "I can prove the fallacy of that in a moment, " I retorted. "There are none so blind as those who will not see, " he quoted with anicy smile. "I can probably predict your puerile argument, but go aheadand present it. " * * * * * "If two magnets are placed so that the north pole of one is injuxtaposition to the south pole of the other, they attract one another, "I said. "If the position of the magnets be reversed so that the twosimilar poles are opposite, they will repel. If your theory werecorrect, a man standing on his head would fall off the earth. " "Exactly what I expected, " he replied. "Now let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen a small bar magnet placed within the field ofattraction of a large electromagnet? Of course you have, and you havenoticed that, when the north pole of the bar magnet was pointed towardthe electromagnet, the bar was attracted. However, when the bar wasreversed and the south pole pointed toward the electromagnet, the barwas still attracted. You doubtless remember that experiment. " "But in that case the magnetism of the electromagnet was so large thatthe polarity of the small magnet was reversed!" I cried. "Exactly, and the field of gravity of the earth is so great compared tothe gravity of a man that when he stands on his head, his polarity isinstantly reversed. " I nodded. His explanation was too logical for me to pick a flaw in it. "If that same bar magnet were held in the field of the electromagnetwith its north pole pointed toward the magnet and then, by the action ofsome outside force of sufficient power, its polarity were reversed, thebar would be repelled. If the magnetism were neutralized and heldexactly neutral, it would be neither repelled nor attracted, but wouldact only as the force of gravity impelled it. Is that clear?" "Perfectly, " I assented. "That, then, paves the way for what I have to tell you. I havedeveloped an electrical method of neutralizing the gravity of a bodywhile it is within the field of the earth, and also, by a slightextension, a method of entirely reversing its polarity. " * * * * * I nodded calmly. "Do you realize what this means?" he cried. "No, " I replied, puzzled by his great excitement. "Man alive, " he cried, "it means that the problem of aerial flight isentirely revolutionized, and that the era of interplanetary travel is athand! Suppose that I construct an airship and then render it neutral togravity. It would weigh nothing, _absolutely nothing_! The tiniestpropeller would drive it at almost incalculable speed with a minimumconsumption of power, for the only resistance to its motion would be theresistance of the air. If I were to reverse the polarity, it would berepelled from the earth with the same force with which it is nowattracted, and it would rise with the same acceleration as a body fallstoward the earth. It would travel to the moon in two hours and fortyminutes. " "Air resistance would--" "There is no air a few miles from the earth. Of course, I do not meanthat such a craft would take off from the earth and land on the moonthree hours later. There are two things which would interfere with that. One is the fact that the propelling force, the gravity of the earth, would diminish as the square of the distance from the center of theearth, and the other is that when the band of neutral attraction, orrather repulsion, between the earth and the moon had been reached, itwould be necessary to decelerate so as to avoid a smash on landing. Ihave been over the whole thing and I find that it would take twenty-ninehours and fifty-two minutes to make the whole trip. The entire thing isperfectly possible. In fact, I have asked you here to witness and reportthe first interplanetary trip to be made. " "Have you constructed such a device?" I cried. "My space ship is finished and ready for your inspection, " he replied. "If you will come with me, I will show it to you. " * * * * * Hardly knowing what to believe, I followed him from the house and to ahuge barnlike structure, over a hundred feet high, which stood nearby. He opened the door and switched on a light, and there before me stoodwhat looked at first glance to be a huge artillery shell, but of a sizelarger than any ever made. It was constructed of sheet steel, and whilethe lower part was solid, the upper sections had huge glass windows setin them. On the point was a mushroom shaped protuberance. It measuredperhaps fifty feet in diameter and was one hundred and forty feet high, the Doctor informed me. A ladder led from the floor to a door aboutfifty feet from the ground. I followed the Doctor up the ladder and into the space flier. The doorled us into a comfortable living room through a double door arrangement. "The whole hull beneath us, " explained the Doctor, "is filled withbatteries and machinery except for a space in the center, where a shaftleads to a glass window in the bottom so that I can see behind me, so tospeak. The space above is filled with storerooms and the air purifyingapparatus. On this level is my bedroom, kitchen, and other living rooms, together with a laboratory and an observatory. There is a centralcontrol room located on an upper level, but it need seldom be entered, for the craft can be controlled by a system of relays from this room orfrom any other room in the ship. I suppose that you are more or lessfamiliar with imaginative stories of interplanetary travel?" * * * * * I nodded an assent. "In that case there is no use in going over the details of the airpurifying and such matters, " he said. "The story writers have workedout all that sort of thing in great detail, and there is nothing novelin my arrangements. I carry food and water for six months and air enoughfor two months by constant renovating. Have you any question you wish toask?" "One objection I have seen frequently raised to the idea ofinterplanetary travel is that the human body could not stand the rapidacceleration which would be necessary to attain speed enough to ever getanywhere. How do you overcome this?" "My dear boy, who knows what the human body can stand? When thelocomotive was first invented learned scientists predicted that thelimit of speed was thirty miles an hour, as the human body could notstand a higher speed. To-day the human body stands a speed of threehundred and sixty miles an hour without ill effects. At any rate, on myfirst trip I intend to take no chances. We know that the body can standan acceleration of thirty-two feet per second without trouble. That isthe rate of acceleration due to gravity and is the rate at which a bodyincreases speed when it falls. This is the acceleration which I willuse. "Remember that the space traveled by a falling body in a vacuum is equalto one half the acceleration multiplied by the square of the elapsedtime. The moon, to which I intend to make my first trip, is only 280, 000miles, or 1, 478, 400, 000 feet, from us. With an acceleration ofthirty-two feet per second, I would pass the moon two hours and fortyminutes after leaving the earth. If I later take another trip, say toMars, I will have to find a means of increasing my acceleration, possibly by the use of the rocket principle. Then will be time enough toworry about what my body will stand. " A short calculation verified the figures the Doctor had given me, and Istood convinced. "Are you really going?" I asked. "Most decidedly. To repeat, I would have started yesterday, had youarrived. As it is, I am ready to start at once. We will go back to thehouse for a few minutes while I show you the location of an excellenttelescope through which you may watch my progress, and instruct you inthe use of an ultra-short-wave receiver which I am confident will piercethe heaviest layer. With this I will keep in communication with you, although I have made no arrangements for you to send messages to me onthis trip. I intend to go to the moon and land. I will take atmospheresamples through an air port and, if there is an atmosphere which willsupport life, I will step out on the surface. If there is not, I willreturn to the earth. " * * * * * A few minutes was enough for me to grasp the simple manipulations whichI would have to perform, and I followed him again to the space flier. "How are you going to get it out?" I asked. "Watch, " he said. He worked some levers and the roof of the barn folded back, leaving theway clear for the departure of the huge projectile. I followed himinside and he climbed the ladder. "When I shut the door, go back to the house and test the radio, " hedirected. The door clanged shut and I hastened into the house. His voice cameplainly enough. I went back to the flier and waved him a final farewell, which he acknowledged through a window; then I returned to the receiver. A loud hum filled the air, and suddenly the projectile rose and flew outthrough the open roof, gaining speed rapidly until it was a mere speckin the sky. It vanished. I had no trouble in picking him up with thetelescope. In fact, I could see the Doctor through one of the windows. "I have passed beyond the range of the atmosphere, Tom, " came his voiceover the receiver, "and I find that everything is going exactly as itshould. I feel no discomfort, and my only regret is that I did notinstall a transmitter in the house so that you could talk to me; butthere is no real necessity for it. I am going to make some observationsnow, but I will call you again with a report of progress inhalf-an-hour. " * * * * * For the rest of the afternoon and all of that night I received hismessages regularly, but with the coming of daylight they began to fade. By nine o'clock I could get only a word here and there. By noon I couldhear nothing. I went to sleep hoping that the night would bring betterreception, nor was I disappointed. About eight o'clock I received amessage, rather faintly, but none the less distinctly. "I regret more than ever that I did not install a transmitter so that Icould learn from you whether you are receiving my messages, " his voicesaid faintly. "I have no idea of whether you can hear me or not, but Iwill keep on repeating this message every hour while my battery holdsout. It is now thirty hours since I left the earth and I should be onthe moon, according to my calculations. But I am not, and never will be. I am caught at the neutral point where the gravity of the earth and themoon are exactly equal. "I had relied on my momentum to carry me over this point. Once over it, I expected to reverse my polarity and fall on the moon. My momentum didnot do so. If I keep my polarity as it was when left the earth, both theearth and the moon repel me. If I reverse it, they both attract me, andagain I cannot move. If I had equipped my space flier with a rocket sothat I could move a few miles, or even a few feet, from the dead line, Icould proceed, but I did not do so, and I cannot move forward or back. Apparently I am doomed to stay here until my air gives out. Then mybody, entombed in my space ship, will endlessly circle the earth as asatellite until the end of time. There is no hope for me, for longbefore a duplicate of my device equipped with rockets could beconstructed and come to my rescue, my air would be exhausted. Good-by, Tom. You may write your story as soon as you wish. I will repeat mymessage in one hour. Good-by!" At nine and at ten o'clock the message was repeated. At eleven itstarted again but after a few sentences the sound suddenly ceased andthe receiver went dead. I thought that the fault was with the receiverand I toiled feverishly the rest of the night, but without result. Ilearned later that the messages heard all over the world ceased at thesame hour. The next morning Professor Montescue announced his discovery of theworld's new satellite. * * * * * _Coming_-- MURDER MADNESS _An Extraordinary Four-Part Novel_ _By_ MURRAY LEINSTER * * * * * The Beetle Horde _By Victor Rousseau_ Bullets, shrapnel, shell--nothing can stop the trillions of famished, man-sized beetles which, led by a madman, sweep down over the human race. [Illustration: _The hideous monsters leaped into the cockpits and begantheir abominable meal. _] CONCLUSION Tommy Travers and James Dodd, of the Travers Antarctic Expedition, crashin their plane somewhere near the South Pole, and are seized by a swarmof man-sized beetles. They are carried down to Submundia, a world underthe earth's crust, where the beetles have developed their civilizationto an amazing point, using a wretched race of degenerated humans, whomthey breed as cattle, for food. The insect horde is ruled by a human from the outside world--adrug-doped madman. Dodd recognizes this man as Bram, the archaeologistwho had been lost years before at the Pole and given up for dead by aworld he had hated because it refused to accept his radical scientifictheories. His fiendish mind now plans the horrible revenge of leadinghis unconquerable horde of monster insects forth to ravage the world, destroy the human race and establish a new era--the era of the insect. The world has to be warned of the impending doom. The two, with Haidia, a girl of Submundia, escape, and pass through menacing dangers to withintwo miles of the exit. There, suddenly, Tommy sees towering over him acreature that turns his blood cold--a gigantic praying mantis. Before hehas time to act, the monster springs at them! CHAPTER VII _Through the Inferno_ Fortunately, the monster miscalculated its leap. The huge legs, whirlingthrough the air, came within a few inches of Tommy's head, but passedover him, and the mantis plunged into the stream. Instantly the waterwas alive with leaping things with faces of such grotesque horror thatTommy sat paralyzed in his rocking shell, unable to avert his eyes. Things no more than a foot or two in length, to judge from the slender, eel-like bodies that leaped into the air, but things with catfish headsand tentacles, and eyes waving on stalks; things with clawlikeappendages to their ventral fins, and mouths that widened to fearfulsize, so that the whole head seemed to disappear above them, disclosingfangs like wolves'. Instantly the water was churned into phosphorescentfire as they precipitated themselves upon the struggling mantis, whoseenormous form, extending halfway from shore to shore, was covered withthe river monsters, gnawing, rending, tearing. Luckily the struggles of the dying monster carried it downstream insteadof up. In a few moments the immediate danger was past. And suddenlyHaidia awoke, sat up. "Where are we?" she cried. "Oh, I can see! I can see! Something hasburned away from my eyes! I know this place. A wise man of my peopleonce came here, and returned to tell of it. We must go on. Soon we shallbe safe on the wide river. But there is another way that leads to here. We must go on! We must go on!" Even as she spoke they heard the distant rasping of the beetle-legs. Andbefore the shells were well in mid-current they saw the beetle hordecoming round the bend; in the front of them Bram, reclining on his shellcouch, and drawn by the eight trained beetles. * * * * * Bram saw the fugitives, and a roar of ironic mirth broke from his lips, resounding high above the strident rasping of the beetle-legs, androaring over the marshes. "I've got you, Dodd and Travers, " he bellowed, as the trained beetleshovered above the shell canoes. "You thought you were clever, but you'reat my mercy. Now's your last chance, Dodd. I'll save you still if you'llsubmit to me, if you'll admit that there were fossil monotremes beforethe pleistocene epoch. Come, it's so simple! Say it after me: 'Themarsupial lion--'" "You go to hell!" yelled Dodd, nearly upsetting his shell as he shookhis fist at his enemy. High above the rasping sound came Dodd's shrill whistle. Just audible tohuman ears, though probably sounding like the roar of thunder to thoseof the beetles, there was no need to wonder what it was. It was the call to slaughter. Like a black cloud the beetles shot forward. A serried phalanx coveredthe two men and the girl, hovering a few feet overhead, the long legsdangling to within arm's reach. And a terrible cry of fear broke fromHaidia's lips. Suddenly Tommy remembered Bram's cigarette-lighter. He pulled it fromhis pocket and ignited it. Small as the flame was, it was actinically much more powerful than thebrighter phosphorescence of the fungi behind them. The beetle-cloudoverhead parted. The strident sound was broken into a confused buzzingas the terrified, blinded beetles plopped into the stream. None of them, fortunately, fell into either of the three shells, but themass of struggling monsters in the water was hardly less formidable tothe safety of the occupants than that menacing cloud overhead. "Get clear!" Tommy yelled to Dodd, trying to help the shell along withhis hands. * * * * * He heard Bram's cry of baffled rage, and, looking backward, could notrefrain from a laugh of triumph. Bram's trained steeds had taken frightand overset him. Bram had fallen into the red mud beside the stream, from which he was struggling up, plastered from head to feet, andshaking his fists and evidently cursing, though his words could not beheard. "How about your marsupial lion now, Bram?" yelled Dodd. "No monotremesbefore the pleistocene! D'you get that? That's my slogan now and forever more!" Bram shrieked and raved, and seemed to be inciting the beetles to arenewed assault. The air was still thick with them, but Tommy was wavingthe cigarette-lighter in a flaming arc, which cleared the way for them. Then suddenly came disaster. The flame went out! Tommy closed thelighter with a snap and opened it. In vain. In his excitement he musthave spilled all the contents, for it would not catch. Bram saw and yelled derision. The beetle-cloud was thickening. Tommy, now abreast of his companions on the widening stream, saw the imminentend. * * * * * And then once more fate intervened. For, leaping through the air out ofthe places where they had lain concealed, six mantises launchedthemselves at their beetle prey. Those awful bounds of the long-legged monsters, the scourges of theinsect world, carried them clear from one bank to the other--fortunatelyfor the occupants of the shells. In an instant the beetle-clouddissolved. And it had all happened in a few seconds. Before Dodd orTommy had quite taken in the situation, the mantises, each carrying avictim in its grooved legs, had vanished like the beetles. There was nosign of Bram. The three were alone upon the face of the stream, whichwent swirling upward into renewed darkness. Tommy saw Dodd bend toward Haidia as she lay on her shell couch. Heheard the sound of a noisy kiss. And he lay back in the hollow of hisshell, with the feeling that nothing that could happen in the futurecould be worse than what they had passed through. * * * * * Days went by, days when the sense of dawning freedom filled their heartswith hope. Haidia told Dodd and Tommy that, according to the legends ofher people, the river ran into the world from which they had been drivenby the floods, ages before. There had been no further signs of Bram or the beetle horde, and Doddand Tommy surmised that it had been disorganized by the attack of themantises, and that Bram was engaged in regaining his control over it. But neither of them believed that the respite would be a long one, andfor that reason they rested ashore only for the briefest intervals, justlong enough to snatch a little sleep, and to eat some of the shrimpsthat Haidia was adept at finding--or to pull some juicy fruitsurreptitiously from a tree. Incidents there were, nevertheless, during those days. For hours theirshells were followed by a school of the luminous river monsters, which, nevertheless, made no attempt to attack them. And once, hearing a cryfrom Haidia, as she was gathering shrimps, Dodd ran forward to see herbattling furiously with a luminous scorpion, eight feet in length, thathad sprung at her from its lurking place behind a pear shrub. * * * * * Dodd succeeded in stunning and dispatching the monster without sufferingany injury from it, but the strain of the period was beginning to tellon all of them. Worst of all, they seemed to have left all the luminousvegetation behind them, and were entering a region of almost totaldarkness, in which Haidia had to be their eyes. * * * * * Something had happened to the girl's sight in the journey over thepetrol spring. As a matter of fact, the third, or nictitating membrane, which the humans of Submundia possessed, in common with birds, had beenburned away. Haidia could see as well as ever in the dark, but she couldbear more light than formerly as well. Unobtrusively she assumed commandof the party. She anticipated their wants, dug shrimps in the darkness, and fed Tommy and Dodd with her own hands. "God, what a girl!" breathed Dodd to his friend. "I've always had thereputation of being a woman-hater, Tommy, but once I get that girl tocivilization I'm going to take her to the nearest Little Church Aroundthe Corner in record time. " "I wish you luck, old man, I'm sure, " answered Tommy. Dodd's words didnot seem strange to him. Civilization was growing very remote to him, and Broadway seemed like a memory of some previous incarnation. The river was growing narrower again, and swifter, too. On the last day, or night, of their journey--though they did not know that it was to betheir last--it swirled so fiercely that it threatened every moment tooverset their beetle-shells. Suddenly Tommy began to feel giddy. Hegripped the side of his shell with his hand. "Tommy, we're going round!" shouted Dodd in front of him. There was no longer any doubt of it. The shells were revolving in avortex of rushing, foaming water. "Haidia!" they shouted. The girl's voice came back thickly across the roaring torrent. Thecircles grew smaller. Tommy knew that he was being sucked nearer andnearer to the edge of some terrific whirlpool in that inky blackness. Now he could no longer hear Dodd's shouts, and the shell was tipping sothat he could feel the water rushing along the edge of it. But for theexercise of centrifugal force he would have been flung from his perilousseat, for he was leaning inward at an angle of forty-five degrees. * * * * * Then suddenly his progress was arrested. He felt the shell being drawnto the shore. He leaped out, and Haidia's strong hands dragged the shellout of the torrent, while Tommy sank down, gasping. "What's the matter?" he heard Dodd demanding. "There is no more river, " said Haidia calmly. "It goes into a hole inthe ground. So much I have heard from the wise men of my people. Theysay that it is near such a place that they fled from the flood in yearsgone by. " "Then we're near safety, " shouted Tommy. "That river must emerge as astream somewhere in the upper world, Dodd. I wonder where the roadlies. " "There is a road here, " came Haidia's calm voice. "Let us put on ourshells again, since who knows whether there may not be beetles here. " "Did you ever see such a girl as that?" demanded Dodd ecstatically. "First she saves our lives, and then she thinks of everything. Goodlord, she'll remember my meals, and to wind my watch for me, and--and--" But Haidia's voice, some distance ahead, interrupted Dodd's soliloquy, and, hoisting the beetle-shells upon their backs, they started along therough trail that they could feel with their feet over the stony ground. It was still as dark as pitch, but soon they found themselves travelingup a sunken way that was evidently a dry watercourse. And now and againHaidia's reassuring voice would come from in front of them. * * * * * The road grew steeper. There could no longer be any doubt that they wereascending toward the surface of the earth. But even the weight of thebeetle-shells and the steepness could not account for the feeling ofintense weakness that took possession of them. Time and again theystopped, panting. "We must be very near the surface, Dodd, " said Tommy. "We've surelypassed the center of gravity. That's what makes it so difficult. " "Come on, " Haidia said in her quiet voice, stretching out her handthrough the darkness. And for very shame they had to follow her. On and on, hour after hour, up the steep ascent, resting only longenough to make them realize their utter fatigue. On because Haidia wasleading them, and because in the belief that they were about to leavethat awful land behind them their desires lent new strength to theirlimbs continuously. Suddenly Haidia uttered a fearful cry. Her ears had caught what becameapparent to Dodd and Jimmy several seconds later. Far down in the hollow of the earth, increased by the echoes that camerumbling up, they heard the distant, strident rasp of the beetle swarm. Then it was Dodd's turn to support Haidia and whisper consolation in herears. No thought of resting now. If they were to be overwhelmed at lastby the monsters, they meant to be overwhelmed in the upper air. * * * * * It was growing insufferably hot. Blasts of air, as if from a furnace, began to rush up and down past them. And the trail was growing steeperstill, and slippery as glass. "What is it, Jim?" Tommy panted, as Dodd, leaving Haidia for a moment, came back to him. "I'd say lava, " Dodd answered. "If only one could see something! I don'tknow how she finds her way. My impression is that we are coming outthrough the interior of an extinct volcano. " "But where are there volcanoes in the south polar regions?" inquiredTommy. "There are Mount Erebus and Mount Terror, in South Victoria Land, activevolcanoes discovered by Sir James Ross in 1841, and again byBorchgrevink, in 1899. If that's where we're coming out--well, Tommy, we're doomed, because it's the heart of the polar continent. We might aswell turn back. " "But we won't turn back, " said Tommy. "I'm damned if we do. " "We're damned if we don't, " said Dodd. "Come along please!" sang Haidia's voice high up the slope. They struggled on. And now a faint luminosity was beginning to penetratethat infernal darkness. The rasping of the beetle-legs, too, was nolonger audible. Perhaps they had thrown Bram off their track! Perhaps inthe darkness he had not known which way they had gone after leaving thewhirlpool! That thought encouraged them to a last effort. They pushed theirflagging limbs up, upward through an inferno of heated air. SuddenlyDodd uttered a yell and pointed upward. "God!" ejaculated Tommy. Then he seized Dodd in his arms and nearlycrushed him. For high above them, a pin-point in the black void, theysaw--a star! They were almost at the earth's surface! One more effort, and suddenly the ground seemed to give beneath them. They breathed the outer air, and went sliding down a chute of sand, andstopped, half buried, at the bottom. CHAPTER VIII _Recaptured_ "Where are we?" each demanded of the other, as they staggered out. It was a moonless night, and the air was chill, but they were certainlynowhere near the polar regions, for there was no trace of snow to beseen anywhere. All about them was sand, with here and there a spinyshrub standing up stiff and erect and solitary. When they had disengaged themselves from the clinging sand they couldsee that they were apparently in the hollow of a vast crater, that musthave been half a mile in circumference. It was low and worn down to anelevation of not more than two or three hundred feet, and evidently thevolcano that had thrown it up had been extinct for millennia. "Water!" gasped Dodd. They looked all about them. They could see no signs of a springanywhere, and both were parched with thirst after their terrific climb. "We must find water, Haidia, " said Tommy. "Why, what's the matter?" Haidia was pointing upward at the starry heaven, and shivering withfear. "Eyes!" she cried. "Big beetles waiting for us up there!" "No, no, Haidia, " Dodd explained. "Those are stars. They areworlds--places where people live. " "Will you take me up there?" asked Haidia. "No, this is our world, " said Dodd. "And by and by the sun will rise, that's a big ball of fire up there. He watches over the world and givesus light and warmth. Don't be afraid. I'll take care of you. " "Haidia is not afraid with Jimmydodd to take care of her, " replied thegirl with dignity. "Haidia smells water--over there. " She pointed acrossone side of the crater. "There we'd better hurry, " said Tommy, "because I can't hold out muchlonger. " * * * * * The three scrambled over the soft sand, which sucked in their feet tothe ankle at every step. It was with the greatest difficulty that theysucceeded in reaching the crater's summit, low though it was. Then Dodduttered a cry, and pointed. In front of them extended a long pool ofwater, with a scrubby growth around the edges. The ground was firmer here, and they hurried toward it. Tommy was thefirst to reach it. He lay down on his face and drank eagerly. He hadtaken in a quart before he discovered that the water was saline. At the same time Dodd uttered an exclamation of disgust. Haidia, too, after sipping a little of the fluid, had stood up, chattering excitedlyin her own language. But she was not chattering about the water. She was pointing toward thescrub. "Men there!" she cried. "Men like you and Tommy, Jimmydodd. " Tommy and Dodd looked at each other, the water already forgotten intheir excitement at Haidia's information, which neither of them doubted. Brave as she was, the girl now hung back behind Dodd, letting the twomen take precedence of her. The water, saline as it was, had partlyquenched their thirst. They felt their strength reviving. And it was growing light. In the east the sky was already flecked withyellow pink. They felt a thrill of intense excitement at the prospect ofmeeting others of their kind. "Where do you think we are?" asked Tommy. * * * * * Dodd stopped to look at a shrub that was growing near the edge of thepool. "I don't think, I know, Tommy, " he answered. "This is wattle. " "Yes?" "We're somewhere in the interior regions of the Australiancontinent--and that's not going to help us much. " "Over there--over there, " panted Haidia. "Hold me, Jimmydodd. I can'tsee. Ah, this terrible light!" She screwed her eyelids tightly together to shut out the pale light ofdawn. The men had already discovered that the third membrane had beenburned away. "We must get her out of here, " whispered Dodd to Tommy. "Somewhere whereit's dark, before the sun rises. Let's go back to the entrance of thecrater. " But Haidia, her arm extended, persisted, "Over there! Over there!" Suddenly a spear came whirling out of a growth of wattle beside thepool. It whizzed past Tommy's face and dropped into the sand behind. Between the trunks of the wattles they could see the forms of a party ofblackfellows, watching them intently. Tommy held up his arms and moved forward with a show of confidence thathe was far from feeling. After what he had escaped in the underworld hewas in no mood to be massacred now. * * * * * But the blacks were evidently not hostile. It was probable that thespear had not been aimed to kill. At the sight of the two white men, andthe white woman, they came forward doubtfully, then more fearlessly, shouting in their language. In another minute Tommy and Dodd were thecenter of a group of wondering savages. Especially Haidia. Three or four gins, or black women, had crept out ofthe scrub, and were already examining her with guttural cries, andfingering the hair garment that she wore. "Water!" said Tommy, pointing to his throat, and then to the pool, witha frown of disgust. The blackfellows grinned, and led the three a short distance to a placewhere a large hollow had been scooped in the sandy floor of the desert. It was full of water, perfectly sweet to the taste. The three drankgratefully. Suddenly the edge of the sun appeared above the horizon, gilding thesand with gold. The sunlight fell upon the three, and Haidia uttered aterrible cry of distress. She dropped upon the sand, her hands pressedto her eyes convulsively. Tommy and Dodd dragged her into the thickestpart of the scrub, where she lay moaning. They contrived bandages from the remnants of their clothing, and these, damped with cold water, and bound over the girl's eyes, alleviated hersuffering somewhat. Meanwhile the blackfellows had prepared a meal ofroast opossum. After their long diet of shrimps, it tasted like ambrosiato the two men. * * * * * Much to their surprise, Haidia seemed to enjoy it too. The threesquatted in the scrub among the friendly blacks, discussing theirsituation. "These fellows will save us, " said Dodd. "It may be that we're quitenear the coast, but, any way, they'll stick to us, even if only out ofcuriosity. They'll take us somewhere. But as soon as we get Haidia tosafety we'll have to go back along our trail. We mustn't lose ourdirection. Suppose I was laughed at when I get back, called a liar! Itell you, we've got to have something to show, to prove my statements, before I can persuade anybody to fit out an expedition into Submundia. Even those three beetle-shells that we dropped in the crater won't beconclusive evidence for the type of mind that sits in the chairs ofscience to-day. And, speaking of that, we must get those blacks to carrythose shells for us. I tell you, nobody will believe--" "What's that?" cried Tommy sharply, as a rasping sound rose above thecries of the frightened blacks. But there was no need to ask. Out of the crater two enormous beetleswere winging their way toward them, two beetles larger than any thatthey had seen. Fully seven feet in length, they were circling about each other, apparently engaged in a vicious battle. The fearful beaks stabbed at the flesh beneath the shells, and theyalternately stabbed and drew back, all the while approaching the party, which watched them, petrified with terror. It was evident that the monsters had no conception of the presence ofhumans. Blinded by the sun, only one thing could have induced them toleave the dark depths of Submundia. That was the mating instinct. Thebeetles were evidently rival leaders of some swarm, engaged in a duel tothe death. Round and round they went in a dizzy maze, stabbing and thrusting, jawsclosing on flesh, until they dropped, close-locked in battle, not morethan twenty feet from the little party of blacks and whites, bothsquirming in the agonies of death. * * * * * "I don't think that necessarily means that the swarm is on our trail, "said Tommy, a little later, as the three stood beside the shells thatthey had discarded. "Those two were strays, lost from the swarm andmaddened by the mating instinct. Still, it might be as well to wearthese things for a while, in case they do follow us. " "You're right, " answered Dodd, as he placed one of the shells aroundHaidia. "We've got to get this little lady to civilization, and we'vegot to protect our lives in order to give this great new knowledge tothe world. If we are attacked, you must sacrifice your life for me, Tommy, so that I can carry back the news. " "Righto!" answered Tommy with alacrity. "You bet I will, Jim. " The glaring sun of mid-afternoon was shining down upon the desert, butHaidia was no longer in pain. It was evident that she was fast becomingaccustomed to the sunlight, though she still kept her eyes screwed uptightly, and had to be helped along by Dodd and Jimmy. In high goodhumor the three reached the encampment, to find that the blacks werefeasting on the dead beetles, while the two eldest members of the partyhad proudly donned the shells. It was near sunset before they finally started. Dodd and Tommy hadmanaged to make it clear to them that they wished to reach civilization, but how near this was there was, of course, no means of determining. They noted, however, that the party started in a southerly direction. "I should say, " said Dodd, "that we are in South Australia, probablythree or four hundred miles from the coast. We've got a long journeybefore us, but these blackfellows will know how to procure food for us. " * * * * * They certainly knew how to get water, for, just as it began to growdark, when the three were already tormented by thirst, they stopped atwhat seemed a mere hollow among the stones and boulders that strewed theface of the desert, and scooped away the sand, leaving a hole whichquickly filled with clear, cold water of excellent taste. After which they made signs that they were to camp there for the night. The moon was riding high in the sky. As it grew dark, Haidia opened hereyes, saw the luminary, and uttered an exclamation, this time not offear, but of wonder. "Moon, " said Dodd. "That's all right, girl. She watches over the night, as the sun does over the day. " "Haidia likes the moon better than the sun, " said the girl wistfully. "But the moon not strong enough to keep away the beetles. " "If I was you, I'd forget about the beetles, Haidia, " said Dodd. "Theywon't come out of that hole in the ground. You'll never see them again. " And, as he spoke, they heard a familiar rasping sound far in thedistance. "How the wind blows, " said Tommy, desperately resolved not to believehis ears. "I think a storm's coming up. " But Haidia, with a scream of fear, was clinging to Dodd, and the blackswere on their feet, spears and boomerangs in their hands, lookingnorthward. Out of that north a little black cloud was gathering. A cloud thatspread gradually, as a thunder-cloud, until it covered a good part ofthe sky. And still more of the sky, and still more. All the while thatfaint, distant rasping was audible, but it did not increase in volume. It was as if the beetles had halted until the full number of the swarmhad come up out of the crater. * * * * * Then the cloud, which by now covered half the sky, began to takegeometric form. It grew square, the ragged edges seemed to trimthemselves away, streaks of light shot through it at right angles, as ifit was marshaling itself into companies. The doomed men and the girl stood perfectly still, staring at thatphenomenon. They knew that only a miracle could save them. They did noteven speak, but Haidia clung more tightly to Dodd's arm. Then suddenly the cloud spread upward and covered the face of the moon. "Well, this is good-by, Tommy, " said Dodd, gripping his friend's hand. "God, I wish I had a revolver, or a knife!" He looked at Haidia. Suddenly the rasping became a whining shriek. A score of enormousbeetles, the advance guards of the army, zoomed out of the darkness intoa ray of straggling moonlight. Shrieking, the blacks, who had watchedthe approaching swarm perfectly immobile, threw away the two shells andbolted. "Good Lord, " Dodd shouted, "did you see the color of their shells, Tommy?" Even in that moment the scientific observer came uppermost inhim. "Those red edges? They must be young ones, Tommy. It's the newbrood! No wonder Bram stayed behind! He was waiting for them to hatch!The new brood! We're doomed--doomed! All my work wasted!" The blackfellows did not get very far. A hundred yards from the placewhere they started to run they dropped, their bodies hidden beneath theclustering monsters, their screams cut short as those frightful beakssought their throats, and those jaws crunched through flesh and bone. * * * * * Circling around Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia, as if puzzled by theirappearance, the beetles kept up a continuous, furious droning thatsounded like the roar of Niagara mixed with the shrieking of a thousandsirens. The moon was completely hidden, and only a dim, nebulous lightshowed the repulsive monsters as they flew within a few feet of theheads of the fugitives. The stench was overpowering. But suddenly a ray of white light shot through the darkness, and, with achanged note, just perceptible to the ears of the two men, but doubtlessof the greatest significance to the beetles, the swarm fled apart toright and left, leaving a clear lane, through which appeared--Bram, reclining on his shell-couch above his eight trained beetle steeds! Hovering overhead, the eight huge monsters dropped lightly to the groundbeside the three. Bram sat up, a vicious grin upon his twisted face. Inhis hand he held a large electric bulb, its sides sheathed in a roughlycarved wooden frame; the wire was attached to a battery behind him. "Well met, my friends!" he shouted exultantly. "I owe you more thanksthan I can express for having so providentially left the electricalequipment of your plane undamaged after you crashed at the entrance toSubmundia. I had a hunch about it--and the hunch worked!" * * * * * He grinned more malevolently as he looked from one man to the other. "You've run your race, " he said. "But I'm going to have a little funwith you before you die. I'm going to use you as an object lesson. You'll find it out in a little while. " "Go ahead, go ahead, Bram, " Dodd grinned back at him. "Just a fewmillion years ago, and you were a speck of protoplasm--in thatpre-pleistocene age--swimming among the invertebrate crustaceans thatcharacterized that epoch. " "Invertebrates and monotremes, Dodd, " said Bram, almost wistfully. "Themammals were already existent on the earth, as you know--" Suddenly hebroke off, as he realized that Dodd was spoofing him. A yell ofexecration broke from his lips. He uttered a high whistle, and instantlythe whiplike lashes of a hundred beetles whizzed through the darknessand remained poised over Dodd's head. "Not even the marsupial lion, Bram, " grinned Dodd, undismayed. "Goahead, go ahead, but I'll not die with a lie upon my lips!" CHAPTER IX _The Trail of Death_ "There's sure some sort of hoodoo on these Antarctic expeditions, Wilson, " said the city editor of _The Daily Record_ to the star rewriteman. He glanced through the hastily typed report that had come throughon the wireless set erected on the thirty-sixth story of the RecordBuilding. "Tommy Travers gone, eh? And James Dodd, too! There'll be woeand wailing along the Great White Way to-night when this news gets out. They say that half the chorus girls in town considered themselvesengaged to Tommy. Nice fellow, too! Always did like him!" "Queer, that curtain of fog that seems to lie on the actual site of thesouth pole, " he continued, glancing over the report again. "So Stormthinks that Tommy crashed in it, and that it's a million to one againsttheir ever finding his remains. What's this about beetles? Shells ofenormous prehistoric beetles found by Tommy and Dodd! That'll make goodcopy, Wilson. Let's play that up. Hand it to Jones, and tell him toscare up a catching headline or two. " * * * * * He beckoned to the boy who was hurrying toward his desk, a flimsy in hishand, glanced through it, and tossed it toward Wilson. "What do they think this is, April Fool's Day?" he asked. "I'm surprisedthat the International Press should fall for such stuff as that!" "Why, to-morrow is the first of April!" exclaimed Wilson, tossing backthe cable dispatch with a contemptuous laugh. "Well, it won't do the I. P. Much good to play those tricks on theirsubscribers, " said the city editor testily. "I'm surprised, to say theleast. I guess their Adelaide correspondent has gone off his head orsomething. Using poor Travers's name, too! Of course that fellow didn'tknow he was dead, but still. .. . " That was how _The Daily Record_ missed being the first to give outcertain information that was to stagger the world. The dispatch, whichhad evidently outrun an earlier one, was as follows: ADELAIDE, South Australia, March 31. --Further telegraphic communications arriving almost continuously from Settler's Station, signed by Thomas Travers, member of Travers Antarctic Expedition, who claims to have penetrated earth's interior at south pole and to have come out near Victoria Desert. Travers states that swarm of prehistoric beetles, estimated at two trillion, and as large as men, with shells impenetrable by rifle bullets, now besieging Settler's Station, where he and Dodd and Haidia, woman of subterranean race whom they brought away, are shut up in telegraph office. Bram, former member of Greystoke Expedition, said to be in charge of swarm, with intention of obliterating human race. Every living thing at Settler's Station destroyed, and swarm moving south. It was a small-town paper a hundred miles from New York that took achance on publishing this report from the International Press, in spiteof frantic efforts on the parts of the head office to recall it after ithad been transmitted. This paper published the account as an AprilFool's Day joke, though later it took to itself the credit for havingbelieved it. But by the time April Fool's Day dawned all the world knewthat the account was, if anything, an under-estimate of the fearfulthings that were happening "down under. " * * * * * It was known now that the swarm of monsters had originated in the GreatVictoria Desert, one of the worst stretches of desolation in the world, situated in the south-east corner of Western Australia. Their numberswere incalculable. Wimbush, the aviator, who was attempting to cross thecontinent from east to west, reported afterward that he had flown forfour days, skirting the edge of the swarm, and that the whole of thattime they were moving in the same direction, a thick cloud that left atrail of dense darkness on earth beneath them, like the path of aneclipse. Wimbush escaped them only because he had a ceiling of twentythousand feet, to which apparently the beetles could not soar. And this swarm was only about one-fourth of the whole number of themonsters. This was the swarm that was moving westward, and subsequentlytotally destroyed all living things in Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie, Perth, and all the coastal cities of Western Australia. Ships were found drifting in the Indian Ocean, totally destitute ofcrews and passengers; not even their skeletons were found, and it wasestimated that the voracious monsters had carried them away bodily, devoured them in the air, and dropped the remains into the water. All the world knows now how the sea elephant herd on Kerguelen Islandwas totally destroyed, and of the giant shells that were found lyingeverywhere on the deserted beaches, in positions that showed themonsters had in the end devoured one another. Mauritius was the most westerly point reached by a fraction of theswarm. A little over twenty thousand of the beetles reached that lovelyisland, by count of the shells afterward, and all the world knows now ofthe desperate and successful fight that the inhabitants waged againstthem. Men and women, boys and girls, blacks and whites, finding that thedevils were invulnerable against rifle fire, sallied forth boldly withknives and choppers, and laid down a life for a life. * * * * * On the second day after their appearance, the main swarm, a trillion anda half strong, reached the line of the transcontinental railway, andmoved eastward into South Australia, traveling, it was estimated, at therate of two hundred miles an hour. By the next morning they were inAdelaide, a city of nearly a quarter of a million people. By nightfallevery living thing in Adelaide and the suburbs had been eaten, exceptfor a few who succeeded in hiding in walled-up cellars, or in thesurrounding marshes. That night the swarm was on the borders of New South Wales and Victoria, and moving in two divisions toward Melbourne and Sydney. The northern half, it was quickly seen, was flying "wild, " with noparticular objective, moving in a solid cohort two hundred miles inlength, and devouring game, stock, and humans indiscriminately. It wasthe southern division, numbering perhaps a trillion, that was undercommand of Bram, and aimed at destroying Melbourne as Adelaide had beendestroyed. Bram, with his eight beetle steeds, was by this time known and execratedthroughout the world. He was pictured as Anti-Christ, and the fulfilmentof the prophecies of the Rock of Revelations. And all this while--or, rather, until the telegraph wires werecut--broken, it was discovered later, by perching beetles--ThomasTravers was sending out messages from his post at Settler's Station. * * * * * Soon it was known that prodigious creatures were following in the wakeof the devastating horde. Mantises, fifteen feet in height, wingedthings like pterodactyls, longer than bombing airplanes, followed, preying on the stragglers. But the main bodies never halted, and theinroads that the destroyers made on their numbers were insignificant. Before the swarm reached Adelaide the Commonwealth Government had takenaction. Troops had been called out, and all the available airplanes inthe country had been ordered to assemble at Broken Hill, New SouthWales, a strategic point commanding the approaches to Sydney andMelbourne. Something like four hundred airplanes were assembled, withseveral batteries of anti-aircraft guns that had been used in the GreatWar. Every amateur aviator in Australia was on the spot, with machinesranging from tiny Moths to Handley-Pages--anything that could fly. Nocturnal though the beetles had been, they no longer feared the lightof the sun. In fact, it was ascertained later that they were blind. Anopacity had formed over the crystalline lens of the eye. Blind, theywere no less formidable than with their sight. They existed only todevour, and their numbers made them irresistible, no matter which waythey turned. As soon as the vanguard of the dark cloud was sighted from Broken Hill, the airplanes went aloft. Four hundred planes, each armed with machineguns, dashed into the serried hosts, drumming out volleys of lead. In along line, extending nearly to the limits of the beetle formation, thusgiving each aviator all the room he needed, the planes gave battle. * * * * * The first terror that fell upon the airmen was the discovery that, evenat close range, the machine gun bullets failed to penetrate the shells. The force of the impact whirled the beetles around, drove them togetherin bunches, sent them groping with weaving tentacles through theair--but that was all. On the main body of the invaders no impressionwas made whatever. The second terror was the realization that the swarm, driven down hereand there from an altitude of several hundred feet, merely resumed theirprogress on the ground, in a succession of gigantic leaps. Within a fewminutes, instead of presenting an inflexible barrier, the line ofairplanes was badly broken, each plane surrounded by swarms of themonsters. Then Bram was seen. And that was the third terror, the sight of thefamous beetle steeds, four pairs abreast, with Bram reclining like aRoman emperor upon the surface of the shells. It is true, Bram had noinclination to risk his own life in battle. At the first sight of theaviators he dodged into the thick of the swarm, where no bullet couldreach him. Bram managed to transmit an order, and the beetles drewtogether. Some thought afterward that it was by thought transference he effectedthis maneuver, for instantly the beetles, which had hitherto flown inloose order, became a solid wall, a thousand feet in height, closing inon the planes. The propellers struck them and snapped short, and as theplanes went weaving down, the hideous monsters leaped into the cockpitsand began their abominable meal. * * * * * Not a single plane came back. Planes and skeletons, and here and there ashell of a dead beetle, itself completely devoured, were all that wasfound afterward. The gunners stayed at their posts till the last moment, firing roundafter round of shell and shrapnel, with insignificant results. Theirskeletons were found not twenty paces from their guns--where theGunners' Monument now stands. Half an hour after the flight had first been sighted the news was beingradioed to Sydney, Melbourne, and all other Australian cities, advisinginstant flight to sea as the only chance of safety. That radio messagewas cut short--and men listened and shuddered. After that came thecrowding aboard all craft in the harbors, the tragedies of the _Eustis_, the _All Australia_, the _Sepphoris_, sunk at their moorings. Theinnumerable sea tragedies. The horde of fugitives that landed in NewZealand. The reign of terror when the mob got out of hand, the burningof Melbourne, the sack of Sydney. And south and eastward, like a resistless flood, the beetle swarm camepouring. Well had Bram boasted that he would make the earth a desert! * * * * * A hundred miles of poisoned carcasses of sheep, extended outsideSydney's suburbs, gave the first promise of success. Long mounds ofbeetle shells testified to the results; moreover, the beetles that fedon the carcasses of their fellows, were in turn poisoned and died. Butthis was only a drop in the bucket. What counted was that the swiftadvance was slowing down. As if exhausted by their efforts, or elsesatiated with food, the beetles were doing what the soldiers did. They were digging in! Twenty-four miles from Sydney, eighteen outside Melbourne, the advancewas stayed. Volunteers who went out from those cities reported that the beetlesseemed to be resting in long trenches that they had excavated, so thatonly their shells appeared above ground. Trees were covered withclinging beetles, every wall, every house was invisible beneath thebeetle armor. Australia had a respite. Perhaps only for a night or day, but stilltime to draw breath, time to consider, time for the shiploads offugitives to get farther from the continent that had become a shambles. And then the cry went up, not only from Australia, but from all theworld, "Get Travers!" CHAPTER X _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yetaudible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia. Instantly three pairs of beetlesappeared out of the throng. Their tentacles went out, and the two menand the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of thepairs. Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air abovethe surrounding swarm. They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make theirvoices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs. Hours went by, while the moon crossed the sky and dipped toward the horizon. Tommy knewthat the moon would set about the hour of dawn. And the stars werealready beginning to pale when he saw a line of telegraph poles, thentwo lines of shining metals, then a small settlement of stone and brickhouses. Tommy was not familiar with the geography of Australia, but he knew thismust be the transcontinental line. Whirling onward, the cloud of beetles suddenly swooped downward. For amoment Tommy could see the frightened occupants of the settlementcrowding into the single street, then he shuddered with sick horror ashe saw them obliterated by the swarm. There was no struggle, no attempt at flight or resistance. One momentthose forty-odd men were there--the next minute they existed no longer. There was nothing but a swarm of beetles, walking about like men withshells upon their backs. And now Tommy saw evidences of Bram's devilish control of the swarm. For out of the cloud dropped what seemed to be a phalanx of beetleguards, the military police of beetledom, and, lashing fiercely withtheir tentacles, they drove back all the swarm that sought to join theircompanions in their ghoulish feast. There was just so much food and nomore; the rest must seek theirs further. * * * * * But even beetles, it may be presumed, are not entirely under disciplineat all times. The pair of beetles that bore Tommy, suddenly swoopedapart, ten or a dozen feet from the ground, and dashed into the thick ofthe struggling, frenzied mass, flinging their rider to earth. Tommy struck the soft sand, sat up, half dazed, saw his shell lying afew feet away from him, and retrieved it just as a couple of themonsters came swooping down at him. He looked about him. Not far away stood Dodd and Haidia, with theirshells on their backs. They recognized Tommy and ran toward him. Not more than twenty yards away stood the railroad station, with severalcrates of goods on the platform. Next to it was a substantial house ofstone, with the front door open. Tommy pointed to it, and Dodd understood and shouted something that waslost in the furious buzz of the beetles' wings as they devoured theirprey. The three raced for the entrance, gained it unmolested, and closedthe door. There was a key in the door, and it was light enough for them to see achain, which Dodd pulled into position. There was only one story, andthere were three rooms, apparently, with the kitchen. Tommy rushed tothe kitchen door, locked it, too, and, with almost super-human efforts, dragged the large iron stove against it. He rushed to the window, but itwas a mere loophole, not large enough to admit a child. Nevertheless, hestood the heavy table on end so that it covered it. Then he ran back. * * * * * Dodd had already barricaded the window of the larger room, which was abed-sitting room, with a heavy wardrobe, and the wooden bedstead, jamming the two pieces sidewise against the wall, so that they could notbe forced apart without being demolished. He was now busy in the smallerroom, which seemed to be the station-master's office, dragging an ironsafe across the floor. But the window was criss-crossed with iron bars, and it was evident that the safe, which was locked, contained at timesconsiderable money, for the window could hardly have been forced save bya charge of nitro-glycerine or dynamite. However, it was against thedoor that Dodd placed the safe, and he stood back, panting. "Good, " said Haidia. "That will hold them. " The two men looked at her doubtfully. Did Haidia know what she wastalking about? The sun had risen. A long shaft shot into the room. Outside the beetleswere still buzzing as they turned over the vestiges of their prey. Therewere as yet no signs of attack. Suddenly Tommy grasped Dodd's arm. "Look!" he shouted, pointing to a corner which had been in gloom amoment before. There was a table there, and on it a telegraphic instrument. Telegraphyhad been one of Tommy's hobbies in boyhood. In a moment he was busy atthe table. Dot-dash-dot-dash! Then suddenly outside a furious hum, and the impactof beetle bodies against the front door. * * * * * Tommy got up, grinning. That was the first, interrupted message fromTommy that was received. Through the barred window the three could see the furious efforts of thebeetles to force an entrance. But the very tensile strength of thebeetle-shells, which rendered them impervious to bullets, required alaminate construction which rendered them powerless against brick orstone. Desperately the swarm dashed itself against the walls, until the groundoutside was piled high with stunned beetles. Not the faintest impressionwas made on the defenses. "Watch them, Jim, " said Tom. "I'll go see if the rear's secure. " That thought of his seemed to have been anticipated by the beetles, foras Tommy reached the kitchen the swarm came dashing against door andwindow, always recoiling. Tommy came back, grinning all over his face. "You were right, Haidia, " he said. "We've held them all right, and thetables are turned on Bram. Also I got a message through, I think, " headded to Dodd. Dash--dot--dash--dot from the instrument. Tommy ran to the table again. Dash--dot went back. For five minutes Tommy labored, while the beetleshammered now on one door, now on another, now on the windows. Then Tommygot up. "It was some station down the line, " he said. "I've told them, andthey're sending a man up here to replace the telegraphist, also a coupleof cops. They think I'm crazy. I told them again. That's the best Icould do. " * * * * * "Dodd! Travers! For the last time--let's talk!" The cloud of beetles seemed to have thinned, for the sun was shininginto the room. Bram's voice was perfectly audible, though he himself wasinvisible; probably he thought it likely that the defenders had obtainedfirearms. "Nothing to say to you, Bram, " called Dodd. "We've finished ourdiscussion on the monotremes. " "I want you fellows to stand in with me, " came Bram's plaintive tones. "It's so lonesome all by one's self, Dodd. " "Ah, you're beginning to find that out, are you?" Dodd could not resistanswering. "You'll be lonelier yet before you're through. " "Dodd, I didn't bring that swarm up here. I swear it. I've been tryingto control them from the beginning. I saw what was coming. I believe Ican avert this horror, drive them into the sea or something like that. Don't make me desperate, Dodd. "And listen, old man. About those monotremes--sensible men don't quarrelover things like that. Why can't we agree to differ?" "Ah, now you're talking, Bram, " Dodd answered. "Only you're too late. After what's happened here to-day, we'll have no truck with you. That'sfinal. " "Damn you, " shrieked Bram. "I'll batter down this house. I'll--" "You'll do nothing, Bram, because you can't, " Dodd answered. "Travershas wired full information about your devil-horde, and likewise aboutyou, and all Australia will be prepared to give you a warm receptionwhen you arrive. " "I tell you I'm invincible, " Bram screamed. "In three days Australiawill be a ruin, a depopulated desert. In a week, all southern Asia, inthree weeks Europe, in two months America. " "You've been taking too many of those pellets, Bram, " Dodd answered. "Stand back now! Stand back, wherever you are, or I'll open the door andthrow the slops over you. " * * * * * Bram's screech rose high above the droning of the wings. In anothermoment the interior of the room had grown as black as night. The rattleof the beetle shells against the four walls of the house was like theclattering of stage thunder. All through the darkness Dodd could hear the unhurried clicking of thekey. At last the rattling ceased. The sun shone in again. The ground allaround the house was packed with fallen beetles, six feet high, awrithing mass that creaked and clattered as it strove to disengageitself. Bram's voice once more: "I'm leaving a guard, Dodd. They'll get you ifyou try to leave. But they won't eat you. I'm going to have you threesliced into little pieces, the Thousand Deaths of the Chinese. Thebeetles will eat the parts that are sliced away--and you'll live towatch them. I'll be back with a stick or two of dynamite to-morrow. " "Yeah, but listen, Bram, " Dodd sang out. "Listen, you old marsupialtiger. When those pipe dreams clear away, I'm going to build a gallowsof beetle-shells reaching to the moon, to hang you on!" Bram's screech of madness died away. The strident rasping of thebeetles' legs began again. For hours the three heard it; it was notuntil nightfall that it died away. * * * * * Bram had made good his threat, for all around the house, extending asfar as they could see, was the host of beetle-guards. To venture out, even with their shells about them, was clearly a hazardous undertaking. There was neither food nor water in the place. "We'll just have to hold out, " said Dodd, breaking one of the longperiods of silence. Tommy did not answer; he did not hear him, for he was busy at the key. Suddenly he leaped to his feet. "God, Jimmy, " he cried, "that devil's making good his threat! Theswarm's in South Australia, destroying every living thing, wiping outwhole towns and villages! And they--they believe me now!" He sank into a chair. For the first time the strain of the awful pastseemed to grip him. Haidia came to his side. "The beetles are finish, " she said in her soft voice. "How d'you know, Haidia?" demanded Dodd. "The beetles are finish, " Haidia repeated quietly, and that was all thatDodd could get out of her. But again the key began to click, and Tommystaggered to the table. Dot--dash--dash--dot. Presently he looked uponce more. "The swarm's halfway to Adelaide, " he said. "They want to know if I canhelp them. Help them!" He burst into hysterical laughter. Toward evening he came back after an hour at the key. "Line must bebroken, " he said. "I'm getting nothing. " * * * * * In the moonlight they could see the huge compound eyes of the beetleguards glittering like enormous diamonds outside. They had not beenconscious of thirst during the day, but now, with the coming of the coolnight their desire for water became paramount. "Tommy, there must be water in the station, " said Dodd. "I'm going toget a pitcher from the kitchen and risk it, Tommy. Take care of Haidiaif--" he added. But Haidia laid her hand upon his arm. "Do not go, Jimmydodd, " she said. "We can be thirsty to-night, and to-morrow the beetles will be finish. " "How d'you know?" asked Dodd again. But now he realized that Haidia hadnever learned the significance of an interrogation. She only repeatedher statement, and again the two men had to remain content. The long night passed. Outside the many facets of the beetle eyes. Inside the two men, desperate with anxiety, not for themselves, but forthe fate of the world, snatching a few moments' sleep from time to time, then looking up to see those glaring eyes from the silent watchers. Then dawn came stealing over the desert, and the two shook themselvesfree from sleep. And now the eyes were gone. But there was immense activity among the beetles. They were scurrying toand fro, and, as they watched, Dodd and Tommy began to see somesignificance in their movements. "Why, they're digging trenches!" Tommy shouted. "That's horrible, Jimmy!Are they intending to conduct sapping operations against us likeengineers, or what?" Dodd did not reply, and Tommy hardly expected any answer. As the twomen, now joined by Haidia, watched, they saw that the beetles wereactually digging themselves into the sand. * * * * * Within the space of an hour, by the time the first shafts of sunlightbegan to stream into the room, there was to be seen only the massive, rounded shells of the monsters as they squatted in the sand. "Now you may fetch water, " said Haidia, smiling at her lover. "No, youdo not need the shells, " she added. "The beetles are finish. It is asthe wise men of my people told me. " Wondering, hesitating, Tommy and Dodd unlocked the front door. Theystood upon the threshold ready to bolt back again. But there was nostirring among the beetle hosts. Growing bolder, they advanced a few steps; then, shamed by Haidia'scourage, they followed her, still cautiously to the station. Dodd shouted as he saw a water-tank, and a receptacle above it with awater-cock. They let Haidia drink, then followed suit, and for a fewmoments, as they appeased their thirst, the beetles were forgotten. Then they turned back. There had been no movement in that line of shellsthat glinted in the morning sunlight. "Come, I shall show you, " said Haidia confidently, advancing toward thetrench. Dodd would have stopped her, but the girl moved forward quickly, eludedhim with a graceful, mirthful gesture, and stooped down over the trench. She rose up, raising in her arms an empty beetle-shell! Dodd, who had reached the trench before Tommy, turned round and yelledto him excitedly. Tommy ran forward--and then he understood. The shells were empty. The swarm, whose life cycle Bram had admitted hedid not understand, had just moulted! It had moulted because the bodies, gorged with food, had grown too largefor the shells. In time, if left alone, the monsters would grow largershells, become invincible again. But just now they were defenseless asnew-born babes--and knew it. Deep underneath the empty shells they had burrowed into the ground. Everywhere at the bottom of the deep trenches were the naked, bestialcreatures, waving helpless tentacles and squirming over one another asthey strove to find shelter and security. A sudden madness came over Tommy and Dodd. "Dynamite--there must bedynamite!" Dodd shouted, as he ran back to the station. "Something better than dynamite, " shouted Tommy, holding up one of ascore of drums of petrol! CHAPTER XI _The World Set Free_ They waited two days at Settler's Station. To push along the line intothe desert would have been useless, and both men were convinced that anairplane would arrive for them. But it was not until the secondafternoon that the aviator arrived, half-dead with thirst and fatigue, and almost incoherent. His was the last plane on the Australian continent. He brought the newsof the destruction of Adelaide, and of the siege of Melbourne andSydney, as he termed it. He told Dodd and Tommy that the two cities hadbeen surrounded with trenches and barbed wire. Machine guns andartillery were bombarding the trenches in which the beetles had takenshelter. "Has any one been out on reconnaissance?" asked Tommy. Nobody had been permitted to pass through the barbed wire, though therehad been volunteers. It meant certain death. But, unless the beetleswere sapping deep in the ground, what their purpose was, nobody knew. * * * * * Tommy and Dodd led him to the piles of smoking, stinking débris and toldhim. That was where the aviator fainted from sheer relief. "The Commonwealth wants you to take supreme command against thebeetles, " he told Tommy, when he had recovered. "I'm to bring you back. Not that they expect me back. But--God, what a piece of news! Forgive myswearing--I used to be a parson. Still am, for the matter of that. " "How are you going to bring us three back in your plane?" asked Tommy. "I shall stay here with Jimmydodd, " said Haidia suavely. "There is notthe least danger any more. You must destroy the beetles before theirshells have grown again, that's all. " "Used to be a parson, you say? Still are?" shouted Dodd excitedly. "Thank God! I mean, I'm glad to hear it. Come inside, and come quick. Iwant you too, Tommy!" Then Tommy understood. And it seemed as if Haidia understood, by someinstinct that belongs exclusively to women, for her cheeks were flushedas she turned and smiled into Dodd's eyes. Ten minutes later Tommy hopped into the biplane, leaving the happymarried couple at Settler's Station. His eyes grew misty as the planetook the air, and he saw them waving to him from the ground. Dodd andHaidia and he had been through so many adventures, and had reachedsafety. He must not fail. * * * * * He did not fail. He found himself at Sydney in command of thirtythousand men, all enthusiastic for the fight for the human race, soldiers and volunteers ready to fight until they dropped. When the newsof the situation was made public, an immense wave of hope ran throughthe world. National differences were forgotten, color and creed and race grew moretolerant of one another. A new day had dawned--the day of humanity'strue liberation. Tommy's first act was to call out the fire companies and have thebeetles' trenches saturated with petrol from the fire hoses. Thenincendiary bullets, shot from guns from a safe distance, quicklyconverted them into blazing infernos. But even so only a tithe of the beetle army had been destroyed. Twohundred planes had already been rushed from New Zealand, and theiraviators went up and scoured the country far and wide. Everywhere theyfound trenches, and, where the soil was stony, millions of the beetlesclustered helplessly beneath great mounds of discarded shells. An army of black trackers had been brought in planes from all parts ofthe country, and they searched out the beetle masses everywhere alongthe course that the invaders had taken. Then incendiary bombs weredropped from above. * * * * * Day after day the beetle massacre went on. By the end of a week thesurvivors of the invasion began to take heart again. It was certain thatthe greater portion of the horde had been destroyed. There was only one thing lacking. No trace of Bram had been seen sincehis appearance at the head of his beetle army in front of Broken Hill. And louder and more insistent grew the world clamor that he should befound, and put to death in some way more horrible than any yet devised. The ingenuity of a million minds worked upon this problem. Newspapersall over the world offered prizes for the most suitable form of death. Ingenious Oriental tortures were rediscovered. The only thing lacking was Bram. A spy craze ran through Australia. Five hundred Brams were found, andall of them were in imminent danger of death before they were able toprove an alias. And, oddly enough, it was Tommy and Dodd who found Bram. For Dodd hadbeen brought back east, together with his bride, and given an importantcommand in the Army of Extermination. * * * * * Dodd had joined Tommy not far from Broken Hill, where a swarm of ahundred thousand beetles had been found in a little known valley. Themonsters had begun to grow new shells, and the news had excited a freshwave of apprehension. The airplanes had concentrated for an attack uponthem, and Tommy and Dodd were riding together, Tommy at the controls, and Dodd observing. Dodd called through the tube to Tommy, and indicated a mass that wasmoving through the scrub--some fifty thousand beetles, executing shorthops and evidently regaining some vitality. Tommy nodded. He signalled, and the fleet of planes circled around and began to droptheir incendiary bombs. Within a few minutes the beetles were ringedwith a wall of fire. Presently the whole terrain was a blazing furnace. Hours later, when the fires had died away, Tommy and Dodd went down tolook at the destruction that had been wrought. The scene was horrible. Great masses of charred flesh and shell were piled up everywhere. "I guess that's been a pretty thorough job, " said Tommy. "Let's getback, Jim. " "What's that?" cried Dodd, pointing. Then, "My God, Tommy, it's one ofour men!" * * * * * It was a man, but it was not one of their men, that creeping, maimed, half-cinder and half-human thing that was trying to crawl into thehollow of a rock. It was Bram, and recognition was mutual. Bram dropping, moaning; he was only the shell of a man, and it wasincredible how he had managed to survive that ordeal of fire. Theremainder of his life, which only his indomitable will had held in thatshattered body, was evidently a matter of minutes, but he looked up atDodd and laughed. "So--you're--here, damn you!" he snarled. "And--you think--you've won. I've--another card--another invasion of the world--beside which this ischild's play. It's an invasion--" Bram was going, but he pulled himself together with a supreme effort. "Invasion by--new species of--monotremes, " he croaked. "Deepdown in--earth. Was saving to--prove you the liar you are. Monotremes--egg-laying platypus big as an elephant--existent longbefore pleistocene epoch--make you recant, you lying fool!" Bram died, an outburst of bitter laughter on his lips. Dodd stood silentfor a while; then reverently he removed his hat. "He was a madman and a devil, but he had the potentialities of a god, Tommy, " he said. * * * * * SUCH WELL-KNOW WRITERS AS Murray Leinster, Ray Cummings, Victor Rousseau, R. F. Starzl, A. T. Locke, Capt. S. P. Meek and Arthur J. Burks Write for =ASTOUNDING STORIES= * * * * * Mad Music _By Anthony Pelcher_ The sixty stories of the perfectly constructed Colossus building had mysteriously crashed! What was the connection between this catastrophe and the weird strains of the Mad Musician's violin? [Illustration: _In an inner room they found a diabolical machine. _] To the accompaniment of a crashing roar, not unlike rumbling thunder, the proud Colossus Building, which a few minutes before had reared itssixty stories of artistic architecture towards the blue dome of the sky, crashed in a rugged, dusty heap of stone, brick, cement and mortar. Thesteel framework, like the skeleton of some prehistoric monster, stillreared to dizzy heights but in a bent and twisted shape of grotesqueoutline. No one knew how many lives were snuffed out in the avalanche. As the collapse occurred in the early dawn it was not believed thedeath list would be large. It was admitted, however, that autos, cabsand surface cars may have been caught under the falling rock. One trainwas known to have been wrecked in the subway due to a cave-in from thesurface under the ragged mountain of debris. The litter fairly filled a part of Times Square, the most congestedcross-roads on God's footstool. Straggling brick and rock had rolledacross the street to the west and had crashed into windows and doors ofinnocent small tradesmen's shops. A few minutes after the crash a mad crowd of people had piled fromsubway exits as far away as Penn Station and Columbus Circle and fromcross streets. These milled about, gesticulating and shoutinghysterically. All neighboring police stations were hard put to handlethe growing mob. Hundreds of dead and maimed were being carried to the surface from thewrecked train in the subway. Trucks and cabs joined the ambulance crewsin the work of transporting these to morgues and hospitals. As themorning grew older and the news of the disaster spread, more millingthousands tried to crowd into the square. Many were craning neckshopelessly on the outskirts of the throng, blocks away, trying vainly toget a view of what lay beyond. The fire department and finally several companies of militia joined thepolice in handling the crowd. Newsies, never asleep, yowled their"Wuxtras" and made much small money. The newspapers devoted solid pages in attempting to describe what hadhappened. Nervously, efficient reporters had written and written, usingall their best adjectives and inventing new ones in attempts to picturethe crash and the hysterics which followed. * * * * * When the excitement was at its height a middle-aged man, bleeding at thehead, clothes torn and dusty, staggered into the West 47th streetpolice station. He found a lone sergeant at the desk. The police sergeant jumped to his feet as the bedraggled man entered andstumbled to a bench. "I'm Pat Brennan, street floor watchman of the Colossus, " he said. "Iran for it. I got caught in the edge of the wreck and a brick clippedme. I musta been out for some time. When I came around I looked backjust once at the wreck and then I beat it over here. Phone my boss. " "I'll let you phone your boss, " said the sergeant, "but first tell mejust what happened. " "Earthquake, I guess. I saw the floor heaving in waves. Glass wascrashing and falling into the street. All windows in the arcade buckled, either in or out. I ran into the street and looked up. God, what asight! The building from sidewalk to towers was rocking and waving andtwisting and buckling and I saw it was bound to crumple, so I lit outand ran. I heard a roar like all Hell broke loose and then somethingnicked me and my light went out. " "How many got caught in the building?" "Nobody got out but me, I guess. There weren't many tenants. Thebuilding is all rented, but not everybody had moved in yet and those ashad didn't spend their nights there. There was a watchman for every fivestories. An engineer and his crew. Three elevator operators had come in. There was no names of tenants in or out on my book after 4 A. M. Thecrash musta come about 6. That's all. " * * * * * Throughout the country the news of the crash was received with greatinterest and wonderment, but in one small circle it caused absoluteconsternation. That was in the offices of the Muller ConstructionCompany, the builders of the Colossus. Jason V. Linane, chief engineerof the company, was in conference with its president, James J. Muller. Muller sat with his head in his hands, and his face wore an expressionof a man in absolute anguish. Linane was pacing the floor, a wildexpression in his eyes, and at times he muttered and mumbled under hisbreath. In the other offices the entire force from manager to office boys washushed and awed, for they had seen the expressions on the faces of theheads of the concern when they stalked into the inner office thatmorning. Muller finally looked up, rather hopelessly, at Linane. "Unless we can prove that the crash was due to some circumstance overwhich we had no control, we are ruined, " he said, and there actuallywere tears in his eyes. "No doubt about that, " agreed Linane, "but I can swear that the Colossuswent up according to specifications and that every ounce and splinter ofmaterial was of the best. The workmanship was faultless. We have builtscores of the biggest blocks in the world and of them all this Colossuswas the most perfect. I had prided myself on it. Muller, it wasperfection. I simply cannot account for it. I cannot. It should havestood up for thousands of years. The foundation was solid rock. Itpositively was not an earthquake. No other building in the section waseven jarred. No other earthquake was ever localized to one half block ofthe earth's crust, and we can positively eliminate an earthquake or anexplosion as the possible cause. I am sure we are not to blame, but wewill have to find the exact cause. " "If there was some flaw?" questioned Muller, although he knew theanswer. "If there was some flaw, then we're sunk. The newspapers are alreadyclamoring for probes, of us, of the building, of the owners andeverybody and everything. We have got to have something damned plausiblewhen we go to bat on this proposition or every dollar we have in theworld will have to be paid out. " "That is not all, " said Muller: "not only will we be penniless, but wemay have to go to jail and we will never be able to show our faces inreputable business circles again. Who was the last to go over thatbuilding?" "I sent Teddy Jenks. He is a cub and is swell headed and too big for hispants, but I would bank my life on his judgment. He has the judgment ofa much older man and I would also bank my life and reputation on hisengineering skill and knowledge. He pronounced the building positivelyO. K. --100 per cent. " "Where is Jenks?" "He will be here as soon as his car can drive down from Tarrytown. Heshould be here now. " * * * * * As they talked Jenks, the youngest member of the engineering force, entered. He entered like a whirlwind. He threw his hat on the floor anddrew out a drawer of a cabinet. He pulled out the plans for theColossus, big blue prints, some of them yards in extent, and threw themon the floor. Then he dropped to his knees and began poring over them. "This is a hell of a time for you to begin getting around, " explodedMuller. "What were you doing, cabareting all night?" "It sure is terrible--awful, " said Jenks, half to himself. "Answer me, " thundered Muller. "Oh yes, " said Jenks, looking up. He saw the look of anguish on hisboss's face and forgot his own excitement in sympathy. He jumped to hisfeet, placed his arm about the shoulders of the older man and led him toa chair. Linane only scowled at the young man. "I was delayed because I stopped by to see the wreck. My God, Mr. Muller, it is awful. " Jenks drew his hand across his eye as if to erasethe scene of the wrecked building. Then patting the older manaffectionately on the back he said: "Buck up. I'm on the job, as usual. I'll find out about it. It could nothave been our fault. Why man, that building was as strong as Gibraltaritself!" "You were the last to inspect it, " accused Muller, with a break in hisvoice. "Nobody knows that better than I, and I can swear by all that's squareand honest that it was no fault of the material or the construction. Itmust have been--" "Must have been what?" "I'll be damned if I know. " "That's like him, " said Linane, who, while really kindly intentioned, had always rather enjoyed prodding the young engineer. "Like me, like the devil, " shouted Jenks, glaring at Linane. "I supposeyou know all about it, you're so blamed wise. " "No, I don't know, " admitted Linane. "But I do know that you don't likeme to tell you anything. Nevertheless, I am going to tell you that youhad better get busy and find out what caused it, or--" "That's just what I'm doing, " said Jenks, and he dived for his plans onthe floor. Newspaper reporters, many of them, were fighting outside to get in. Muller looked at Linane when a stenographer had announced the reportersfor the tenth time. "We had better let them in, " he said, "it looks bad to crawl for cover. " "What are you going to tell them?" asked Linane. "God only knows, " said Muller. "Let me handle them, " said Jenks, looking up confidently. * * * * * The newspapermen had rushed the office. They came in like a wild wave. Questions flew like feathers at a cock-fight. Muller held up his hand and there was something in his grief-strickeneyes that held the gentlemen of the press in silence. They had time tolook around. They saw the handsome, dark-haired, brown-eyed Jenks poringover the plans. Dust from the carpet smudged his knees, and he hadrubbed some of it over a sweating forehead, but he still looked thepicture of self-confident efficiency. "Gentlemen, " said Muller slowly, "I can answer all your questions atonce. Our firm is one of the oldest and staunchest in the trade. Ourbuildings stand as monuments to our integrity--" "All but one, " said a young Irishman. "You are right. All but one, " confessed Muller. "But that one, believeme, has been visited by an act of God. Some form of earthquake or someunlooked for, uncontrolled, almost unbelievable catastrophe hashappened. The Muller company stands back of its work to its last dollar. Gentlemen, you know as much as we do. Mr. Jenks there, whose reputationas an engineer is quite sturdy, I assure you, was the last to inspectthe building. He passed upon it when it was finished. He is at yourservice. " Jenks arose, brushed some dust from his knees. "You look like you'd been praying, " bandied the Irishman. "Maybe I have. Now let me talk. Don't broadside me with questions. Iknow what you want to know. Let me talk. " The newspapermen were silent. "There has been talk of probing this disaster, naturally, " began Jenks. "You all know, gentlemen, that we will aid any inquiry to our utmost. You want to know what we have to say about it--who is responsible. In areasonable time I will have a statement to make that will be startlingin the extreme. I am not sure of my ground now. " "How about the ground under the Colossus?" said the Irishman. "Don't let's kid each other, " pleaded Jenks. "Look at Mr. Muller: it isas if he had lost his whole family. We are good people. I am doing all Ican. Mr. Linane, who had charge of the construction, is doing all hecan. We believe we are blameless. If it is proven otherwise we willacknowledge our fault, assume financial responsibility, and take ourmedicine. Believe me, that building was perfection plus, like all ourbuildings. That covers the entire situation. " Hundreds of questions were parried and answered by the three engineers, and the reporters left convinced that if the Muller Construction Companywas responsible, it was not through any fault of its own. * * * * * The fact that Jenks and Linane were not strong for each other, except torecognize each other's ability as engineers, was due to an incident ofthe past. This incident had caused a ripple of mirth in engineeringcircles when it happened, and the laugh was on the older man, Linane. It was when radio was new. Linane, a structural engineer, had paidlittle attention to radio. Jenks was the kind of an engineer who dabbledin all sciences. He knew his radio. When Jenks first came to work with a technical sheepskin and a few tonsof brass, Linane accorded him only passing notice. Jenks craved theplaudits of the older man and his palship. Linane treated him as a son, but did not warm to his social advances. "I'm as good an engineer as he is, " mused Jenks, "and if he is going tohigh-hat me, I'll just put a swift one over on him and compel hisnotice. " The next day Jenks approached Linane in conference and said: "I've got a curious bet on, Mr. Linane. I am betting sound can travel amile quicker than it travels a quarter of a mile. " "What?" said Linane. "I'm betting fifty that sound can travel a mile quicker than it cantravel a quarter of a mile. " "Oh no--it can't, " insisted Linane. "Oh yes--it can!" decided Jenks. "I'll take some of that fool money myself, " said Linane. "How much?" asked Jenks. "As much as you want. " "All right--five hundred dollars. " "How you going to prove your contention?" "By stop watches, and your men can hold the watches. We'll bet that apistol shot can be heard two miles away quicker than it can be heard aquarter of a mile away. " "Sound travels about a fifth of a mile a second. The rate variesslightly according to temperature, " explained Linane. "At the freezingpoint the rate is 1, 090 feet per second and increases a little over onefoot for every degree Fahrenheit. " "Hot or cold, " breezed Jenks, "I am betting you five hundred dollarsthat sound can travel two miles quicker than a quarter-mile. " "You're on, you damned idiot!" shouted the completely exasperatedLinane. * * * * * Jenks let Linane's friends hold the watches and his friend held themoney. Jenks was to fire the shot. Jenks fired the shot in front of a microphone on a football field. Oneof Linane's friends picked the sound up instantaneously on a three-tuberadio set two miles away. The other watch holder was standing in theopen a quarter of a mile away and his watch showed a second and afraction. All hands agreed that Jenks had won the bet fairly. Linane never exactlyliked Jenks after that. Then Jenks rather aggravated matters by a habit. Whenever Linane wouldmake a very positive statement Jenks would look owl-eyed and say: "Mr. Linane, I'll have to sound you out about that. " The heavy accent on theword "sound" nettled Linane somewhat. Linane never completely forgave Jenks for putting over this "fast one. "Socially they were always more or less at loggerheads, but neither letthis feeling interfere with their work. They worked together faithfullyenough and each recognized the ability of the other. And so it was that Linane and Jenks, their heads together, worked allnight in an attempt to find some cause that would tie responsibilityfor the disaster on mother nature. They failed to find it and, sleepy-eyed, they were forced to admitfailure, so far. The newspapers, to whom Muller had said that he would not shirk anyresponsibility, began a hue and cry for the arrest of all parties in anyway concerned with the direction of the building of the Colossus. When the death list from the crash and subway wreck reached 97, thepress waxed nasty and demanded the arrest of Muller, Linane and Jenks inno uncertain tones. Half dead from lack of sleep, the three men were taken by the police tothe district attorney's offices and, after a strenuous grilling, wereformally placed under arrest on charges of criminal negligence. They putup a $50, 000 bond in each case and were permitted to go and seek furtherto find the cause of what the newspapers now began calling the "ColossalFailure. " Several days were spent by Linane and Jenks in examining the wreckagewhich was being removed from Times Square, truckload after truckload, toa point outside the city. Here it was again sorted and examined andpiled for future disposal. So far as could be found every brick, stone and ounce of material usedin the building was perfect. Attorneys, however, assured Linane, Jenksand Muller that they would have to find the real cause of the disasterif they were to escape possible long prison sentences. Night after night Jenks courted sleep, but it would not come. He beganto grow wan and haggard. * * * * * Jenks took to walking the streets at night, mile after mile, thinking, always thinking, and searching his mind for a solution of the mystery. It was evening. He had walked past the scene of the Colossus crashseveral times. He found himself on a side street. He looked up and sawin electric lights: TOWN HALL _Munsterbergen, the Mad Musician_ Concert Here To-night. He took five dollars from his pocket and bought a ticket. He enteredwith the crowd and was ushered to a seat. He looked neither to the rightor left. His eyes were sunken, his face lined with worry. Something within Jenks caused him to turn slightly. He was curiouslyaware of a beautiful girl who sat beside him. She had a mass of goldenhair which seemed to defy control. It was wild, positively tempestuous. Her eyes were deep blue and her skin as white as fleecy clouds inspring. He was dimly conscious that those glorious eyes were troubled. She glanced at him. She was aware that he was suffering. A great surgeof sympathy welled in her heart. She could not explain the feeling. A great red plush curtain parted in the center and drew in gracefulfolds to the edges of the proscenium. A small stage was revealed. A tousle-headed man with glaring, beady black eyes, dressed in blackevening clothes stepped forward and bowed. Under his arm was a violin. He brought the violin forward. His nose, like the beak of some greatbird, bobbed up and down in acknowledgment of the plaudits which greetedhim. His long nervous fingers began to caress the instrument and hislips began to move. Jenks was aware that he was saying something, but was not at allinterested. What he said was this: "Maybe, yes, I couldn't talk so good English, but you could understoodit, yes? Und now I tell you dot I never play the compositions of anyman. I axtemporize exgloosively. I chust blay und blay, und maybe youshould listen, yes? If I bleeze you I am chust happy. " Jenks' attention was drawn to him. He noted his wild appearance. "He sure looks mad enough, " mused Jenks. * * * * * The violinist flipped the fiddle up under his chin. He drew the bow overthe strings and began a gentle melody that reminded one of rain dropsfalling on calm waters. Jenks forgot his troubles. He forgot everything. He slumped in his seatand his eyes closed. The rain continued falling from the strings of theviolin. Suddenly the melody changed to a glad little lilting measure, as sweetas love itself. The sun was coming out again and the birds began tosing. There was the trill of a canary with the sun on its cage. Therewas the song of the thrush, the mocking-bird and the meadow lark. Theseblended finally into a melodious burst of chirping melody which seemed achorus of the wild birds of the forest and glen. Then the lilting lovemeasure again. It tore at the heart strings, and brought tears to one'seyes. Unconsciously the girl next to Jenks leaned towards him. Involuntarilyhe leaned to meet her. Their shoulders touched. The cloud of her goldenhair came to rest against his dark locks. Their hands found each otherwith gentle pressure. Both were lost to the world. Abruptly the music changed. There was a succession of broken treblenotes that sounded like the crackling of flames. Moans deep andmelancholy followed. These grew more strident and prolonged, givingplace to abject howls, suggesting the lamentations of the damned. The hands of the boy and girl gripped tensely. They could not helpshuddering. The violin began to produce notes of a leering, jeering character, growing more horrible with each measure until they burst in a loudguffaw of maniacal laughter. The whole performance was as if someone had taken a heaven and plungedit into a hell. The musician bowed jerkily, and was gone. * * * * * There was no applause, only wild exclamations. Half the house was on itsfeet. The other half sat as if glued to chairs. The boy and the girl were standing, their hands still gripping tensely. "Come, let's get out of here, " said Jenks. The girl took her wrap andJenks helped her into it. Hand in hand they fled the place. In the lobby their eyes met, and for the first time they realized theywere strangers. Yet deep in their hearts was a feeling that their fateshad been sealed. "My goodness!" burst from the girl. "It can't be helped now, " said Jenks decisively. "What can't be helped?" asked the girl, although she knew in her heart. "Nothing can be helped, " said Jenks. Then he added: "We should know eachother by this time. We have been holding hands for an hour. " The girl's eyes flared. "You have no right to presume on thatsituation, " she said. Jenks could have kicked himself. "Forgive me, " he said. "It was onlythat I just wanted so to know you. Won't you let me see you home?" "You may, " said the girl simply, and she led the way to her own car. They drove north. Their bodies seemed like magnets. They were again shoulder to shoulder, holding hands. "Will you tell me your name?" pleaded Jenks. "Surely, " replied the girl. "I am Elaine Linane. " "What?" exploded Jenks. "Why, I work with a Linane, an engineer with theMuller Construction Company. " "He is my father, " she said. "Why, we are great friends, " said the boy. "I am Jenks, hisassistant--at least we work together. " "Yes, I have heard of you, " said the girl. "It is strange, the way wemet. My father admires your work, but I am afraid you are not greatfriends. " The girl had forgotten her troubles. She chuckled. She hadheard the way Jenks had "sounded" her father out. Jenks was speechless. The girl continued: "I don't know whether to like you or to hate you. My father is an olddear. You were cruel to him. " Jenks was abject. "I did not mean to be, " he said. "He rather belittledme without realizing it. I had to make my stand. The difference in ouryears made him take me rather too lightly. I had to compel his notice, if I was to advance. " "Oh!" said the girl. "I am sorry--so sorry. " "You might not have been altogether at fault, " said the girl. "Fatherforgets at times that I have grown up. I resent being treated like achild, but he is the soul of goodness and fatherly care. " "I know that, " said Jenks. * * * * * Every engineer knows his mathematics. It was this fact, coupled withwhat the world calls a "lucky break, " that solved the Colossus mystery. Nobody can get around the fact that two and two make four. Jenks had happened on accomplishment to advance in the engineeringprofession, and it was well for him that he had reached a crisis. He hadnever believed in luck or in hunches, so it was good for him to bebrought face to face with the fact that sometimes the footsteps of manare guided. It made him begin to look into the engineering of theuniverse, to think more deeply, and to acknowledge a Higher Power. With Linane he had butted into a stone wall. They were coming to knowwhat real trouble meant. The fact that they were innocent did not makethe steel bars of a cage any more attractive. Their troubles began towrap about them with the clammy intimacy of a shroud. Then came thelucky break. Next to his troubles, Jenks' favorite topic was the Mad Musician. Hetried to learn all he could about this uncanny character at whoseconcert he had met the girl of his life. He learned two facts that madehim perk up and think. One was that the Mad Musician had had offices and a studio in theColossus and was one of the first to move in. The other was that the MadMusician took great delight in shattering glassware with notes of orvibrations from a violin. Nearly everyone knows that a glass tumbler canbe shattered by the proper note sounded on a violin. The Mad Musiciantook delight in this trick. Jenks courted his acquaintance, and saw himshatter a row of glasses of different sizes by sounding different noteson his fiddle. The glasses crashed one after another like gelatine ballshit by the bullets of an expert rifleman. Then Jenks, the engineer who knew his mathematics, put two and twotogether. It made four, of course. "Listen, Linane, " he said to his co-worker: "this fiddler is crazierthan a flock of cuckoos. If he can crack crockery with violin soundvibrations, is it not possible, by carrying the vibrations to a muchhigher power, that he could crack a pile of stone, steel, brick andcement, like the Colossus?" "Possible, but hardly probable. Still, " Linane mused, "when you thinkabout it, and put two and two together. .. . Let's go after him and seewhat he is doing now. " Both jumped for their coats and hats. As they fared forth, Jenks cinchedhis argument: "If a madman takes delight in breaking glassware with a vibratory waveor vibration, how much more of a thrill would he get by crashing amountain?" "Wild, but unanswerable, " said Linane. * * * * * Jenks had been calling on the Mad Musician at his country place. "He hada studio in the Colossus, " he reminded Linane. "He must have re-openedsomewhere else in town. I wonder where. " "Musicians are great union men, " said Linane. "Phone the union. " Teddy Jenks did, but the union gave the last known town address as theColossus. "He would remain in the same district around Times Square, " reasonedJenks. "Let's page out the big buildings and see if he is not preparingto crash another one. " "Fair enough, " said Linane, who was too busy with the problem at hand tochoose his words. Together the engineers started a canvass of the big buildings in thetheatrical district. After four or five had been searched without resultthey entered the 30-story Acme Theater building. Here they learned that the Mad Musician had leased a four-room suitejust a few days before. This suite was on the fifteenth floor, just halfway up in the big structure. They went to the manager of the building and frankly stated theirsuspicions. "We want to enter that suite when the tenant is not there, "they explained, "and we want him forestalled from entering while we areexamining the premises. " "Hadn't we better notify the police?" asked the building manager, whohad broken out in a sweat when he heard the dire disaster which might bein store for the stately Acme building. "Not yet, " said Linane. "You see, we are not sure: we have just beenputting two and two together. " "We'll get the building detective, anyway, " insisted the manager. "Let him come along, but do not let him know until we are sure. If weare right we will find a most unusual infernal machine, " said Linane. * * * * * The three men entered the suite with a pass-key. The detective was leftoutside in the hall to halt anyone who might disturb the searchers. Itwas as Jenks had thought. In an inner room they found a diabolicalmachine--a single string stretched across two bridges, one of brass andone of wood. A big horsehair bow attached to a shaft operated by a motorwas automatically sawing across the string. The note resulting wasevidently higher than the range of the human ear, because no audiblesound resulted. It was later estimated that the destructive note wasseveral octaves higher than the highest note on a piano. The entire machine was enclosed in a heavy wire-net cage, securelybolted to the floor. Neither the string or bow could be reached. It wasevidently the Mad Musician's idea that the devilish contrivance shouldnot be reached by hands other than his own. How long the infernal machine had been operating no one knew, but thevisitors were startled when the building suddenly began to swayperceptibly. Jenks jumped forward to stop the machine but could not finda switch. "See if the machine plugs in anywhere in a wall socket!" he shouted toLinane, who promptly began examining the walls. Jenks shouted to thebuilding manager to phone the police to clear the streets around the bigbuilding. "Tell the police that the Acme Theater building may crash at anymoment, " he instructed. The engineers were perfectly cool in face of the great peril, but thebuilding manager lost his head completely and began to run around incircles muttering: "Oh, my God, save me!" and other words ofsupplication that blended into an incoherent babel. Jenks rushed to the man, trying to still his wild hysteria. The building continued to sway dangerously. * * * * * Jenks looked from a window. An enormous crowd was collecting, watchingthe big building swinging a foot out of plumb like a giant pendulum. Thecrowd was growing. Should the building fall the loss of life would beappalling. It was mid-morning. The interior of the building teemed withthousands of workers, for all floors above the third were offices. Teddy Jenks turned suddenly. He heard the watchman in the hall scream interror. Then he heard a body fall. He rushed to the door to see the MadMusician standing over the prostrate form of the detective, a devilishgrin on his distorted countenance. The madman turned, saw Jenks, and started to run. Jenks took after him. Up the staircase the madman rushed toward the roof. Teddy followed himtwo floors and then rushed out to take the elevators. The building inits mad swaying had made it impossible for the lifts to be operated. Teddy realized this with a distraught gulp in his throat. He returned tothe stairway and took up the pursuit of the madman. The corridors were beginning to fill with screaming men and wailinggirls. It was a sight never to be forgotten. Laboriously Jenks climbed story after story without getting sight of themadman. Finally he reached the roof. It was waving like swells on a lakebefore a breeze. He caught sight of the Mad Musician standing on thestreet wall, thirty stories from the street, a leer on his devilishvisage. He jumped for him. The madman grasped him and lifted him up to the top of the wall as a catmight have lifted a mouse. Both men were breathing heavily as a resultof their 15-story climb. The madman tried to throw Teddy Jenks to the street below. Teddy clungto him. The two battled desperately as the building swayed. The dense crowd in the street had caught sight of the two men fightingon the narrow coping, and the shout which rent the air reached the earsof Jenks. * * * * * The mind of the engineer was still working clearly, but a wild feargripped his heart. His strength seemed to be leaving him. The madmanpushed him back, bending his spine with brute strength. Teddy was forcedto the narrow ledge that had given the two men footing. The fingers ofthe madman gripped his throat. He was dimly conscious that the swaying of the building was slowingdown. His reason told him that Linane had found the wall socket and hadstopped the sawing of the devil's bow on the engine of hell. He saw the madman draw a big knife. With his last remaining strength hereached out and grasped the wrist above the hand which held the weapon. In spite of all he could do he saw the madman inching the knife nearerand nearer his throat. Grim death was peering into the bulging eyes of Teddy Jenks, when hisengineering knowledge came to his rescue. He remembered the top storiesof the Acme building were constructed with a step of ten feet in fromthe street line, for every story of construction above the 24th floor. "If we fall, " he reasoned, "we can only fall one story. " Then hedeliberately rolled his own body and the weight of the madman, who heldhim, over the edge of the coping. At the same time he twisted themadman's wrist so the point of the knife pointed to the madman's body. There was a dim consciousness of a painful impact. Teddy had fallenunderneath, but the force of the two bodies coming together had thrustthe knife deep into the entrails of the Mad Musician. Clouds which had been collecting in the sky began a splatteringdownpour. The storm grew in fury and lightning tore the heavens, whilethunder boomed and crackled. The rain began falling in sheets. * * * * * This served to revive the unconscious Teddy. He painfully withdrew hisbody from under that of the madman. The falling rain, stained with theblood of the Mad Musician, trickled over the edge of the building. Teddy dragged himself through a window and passed his hand over hisforehead, which was aching miserably. He tried to get to his feet andfell back, only to try again. Several times he tried and then, hisstrength returning, he was able to walk. He made his way to the studio where he had left Linane and found himthere surrounded by police, reporters and others. The infernal machinehad been rendered harmless, but was kept intact as evidence. Catching sight of Teddy, Linane shouted with joy. "I stopped the damnedthing, " he chuckled, like a pleased schoolboy. Then, observing Teddy'sexhausted condition he added: "Why, you look like you have been to a funeral!" "I have, " said Teddy. "You'll find that crazy fiddler dead on thetwenty-ninth story. Look out the window of the thirtieth story, " heinstructed the police, who had started to recover the body. "He stabbedhimself. He is either dead or dying. " It proved that he was dead. No engineering firm is responsible for the actions of a madman. So theMuller Construction Company was given a clean bill of health. * * * * * Jenks and Elaine Linane were with the girl's father in his study. Theywere asking for the paternal blessing. Linane was pretending to be hard to convince. "Now, my daughter, " he said, "this young man takes $500 of my good moneyby sounding me out, as he calls it. Then he comes along and tries totake my daughter away from me. It is positively high-handed. It datesback to the football game--" "Daddy, dear, don't be like that!" said Elaine, who was on the arm ofhis chair with her own arms around him. "I tell you, Elaine, this dates back to the fall of 1927. " "It dates back to the fall of Eve, " said Elaine. "When a girl finds herman, no power can keep him from her. If you won't give me to TeddyJenks, I'll elope with him. " "Well, all right then. Kiss me, " said Linane as he turned towards hisradio set. "One and one makes one, " said Teddy Jenks. Every engineer knows his mathematics. * * * * * _Have you written in to_ ASTOUNDING STORIES _Yet, to Tell the Editors Just What Kind of Stories You Would Like Them to Secure for You?_ * * * * * The Thief of Time _By Captain S. P. Meek_ The teller turned to the stacked pile of bills. They were gone! And no one had been near! [Illustration: "_That man never entered and stole that money as thepicture shows, unless he managed to make himself invisible. _"] Harvey Winston, paying teller of the First National Bank of Chicago, stripped the band from a bundle of twenty dollar bills, counted outseventeen of them and added them to the pile on the counter before him. "Twelve hundred and thirty-one tens, " he read from the payroll changeslip before him. The paymaster of the Cramer Packing Company nodded anassent and Winston turned to the stacked bills in his rear currencyrack. He picked up a handful of bundles and turned back to the grill. His gaze swept the counter where, a moment before, he had stacked thetwenties, and his jaw dropped. "You got those twenties, Mr. Trier?" he asked. "Got them? Of course not, how could I?" replied the paymaster. "Therethey are. .. . " His voice trailed off into nothingness as he looked at the emptycounter. "I must have dropped them, " said Winston as he turned. He glanced backat the rear rack where his main stock of currency was piled. He stoodparalyzed for a moment and then reached under the counter and pushed abutton. The bank resounded instantly to the clangor of gongs and huge steelgrills shot into place with a clang, sealing all doors and preventinganyone from entering or leaving the bank. The guards sprang to theirstations with drawn weapons and from the inner offices the bankofficials came swarming out. The cashier, followed by two men, hurriedto the paying teller's cage. "What is it, Mr. Winston?" he cried. "I've been robbed!" gasped the teller. "Who by? How?" demanded the cashier. "I--I don't know, sir, " stammered the teller. "I was counting out Mr. Trier's payroll, and after I had stacked the twenties I turned to getthe tens. When I turned back the twenties were gone. " "Where had they gone?" asked the cashier. "I don't know, sir. Mr. Trier was as surprised as I was, and then Iturned back, thinking that I had knocked them off the counter, and I sawat a glance that there was a big hole in my back racks. You can seeyourself, sir. " The cashier turned to the paymaster. "Is this a practical joke, Mr. Trier?" he demanded sharply. "Of course not, " replied the paymaster. "Winston's grill was closed. Itstill is. Granted that I might have reached the twenties he had piledup, how could I have gone through a grill and taken the rest of themissing money without his seeing me? The money disappeared almostinstantly. It was there a moment before, for I noticed when Winstontook the twenties from his rack that it was full. " "But someone must have taken it, " said the bewildered cashier. "Moneydoesn't walk off of its own accord or vanish into thin air--" A bell interrupted his speech. "There are the police, " he said with an air of relief. "I'll let themin. " * * * * * The smaller of the two men who had followed the cashier from his officewhen the alarm had sounded stepped forward and spoke quietly. Hisvoice was low and well pitched yet it carried a note of authority andpower that held his auditors' attention while he spoke. The voiceharmonized with the man. The most noticeable point about him was theinconspicuousness of his voice and manner, yet there was a glint ofsteel in his gray eyes that told of enormous force in him. "I don't believe that I would let them in for a few moments, Mr. Rogers, " he said. "I think that we are up against something a littledifferent from the usual bank robbery. " "But, Mr. Carnes, " protested the cashier, "we must call in the police ina case like this, and the sooner they take charge the better chancethere will be of apprehending the thief. " "Suit yourself, " replied the little man with a shrug of his shoulders. "I merely offered my advice. " "Will you take charge, Mr. Carnes?" asked the cashier. "I can't supersede the local authorities in a case like this, " repliedCarnes. "The secret service is primarily interested in the suppressionof counterfeiting and the enforcement of certain federal statutes, but Iwill be glad to assist the local authorities to the best of my ability, provided they desire my help. My advice to you would be to keep out thepatrolmen who are demanding admittance and get in touch with the chiefof police. I would ask that his best detective together with an expertfinger-print photographer be sent here before anyone else is admitted. If the patrolmen are allowed to wipe their hands over Mr. Winston'scounter they may destroy valuable evidence. " "You are right, Mr. Carnes, " exclaimed the cashier. "Mr. Jervis, willyou tell the police that there is no violence threatening and ask themto wait for a few minutes? I'll telephone the chief of police at once. " * * * * * As the cashier hurried away to his telephone Carnes turned to hiscompanion who had stood an interested, although silent spectator of thescene. His companion was a marked contrast to the secret serviceoperator. He stood well over six feet in height, and his protruding jawand shock of unruly black hair combined with his massive shoulders andchest to give him the appearance of a man who labored with hishands--until one looked at them. His hands were in strange contrast tothe rest of him. Long, slim, mobile hands they were, with taperingnervous fingers--the hands of a thinker or of a musician. Telltalesplotches of acid told of hours spent in a laboratory, a tale that wasconfirmed by the almost imperceptible stoop of his shoulders. "Do you agree with my advice, Dr. Bird?" asked Carnes deferentially. The noted scientist, who from his laboratory in the Bureau of Standardshad sent forth many new things in the realms of chemistry and physics, and who, incidentally, had been instrumental in solving some of the mostbaffling mysteries which the secret service had been called upon toface, grunted. "It didn't do any harm, " he said, "but it is rather a waste of time. Thethief wore gloves. " "How in thunder do you know that?" demanded Carnes. "It's merely common sense. A man who can do what he did had at leastsome rudiments of intelligence, and even the feeblest-minded crooks knowenough to wear gloves nowadays. " Carnes stepped a little closer to the doctor. "Another reason why I didn't want patrolmen tramping around, " he said inan undertone, "is this. If Winston gave the alarm quickly enough, thethief is probably still in the building. " "He's a good many miles away by now, " replied Dr. Bird with a shrug ofhis shoulders. * * * * * Carnes' eyes opened widely. "Why?--how?--who?" he stammered. "Have youany idea of who did it, or how it was done?" "Possibly I have an idea, " replied Dr. Bird with a cryptic smile. "Myadvice to you, Carnes, is to keep away from the local authorities asmuch as possible. I want to be present when Winston and Trier arequestioned and I may possibly wish to ask a few questions myself. Useyour authority that far, but no farther. Don't volunteer any informationand especially don't let my name get out. We'll drop the counterfeitingcase we were summoned here on for the present and look into this alittle on our own hook. I will want your aid, so don't get tied up withthe police. " "At that, we don't want the police crossing our trail at every turn, "protested Carnes. "They won't, " promised the doctor. "They will never get any evidence onthis case, if I am right, and neither will we--for the present. Ourstunt is to lie low and wait for the next attempt of this nature andthus accumulate some evidence and some idea of where to look. " "Will there be another attempt?" asked Carnes. "Surely. You don't expect a man who got away with a crime like this toquit operations just because a few flatfeet run around and make ahullabaloo about it, do you? I may be wrong in my assumption, but if Iam right, the most important thing is to keep all reference to my nameor position out of the press reports. " The cashier hastened up to them. "Detective-Captain Sturtevant will be here in a few minutes with aphotographer and some other men, " he said. "Is there anything that wecan do in the meantime, Mr. Carnes?" "I would suggest that Mr. Trier and his guard and Mr. Winston go intoyour office, " replied Carnes. "My assistant and I would like to bepresent during the questioning, if there are no objections. " "I didn't know that you had an assistant with you, " answered thecashier. Carnes indicated Dr. Bird. "This gentleman is Mr. Berger, my assistant, " he said. "Do youunderstand?" "Certainly. I am sure there will be no objection to your presence, Mr. Carnes, " replied the cashier as he led the way to his office. * * * * * A few minutes later Detective-Captain Sturtevant of the Chicago policewas announced. He acknowledged the introductions gruffly and got down tobusiness at once. "What were the circumstances of the robbery?" he asked. Winston told his story, Trier and the guard confirming it. "Pretty thin!" snorted the detective when they had finished. He whirledsuddenly on Winston. "Where did you hide the loot?" he thundered. "Why--uh--er--what do you mean?" gulped the teller. "Just what I said, " replied the detective. "Where did you hide theloot?" "I didn't hide it anywhere, " said the teller. "It was stolen. " "You had better think up a better one, " sneered Sturtevant. "If youthink that you can make me believe that that money was stolen from youin broad daylight with two men in plain sight of you who didn't see it, you might just as well get over it. I know that you have some hidingplace where you have slipped the stuff and the quicker you come cleanand spill it, the better it will be for you. Where did you hide it?" "I didn't hide it!" cried the teller, his voice trembling. "Mr. Triercan tell you that I didn't touch it from the time I laid it down until Iturned back. " "That's right, " replied the paymaster. "He turned his back on me for amoment, and when he turned back, it was gone. " "So you're in on it too, are you?" said Sturtevant. "What do you mean?" demanded the paymaster hotly. "Oh nothing, nothing at all, " replied the detective. "Of course Winstondidn't touch it and it disappeared and you never saw it go, although youwere within three feet of it all the time. Did _you_ see anything?" hedemanded of the guard. "Nothing that I am sure of, " answered the guard. "I thought that ashadow passed in front of me for an instant, but when I looked again, itwas gone. " * * * * * Dr. Bird sat forward suddenly. "What did this shadow look like?" heasked. "It wasn't exactly a shadow, " said the guard. "It was as if a person hadpassed suddenly before me so quickly that I couldn't see him. I seemedto feel that there was someone there, but I didn't rightly _see_anything. " "Did you notice anything of the sort?" demanded the doctor of Trier. "I don't know, " replied Trier thoughtfully. "Now that Williams hasmentioned it, I did seem to feel a breath of air or a motion as thoughsomething had passed in front of me. I didn't think of it at the time. " "Was this shadow opaque enough to even momentarily obscure your vision?"went on the doctor. "Not that I am conscious of. It was just a breath of air such as aperson might cause by passing very rapidly. " "What made you ask Trier if he had the money when you turned around?"asked the doctor of Winston. "Say-y-y, " broke in the detective. "Who the devil are you, and what doyou mean by breaking into my examination and stopping it?" Carnes tossed a leather wallet on the table. "There are my credentials, " he said in his quiet voice. "I am chief ofone section of the United States Secret Service as you will see, andthis is Mr. Berger, my assistant. We were in the bank, engaged on acounterfeiting case, when the robbery took place. We have had a gooddeal of experience along these lines and we are merely anxious to aidyou. " Sturtevant examined Carnes' credentials carefully and returned them. "This is a Chicago robbery, " he said, "and we have had a littleexperience in robberies and in apprehending robbers ourselves. I thinkthat we can get along without your help. " "You have had more experience with robberies than with apprehendingrobbers if the papers tell the truth, " said Dr. Bird with a chuckle. * * * * * The detective's face flushed. "That will be enough from you, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, " he said. "If youopen your mouth again, I'll arrest you as a material witness and as apossible accomplice. " "That sounds like Chicago methods, " said Carnes quietly. "Now listen tome, Captain. My assistant and I are merely trying to assist you in thiscase. If you don't desire our assistance we'll proceed along our ownlines without interfering, but in the meantime remember that this is aNational Bank, and that our questions will be answered. The UnitedStates is higher than even the Chicago police force, and I am here underorders to investigate a counterfeiting case. If I desire, I can seal thedoors of this bank and allow no one in or out until I have the evidenceI desire. Do you understand?" Sturtevant sprang to his feet with an oath, but the sight of the goldbadge which Carnes displayed stopped him. "Oh well, " he said ungraciously. "I suppose that no harm will come ofletting Winston answer your fool questions, but I'll warn you that I'llreport to Washington that you are interfering with the course of justiceand using your authority to aid the getaway of a criminal. " "That is your privilege, " replied Carnes quietly. "Mr. Winston, will youanswer Mr. Berger's question?" "Why, I asked him because he was right close to the money and I thoughtthat he might have reached through the wicket and picked it up. Then, too--" He hesitated for a moment and Dr. Bird smiled encouragingly. "What else?" he asked. "Why, I can't exactly tell. It just seemed to me that I had heard therustle that bills make when they are pulled across a counter. When I sawthem gone, I thought that he might have taken them. Then when I turnedtoward him, I seemed to hear the rustle of bills behind me, although Iknew that I was alone in the cage. When I looked back the money wasgone. " "Did you see or hear anything like a shadow or a person moving?" "No--yes--I don't know. Just as I turned around it seemed to me that therear door to my cage had moved and there may have been a shadow for aninstant. I don't know. I hadn't thought of it before. " "How long after that did you ring the alarm gongs?" "Not over a second or two. " "That's all, " said Dr. Bird. "If your high and mightiness has no further questions to ask, perhapsyou will let me ask a few, " said Sturtevant. * * * * * "Go ahead, ask all you wish, " replied Dr. Bird with a laugh. "I have allthe information I desire here for the present. I may want to ask otherquestions later, but just now I think we'll be going. " "If you find any strange finger-prints on Winston's counter, I'll beglad to have them compared with our files, " said Carnes. "I am not bothering with finger-prints, " snorted the detective. "This isan open and shut case. There would be lots of Winston's finger-printsthere and no others. There isn't the slightest doubt that this is aninside case and I have the men I want right here. Mr. Rogers, your bankis closed for to-day. Everyone in it will be searched and then all thosenot needed to close up will be sent away. I will get a squad of men hereto go over your building and locate the hiding place. Your money isstill on the premises unless these men slipped it to a confederate whogot out before the alarm was given. I'll question the guards about that. If that happened, a little sweating will get it out of them. " "Are you going to arrest me?" demanded Trier in surprise. "Yes, dearie, " answered the detective. "I am going to arrest you andyour two little playmates if these Washington experts will allow me to. You will save a lot of time and quite a few painful experiences if youwill come clean now instead of later. " "I demand to see my lawyer and to communicate with my firm, " said thepaymaster. "Time enough for that when I am through with you, " replied thedetective. He turned to Carnes. "Have I your gracious permission to arrest these three criminals?" heasked. "Yes indeed, Captain, " replied Carnes sweetly. "You have my graciouspermission to make just as big an ass of yourself as you wish. We'regoing now. " * * * * * "By the way, Captain, " said Dr. Bird as he followed Carnes out. "Whenyou get through playing with your prisoners and start to look for thethief, here is a tip. Look for a left-handed man who has a thoroughknowledge of chemistry and especially toxicology. " "It's easy enough to see that he was left-handed if he pulled that moneyout through the grill from the positions occupied by Trier and hisguard, but what the dickens led you to suspect that he is a chemist anda toxicologist?" asked Carnes as he and the doctor left the bank. "Merely a shrewd guess, my dear Watson, " replied the doctor with achuckle. "I am likely to be wrong, but there is a good chance that I amright. I am judging solely from the method used. " "Have you solved the method?" demanded Carnes in amazement. "What onearth was it? The more I have thought about it, the more inclined I amto believe that Sturtevant is right and that it is an inside job. Itseems to me impossible that a man could have entered in broad daylightand lifted that money in front of three men and within sight of ahundred more without some one getting a glimpse of him. He must havetaken the money out in a grip or a sack or something like that, yet thebank record shows that no one but Trier entered with a grip and no oneleft with a package for ten minutes before Trier entered. " "There may be something in what you say, Carnes, but I am inclined tohave a different idea. I don't think it is the usual run of bankrobbery, and I would rather not hazard a guess just now. I am going backto Washington to-night. Before I go any further into the matter, I needsome rather specialized knowledge that I don't possess and I want toconsult with Dr. Knolles. I'll be back in a week or so and then we canlook into that counterfeiting case after we get this disposed of. " "What am I to do?" asked Carnes. "Sit around the lobby of your hotel, eat three meals a day, and read thepapers. If you get bored, I would recommend that you pay a visit to theArt Institute and admire the graceful lions which adorn the steps. Artistic contemplations may well improve your culture. " "All right, " replied Carnes. "I'll assume a pensive air and moon at thelions, but I might do better if you told me what I was looking for. " "You are looking for knowledge, my dear Carnes, " said the doctor with alaugh. "Remember the saying of the sages: To the wise man, no knowledgeis useless. " * * * * * A huge Martin bomber roared down to a landing at the Maywood airdrome, and a burly figure descended from the rear cockpit and waved his handjovially to the waiting Carnes. The secret service man hastened over togreet his colleague. "Have you got that truck I wired you to have ready?" demanded thedoctor. "Waiting at the entrance; but say, I've got some news for you. " "It can wait. Get a detail of men and help us to unload this ship. Someof the cases are pretty heavy. " Carnes hurried off and returned with a gang of laborers, who took fromthe bomber a dozen heavy packing cases of various sizes, several of themlabelled either "Fragile" or "Inflammable" in large type. "Where do they go, Doctor?" he asked when the last of them had beenloaded onto the waiting truck. "To the First National Bank, " replied Dr. Bird, "and Casey here goeswith them. You know Casey, don't you, Carnes? He is the bestphotographer in the Bureau. " "Shall I go along too?" asked Carnes as he acknowledged theintroduction. "No need for it. I wired Rogers and he knows the stuff is coming andwhat to do with it. Unpack as soon as you get there, Casey, and startsetting up as soon as the bank closes. " "All right, Doctor, " replied Casey as he mounted the truck beside thedriver. "Where do we go, Doctor?" asked Carnes as the truck rolled off. "To the Blackstone Hotel for a bath and some clean clothes, " replied thedoctor. "And now, what is the news you have for me?" "The news is this, Doctor. I carried out your instructions diligentlyand, during the daylight hours, the lions have not moved. " * * * * * Dr. Bird looked contrite. "I beg your pardon, Carnes, " he said. "I really didn't think when I leftyou so mystified how you must have felt. Believe me, I had my ownreasons, excellent ones, for secrecy. " "I have usually been able to maintain silence when asked to, " repliedCarnes stiffly. "My dear fellow, I didn't mean to question your discretion. I know thatwhatever I tell you is safe, but there are angles to this affair thatare so weird and improbable that I don't dare to trust my ownconclusions, let alone share them. I'll tell you all about it soon. Didyou get those tickets I wired for?" "Of course I got them, but what have two tickets to the A. A. U. Trackmeet this afternoon got to do with a bank robbery?" "One trouble with you, Carnes, " replied the doctor with a judicial air, "is that you have no idea of the importance of proper relaxation. Is itpossible that you have no desire to see Ladd, this new marvel who issmashing records right and left, run? He performs for the IllinoisAthletic Club this afternoon, and it would not surprise me to see himlower the world's record again. He has already lowered the record forthe hundred yard dash from nine and three-fifths to eight andfour-fifths. There is no telling what he will do. " "Are we going to waste the whole afternoon just to watch a man run?"demanded Carnes in disgust. "We will see many men run, my dear fellow, but there is only one inwhom I have a deep abiding interest, and that is Mr. Ladd. Have youyour binoculars with you?" "No. " "Then by all means beg, borrow or steal two pairs before this afternoon. We might easily miss half the fun without them. Are our seats near thestarting line for the sprints?" "Yes. The big demand was for seats near the finish line. " "The start will be much more interesting, Carnes. I was somewhat of aminor star in track myself in my college days and it will be of thegreatest interest to me to observe the starting form of this new speedartist. Now Carnes, don't ask any more questions. I may be barking upthe wrong tree and I don't want to give you a chance to laugh at me. I'll tell you what to watch for at the track. " * * * * * The sprinters lined up on the hundred yard mark and Dr. Bird and Carnessat with their glasses glued to their eyes watching the slim figure inthe colors of the Illinois Athletic Club, whose large "62" on his backidentified him as the new star. "On your mark!" cried the starter. "Get set!" "Ah!" cried Dr. Bird. "Did you see that Carnes?" The starting gun cracked and the runners were off on their short grind. Ladd leaped into the lead and rapidly distanced the field, his legstwinkling under him almost faster than the eye could follow. He wasfully twenty yards in the lead when his speed suddenly lessened and thebalance of the runners closed up the gap he had opened. His lead was toogreat for them, and he was still a good ten yards in the lead when hecrossed the tape. The official time was posted as eight and nine-tenthsseconds. "Another thirty yards and he would have been beaten, " said Carnes as helowered his glasses. "That is the way he has won all of his races, " replied the doctor. "Hepiles up a huge lead at first and then loses a good deal at the finish. His speed doesn't hold up. Never mind that, though, it is only anadditional point in my favor. Did you notice his jaws just before thegun went?" "They seemed to clench and then he swallowed, but most of them did something like that. " "Watch him carefully for the next heat and see if he puts anything intohis mouth. That is the important thing. " Dr. Bird sank into a brown study and paid no attention to the next fewevents, but he came to attention promptly when the final heat of thehundred yard dash was called. With his glasses he watched Ladd closelyas the runner trotted up to the starting line. "There, Carnes!" he cried suddenly. "Did you see?" "I saw him wipe his mouth, " said Carnes doubtfully. "All right, now watch his jaws just before the gun goes. " * * * * * The final heat was a duplicate of the first preliminary. Ladd took anearly lead which he held for three-fourths of the distance to the tape, then his pace slackened and he finished only a bare ten yards ahead ofthe next runner. The time tied his previous world's record of eight andfour-fifths seconds. "He crunched and swallowed all right, Doctor, " said Carnes. "That is all I wanted to be sure of. Now Carnes, here is something foryou to do. Get hold of the United States Commissioner and get a John Doewarrant and go back to the hotel with it and wait for me. I may phoneyou at any minute and I may not. If I don't, wait in your room until youhear from me. Don't leave it for a minute. " "Where are you going, Doctor?" "I'm going down and congratulate Mr. Ladd. An old track man like mecan't let such an opportunity pass. " "I don't know what this is all about, Doctor, " replied Carnes, "but Iknow you well enough to obey orders and to keep my mouth shut until itis my turn to speak. " Few men could resist Dr. Bird when he set out to make a favorableimpression, and even a world's champion is apt to be flattered by theattention of one of the greatest scientists of his day, especially whenthat scientist has made an enviable reputation as an athlete in hiscollege days and can talk the jargon of the champion's particular sport. Henry Ladd promptly capitulated to the charm of the doctor and allowedhimself to be led away to supper at Bird's club. The supper passed offpleasantly, and when the doctor requested an interview with the youngathlete in a private room, he gladly consented. They entered the roomtogether, remained for an hour and a half, and then came out. The smilehad left Ladd's face and he appeared nervous and distracted. The doctortalked cheerfully with him but kept a firm grip on his arm as theydescended the stairs together. They entered a telephone booth where thedoctor made several calls, and then descended to the street, where theyentered a taxi. "Maywood airdrome, " the doctor told the driver. * * * * * Two hours later the big Martin bomber which had carried the doctor toChicago roared away into the night, and Bird turned back, reentered thetaxi, and headed for the city alone. When Carnes received the telephone call, which was one of those thedoctor made from the booth in his club, he hurried over to the FirstNational Bank. His badge secured him an entrance and he found Caseybusily engaged in rigging up an elaborate piece of apparatus on one ofthe balconies where guards were normally stationed during banking hours. "Dr. Bird said to tell you to keep on the job all night if necessary, "he told Casey. "He thinks he will need your machine to-morrow. " "I'll have it ready to turn on the power at four A. M. , " replied Casey. Carnes watched him curiously for a while as he soldered together theelectrical connections and assembled an apparatus which looked like amotion picture projector. "What are you setting up?" he asked at length. "It is a high speed motion picture camera, " replied Casey, "with atelescopic lens. It is a piece of apparatus which Dr. Bird designedwhile he was in Washington last week and which I made from his sketches, using some apparatus we had on hand. It's a dandy, all right. " "What is special about it?" "The speed. You know how fast an ordinary movie is taken, don't you? No?Well, it's sixteen exposures per second. The slow pictures are takensometimes at a hundred and twenty-eight or two hundred and fifty-sixexposures per second, and then shown at sixteen. This affair will takehalf a million pictures per second. " "I didn't know that a film would register with that short an exposure. " * * * * * "That's slow, " replied Casey with a laugh. "It all depends on the light. The best flash-light powder gives a flash about one ten-thousandth of asecond in duration, but that is by no means the speed limit of the film. The only trouble is enough light and sufficient shutter speed. Pictureshave been taken by means of spark photography with an exposure of lessthan one three-millionth of a second. The whole secret of this machinelies in the shutter. This big disc with the slots in the edge is set upbefore the lens and run at such a speed that half a million slots persecond pass before the lens. The film, which is sixteen millimeterX-ray film, travels behind the lens at a speed of nearly five miles persecond. It has to be gradually worked up to this speed, and after thewhole thing is set up, it takes it nearly four hours to get to fullspeed. " "At that speed, it must take a million miles of film before you get upsteam. " "It would, if the film were being exposed. There is only about a hundredyards of film all told, which will run over these huge drums in anendless belt. There is a regular camera shutter working on an electricprinciple which remains closed. When the switch is tripped, the shutteropens in about two thirty-thousandths of a second, stays open just oneone-hundredth of a second, and then closes. This time is enough toexpose nearly all of our film. When we have our picture, I shut thecurrent down, start applying a magnetic brake, and let it slow down. Ittakes over an hour to stop it without breaking the film. It soundscomplicated, but it works all right. " "Where is your switch?" * * * * * "That is the trick part of it. It is a remote control affair. Theshutter opens and starts the machine taking pictures when the back doorof the paying teller's cage is opened half an inch. There is also a handswitch in the line that can be opened so that you can open the doorwithout setting off the camera, if you wish. When the hand switch isclosed and the door opened, this is what happens. The shutter on thecamera opens, the machine takes five thousand pictures during the nexthundredth of a second, and then the shutter closes. Those five thousandexposures will take about five minutes to show at the usual rate ofsixteen per second. " "You said that you had to get plenty of light. How are you managingthat?" "The camera is equipped with a special lens ground out of rock crystal. This lens lets in ultra-violet light which the ordinary lens shuts out, and X-ray film is especially sensitive to ultra-violet light. In orderto be sure that we get enough illumination, I will set up these twoultra-violet floodlights to illumine the cage. The teller will have towear glasses to protect his eyes and he'll get well sunburned, butsomething has to be sacrificed to science, as Dr. Bird is always tellingme. " "It's too deep for me, " said Carnes with a sigh. "Can I do anything tohelp? The doctor told me to stand by and do anything I could. " "I might be able to use you a little if you can use tools, " said Caseywith a grin. "You can start bolting together that light proof shield ifyou want to. " * * * * * "Well, Carnes, did you have an instructive night?" asked Dr. Birdcheerfully as he entered the First National Bank at eight-thirty thenext morning. "I don't see that I did much good, Doctor. Casey would have had themachine ready on time anyway, and I'm no machinist. " "Well, frankly, Carnes, I didn't expect you to be of much help to him, but I did want you to see what Casey was doing, and a little of it waspretty heavy for him to handle alone. I suppose that everything isready?" "The motor reached full speed about fifteen minutes ago and Casey wentout to get a cup of coffee. Would you mind telling me the object of thewhole thing?" "Not at all. I plan to make a permanent record of the work of the mostingenious bank robber in the world. I hope he keeps his word. " "What do you mean?" "Three days ago when Sturtevant sweated a 'confession' out of poorWinston, the bank got a message that the robbery would be repeated thismorning and dared them to prevent it. Rogers thought it was a hoax, buthe telephoned me and I worked the Bureau men night and day to get mycamera ready in time for him. I am afraid that I can't do much toprevent the robbery, but I may be able to take a picture of it and thusprevent other cases of a like nature. " "Was the warning written?" "No. It was telephoned from a pay station in the loop district, and bythe time it was traced and men got there, the telephoner was probably amile away. He said that he would rob the same cage in the same manner ashe did before. " "Aren't you taking any special precautions?" "Oh, yes, the bank is putting on extra guards and making a lot of fussof that sort, probably to the great amusement of the robber. " "Why not close the cage for the day?" "Then he would rob a different one and we would have no way ofphotographing his actions. To be sure, we will put dummy money there, bundles with bills on the outside and paper on the inside, so if I don'tget a picture of him, he won't get much. Every bill in the cage will bemarked as well. " "Did he say at what time he would operate?" "No, he didn't, so we'll have to stand by all day. Oh, hello, Casey, iseverything all right?" "As sweet as chocolate candy, Doctor. I have tested it out thoroughly, and unless we have to run it so long that the film wears out and breaks, we are sitting pretty. If we don't get the pictures you are looking for, I'm a dodo, and I haven't been called that yet. " "Good work, Casey. Keep the bearings oiled and pray that the filmdoesn't break. " * * * * * The bank had been opened only ten minutes when the clangor of gongsannounced a robbery. It was practically a duplicate of the first. Thepaying teller had turned from his window to take some bills from hisrack and had found several dozens of bundles missing. As the gongssounded, Dr. Bird and Casey leaped to the camera. "She snapped, Doctor!" cried Casey as he threw two switches. "It'll takean hour to stop and half a day to develop the film, but I ought to beable to show you what we got by to-night. " "Good enough!" cried Dr. Bird. "Go ahead while I try to calm down thebank officials. Will you have everything ready by eight o'clock?" "Easy, Doctor, " replied Casey as he turned to the magnetic brake. By eight o'clock quite a crowd had assembled in a private room at theBlackstone Hotel. Besides Dr. Bird and Carnes, Rogers and several otherofficials of the First National Bank were present, together withDetective-Captain Sturtevant and a group of the most prominentscientists and physicians gathered from the schools of the city. "Gentlemen, " said Dr. Bird when all had taken seats facing a miniaturemoving picture screen on one wall, "to-night I expect to show you somepictures which will, I am sure, astonish you. It marks the advent of anew departure in transcendental medicine. I will be glad to answer anyquestions you may wish to ask and to explain the pictures after they areshown, but before we start a discussion, I will ask that you examinewhat I have to show you. Lights out, please!" He stepped to the rear of the room as the lights went out. As his eyesgrew used to the dimness of the room he moved forward and took a vacantseat. His hand fumbled in his pocket for a second. "Now!" he cried suddenly. In the momentary silence which followed his cry, two dull metallicclicks could be heard, and a quick cry that was suddenly strangled asDr. Bird clamped his hand over the mouth of the man who sat between himand Carnes. "All right, Casey, " called the doctor. * * * * * The whir of a projection machine could be heard and on the screen beforethem leaped a picture of the paying teller's cage of the First NationalBank. Winston's successor was standing motionless at the wicket, hislips parted in a smile, but the attention of all was riveted on a figurewho moved at the back of the cage. As the picture started, the figurewas bent over an opened suitcase, stuffing into it bundles of bills. Hestraightened up and reached to the rack for more bills, and as he did sohe faced the camera full for a moment. He picked up other bundles ofbills, filled the suitcase, fastened it in a leisurely manner, openedthe rear door of the cage and walked out. "Again, please!" called Dr. Bird. "And stop when he faces us full. " The picture was repeated and stopped at the point indicated. "Lights, please!" cried the doctor. The lights flashed on and Dr. Bird rose to his feet, pulling up afterhim the wilted figure of a middle-aged man. "Gentlemen, " said the doctor in ringing tones, "allow me to present toyou Professor James Kirkwood of the faculty of the Richton University, formerly known as James Collier of the Bureau of Standards, and robberof the First National Bank. " Detective-Captain Sturtevant jumped to his feet and cast a searchingglance at the captive. "He's the man all right, " he cried. "Hang on to him until I get a wagonhere!" "Oh, shut up!" said Carnes. "He's under federal arrest just now, chargedwith the possession of narcotics. When we are through with him, you canhave him if you want him. " "How did you get that picture, Doctor?" cried the cashier. "I watchedthat cage every minute during the morning and I'll swear that man neverentered and stole that money as the picture shows, unless he managed tomake himself invisible. " * * * * * "You're closer to the truth than you suspect, Mr. Rogers, " said Dr. Bird. "It is not quite a matter of invisibility, but something prettyclose to it. It is a matter of catalysts. " "What kind of cats?" asked the cashier. "Not cats, Mr. Rogers, catalysts. Catalysts is the name of a chemicalreaction consisting essentially of a decomposition and a new combinationeffected by means of a catalyst which acts on the compound bodies inquestion, but which goes through the reaction itself unchanged. Thereare a great many of them which are used in the arts and inmanufacturing, and while their action is not always clearly understood, the results are well known and can be banked on. "One of the commonest instances of the use of a catalyst is the use ofsponge platinum in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. I will not burdenyou with the details of the 'contact' process, as it is known, but thecombination is effected by means of finely divided platinum which isneither changed, consumed or wasted during the process. While there area number of other catalysts known, for instance iron in reactions inwhich metallic magnesium is concerned, the commonest are the metals ofthe platinum group. "Less is known of the action of catalysts in the organic reactions, butit has been the subject of intensive study by Dr. Knolles of the Bureauof Standards for several years. His studies of the effects of differentcolored lights, that is, rays of different wave-lengths, on thereactions which constitute growth in plants have had a great effect onhothouse forcing of plants and promise to revolutionize the truckgardening industry. He has speeded up the rate of growth to as high asten times the normal rate in some cases. "A few years ago, he and his assistant, James Collier, turned theirattention toward discovering a catalyst which would do for the metabolicreactions in animal life what his light rays did for plants. What hismethod was, I will not disclose for obvious reasons, but suffice it tosay that he met with great success. He took a puppy and by treating itwith his catalytic drugs, made it grow to maturity, pass through itsentire normal life span, and die of old age in six months. " * * * * * "That is very interesting, Doctor, but I fail to see what bearing it hason the robbery. " "Mr. Rogers, how, on a dark day and in the absence of a timepiece, wouldyou judge the passage of time?" "Why, by my stomach, I guess. " "Exactly. By your metabolic rate. You eat a meal, it digests, you expendthe energy which you have taken into your system, your stomach becomesempty and your system demands more energy. You are hungry and you judgethat some five or six hours must have passed since you last ate. Do youfollow?" "Certainly. " "Let us suppose that by means of some tonic, some catalytic drug, yourrate of metabolism and also your rate of expenditure of energy has beenincreased six fold. You would eat a meal and in one hour you would behungry again. Having no timepiece, and assuming that you were in alight-proof room, you would judge that some five hours had passed, wouldyou not?" "I expect so. " "Very well. Now suppose that this accelerated rate of digestion andexpenditure of energy continued. You would be sleepy in perhaps threehours, would sleep about an hour and a quarter, and would then wake, ready for your breakfast. In other words, you would have lived through aday in four hours. " "What advantage would there be in that?" "None, from your standpoint. It would, however, increase the rate ofreproduction of cattle greatly and might be a great boom to agriculture, but we will not discuss this phase now. Suppose it were possible toincrease your rate of metabolism and expenditure of energy, in otherwords, your rate of living, not six times, but thirty thousand times. Insuch a case you would live five minutes in one one-hundredth of asecond. " "Naturally, and you would live a year in about seventeen and one-halfminutes, and a normal lifespan of seventy years in about twenty hours. You would be as badly off as any common may-fly. " * * * * * "Agreed, but suppose that you could so regulate the dose of yourcatalyst that its effect would last for only one one-hundredth of asecond. During that short period of time, you would be able to do thework that would ordinarily take you five minutes. In other words, youcould enter a bank, pack a satchel with currency and walk out. You wouldbe working in a leisurely manner, yet your actions would have been soquick that no human eye could have detected them. This is my theory ofwhat actually took place. For verification, I will turn to Dr. Kirkwood, as he prefers to be known now. " "I don't know how you got that picture, but what you have said is aboutright, " replied the prisoner. "I got that picture by using a speed of thirty thousand times the normalsixteen exposures per second, " replied Dr. Bird. "That figure I got fromDr. Knolles, the man who perfected the secret you stole when you leftthe Bureau three years ago. You secured only part of it and I suppose ittook all your time since to perfect and complete it. You gave yourselfaway when you experimented on young Ladd. I was a track man myself in mycollege days and when I saw an account of his running, I smelt a rat, soI came back and watched him. As soon as I saw him crush and swallow acapsule just as the gun was fired, I was sure, and got hold of him. Hewas pretty stubborn, but he finally told me what name you were runningunder now, and the rest was easy. I would have got you in time anyway, but your bravado in telling us when you would next operate gave me theidea of letting you do it and photographing you at work. That is all Ihave to say. Captain Sturtevant, you can take your prisoner whenever youwant him. " * * * * * "I reckoned without you, Dr. Bird, but the end hasn't come yet. You maysend me up for a few years, but you'll never find that money. I'm sureof that. " "Tut, tut, Professor, " laughed Carnes. "Your safety deposit box in theCommercial National is already sealed until a court orders it opened. The bills you took this morning were all marked, so that is merelyadditional proof, if we needed it. You surely didn't think that such atransparent device as changing your name from 'James Collier' to 'JohnCollyer' and signing with your left hand instead of your right wouldfool the secret service, did you? Remember, your old Bureau recordsshowed you to be ambidextrous. " "What about Winston's confession?" asked Rogers suddenly. "Detective-Captain Sturtevant can explain that to a court when Mr. Winston brings suit against him for false arrest and brutal treatment, "replied Carnes. "A very interesting case, Carnes, " remarked the doctor a few hourslater. "It was an enjoyable interlude in the routine of most of thecases on which you consult me, but our play time is over. We'll have toget after that counterfeiting case to-morrow. " * * * * * IN THE NEXT ISSUE BRIGANDS OF THE MOON _Beginning an Amazing Four-part Interplanetary Novel_ By RAY CUMMINGS THE SOUL MASTER _A Thrilling Novelette of the Substitution of Personality_ By WILL SMITH and R. J. ROBBINS COLD LIGHT _An Extraordinary Scientific Mystery_ By CAPT. S. P. MEEK --_AND MANY OTHER STORIES, OF COURSE_ * * * * * [Illustration: "_She is Yours, Master!_"] Sick at heart, the trembling girl shuddered at the words that deliveredher to this terrible fate of the East. How could she escape from thisOriental monster into whose hands she had been given--this mysteriousman of mighty power whose face none had yet seen? Here is an _extraordinary situation_. What was to be the fate of this beautiful girl? Who was this strange emissary whom no one really knew? _To know the answer to this and the most exciting tales of Orientaladventure and mystery ever told, read on through the most thrilling, absorbing, entertaining and fascinating pages ever written. _ Masterpieces of Oriental Mystery 11 Superb Volumes by SAX ROHMER Written with his uncanny knowledge of things Oriental * * * * * [Illustration: _New!_ _Patented_] Just A Twist Of The Wrist Banishes Old-Style Can Openers to the Scrap Heap and BRINGS AGENTS $5 to$12 IN AN HOUR Women universally detest the old-style can opener. Yet in every home inthe land cans are being opened with it, often several times a day. 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Or step in at any of our resident schoolsand see for yourself how thousands of men are already on the road tosuccess in Radio. Remember that you, too, can speed up your earningcapacity . .. Can earn more money in Radio than you ever earned before. The man who trains today will hold down the big-money Radio job of thefuture. Come in and get this free book or send for it by mail. Everything you want to know about Radio. 40 fascinating pages, packedwith pictures and descriptions of the brilliant opportunities in thisgigantic, world-wide money-making profession. =SEND FOR IT TODAY!= Clip this Coupon _NOW_! SPONSORED BY RCA INSTITUTES, INC. Formerly Radio Institute of America [Illustration: RCA] * * * * * RCA INSTITUTES, Inc. Dept. NS-2, 326 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Gentlemen: Please send me your FREE 40-page book which illustrates thebrilliant opportunities in Radio and describes your laboratory-method ofinstruction at home! Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * "INTO THE AFRICAN BLUE" _High Spots in the Life of a Big Game Photographer_ _By_ MARTIN JOHNSON [Illustration] "Into the African Blue" is Africa--the land of romance--of adventure. African big game is rapidly being shot off; the end is in sight, and itis for the purpose of recording in pictures and in story the remarkablewild life which soon must vanish, that Martin and Osa Johnson undertaketheir safaris into the remotest corners of the "Blue. " Johnson's photographs are magnificent! They portray the primitive dramaof the wilderness. We see close-ups of elephants and giraffes sucklingtheir young; lions lolling in the broiling sun or disputing possessionof a zebra kill. We are introduced into the inner family circle ofrhinos, leopards, eland, oryx, gazelle and others--all unconscious ofthe nearby presence of man. And there are, of course, thrilling momentswhen a cantankerous rhino, elephant or lion resents the intrusion andcharges the camera with deadly intent. =This thrilling serial, profusely illustrated with photographs by theauthor, began in the December issue of FOREST and STREAM. Follow Martinand Osa Johnson through the Soudan, the Congo, Kenya and Tanganyika;share their adventures=-- Forest and Stream 80 Lafayette Street, New York, N. Y. SPECIAL OFFER In addition to this thrilling serial, which in book form would cost notless than $3. 00, the next six issues of FOREST and STREAM will containmuch of interest to the outdoorsman--angler, hunter, camper and naturelover. FOREST and STREAM brings to you the best outdoor literature written bythe foremost authorities in their respective fields. By making use ofthe coupon to the left you can secure six issues of FOREST and STREAMcontaining the complete story "Into the African Blue" for the specialprice of $1. 00, and you will receive in addition to the magazine andwithout extra cost volumes 1 and 2 of the Sportsmen's Encyclopedia, aninvaluable reference book which presents in handy form accurate andcomprehensive information on every branch of outdoor sport. Send in the coupon--"_DO IT NOW!_" * * * * * Department C Here's my $1. 00. I want the 6 issues beginning with the December number, and Vols. 1 and 2 of the Sportsmen's Encyclopedia. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * I Will Train You at Home to Fill a Big-Pay Radio Job _Here's the_ PROOF =$375 One Month In Spare Time= "Recently I made $375 in one month in my spare time installing, servicing, selling Radio Sets. " Earle Cummings, 18 Webster St. , Haverhill, Mass. =$450 a Month= "I work in what I believe to be the largest and best-equipped Radio shopin the Southwest and also operate KGFI. I am averaging $450 a month. " Frank M. Jones, 922 Guadalupe St. , San Angelo, Tex. [Illustration] You can build 100 circuits with the six big outfits ofRadio parts I give you _3 of the 100 you can build_ _Find out quick about this practical way to big pay_ If you are earning a penny less than $50 a week, send for my book ofinformation on the opportunities in Radio. It's FREE. Clip the couponNOW. A flood of gold is pouring into Radio, creating hundreds of big-payjobs. Why go along at $25, $30 or $45 a week when the good jobs in Radiopay $50, $75 and up to $250 a week? "Rich Rewards in Radio" gives fullinformation on these big jobs and explains how you can quickly learnRadio through my easy, practical home-study training. Salaries of $50 to $250 a Week Not Unusual The amazing growth of Radio has astounded the world. In a few shortyears three hundred thousand jobs have been created. And the biggestgrowth is still to come. That's why salaries of $50 to $250 a week arenot unusual. Radio simply hasn't got nearly the number of thoroughlytrained men it needs. You Can Learn Quickly and Easily in Spare Time Hundreds of N. R. I. Trained men are today making big money--holdingdown big jobs--in the Radio field. You, too, should get into Radio. Youcan stay home, hold your job and learn in your spare time. Lack of highschool education or Radio experience are no drawbacks. Many Earn $15, $20, $30 Weekly On the Side While Learning I teach you to begin making money shortly after you enroll. My newpractical method makes this possible. I give you SIX BIG OUTFITS ofRadio parts and teach you to build practically every type of receivingset known. M. E. Sullivan, 412 73rd St. , Brooklyn, N. Y. , writes: "I made$720 while studying. " G. W. Page, 1807 21st Ave. S. , Nashville, Tenn. , "I picked up $935 in my spare time while studying. " Your Money Back If Not Satisfied My course fits you for all lines--manufacturing, selling, servicingsets, in business for yourself, operating on board ship, or in abroadcasting station--and many others. I back up my training with asigned agreement to refund every penny of your money if, aftercompletion, you are not satisfied with the lessons and instructions Igive you. Act NOW--NEW 64-Page Book is FREE [Illustration: RADIO NEEDS TRAINED MEN!] Send for this big book of Radio information. It has put hundreds offellows on the road to bigger pay and success. Get it. See what Radiooffers you, and how my Employment Department helps you get into Radioafter you graduate. Clip or tear out the coupon and mail it RIGHT NOW. J. E. Smith, President, Dept. OBM National Radio Institute Washington, D. C. Employment Service to all Graduates Originators of Radio Home Study Training * * * * * Mail This FREE COUPON Today J. E. Smith, President, Dept. OBM, National Radio Institute, Washington, D. C. Dear Mr. Smith: Send me your Free book "Rich Rewards in Radio, " givinginformation on the big-money opportunities in Radio and your practicalmethod of teaching with six Radio Outfits. I understand this places meunder no obligation. Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Age . .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. City . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . State . .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * _A Year's Protection Against_ SICKNESS Less than 3¢ a Day! _A Year's Protection Against_ ACCIDENT [Illustration: CASH _or sympathy_?] _Which do you want?_ Suppose you met with an accident or sickness to-night--salarystopped--which would you prefer, $25 Weekly . .. Or Sympathy? _Which will your family want?_ In case of your accidental death, which would you rather give yourfamily $10, 000 Cash . .. Or Sympathy? _Which would you Pay?_ Would you rather pay bills and household expenses out of a slim savingsaccount or a =$10 bill= _For a Whole Year's Protection Against_ SICKNESS AND ACCIDENT _Get Cash instead of Sympathy_ If you met with an accident in your home, on the street, or road, in thefield, or on your job--will your income continue? Remember, few escapewithout accident--and none of us can tell what to-morrow holds for us. While you are reading this warning, somewhere some ghastly tragedy istaking its toll of human life or limb, some flood or fire, someautomobile or train disaster. Protect yourself now. _Get Cash instead of Sympathy_ If you suddenly became ill--would your income stop? What if youcontracted lobar pneumonia, appendicitis operation, or any of the manycommon ills which are covered in this strong policy, wouldn't you resteasier and convalesce more quickly if you knew that this old linecompany stood ready to help lift from your shoulders distressingfinancial burdens in case of a personal tragedy. Protect yourself now. _Get Cash instead of Sympathy_ =Don't Wait for Misfortune to Overtake You= _Mail the Coupon today!_ Mail the Coupon before it's too late to protect yourself against thechances of fate picking you out as its next victim. =NO MEDICAL EXAMINATION= $10 A Year Entire Costs. No Dues. No Assessments. =MEN AND WOMEN= 16 to 70 Years Accepted. =$10, 000= Principal Sum. =$10, 000= Loss of hands, feet or eyesight. =$25 Weekly Benefits= for stated accidents or sicknesses. Doctor's Bills, Hospital Benefit, Emergency Benefit and other liberalfeatures to help in time of need--all clearly shown in policy. This is a simple and understandable policy--without complicated ormisleading clauses. You know exactly what every word means--and everyword means exactly what it says. =Largest and Oldest Exclusive Health and Accident Insurance Company inAmerica. = _Under Supervision of All State Insurance Departments_ =ESTABLISHED OVER 40 YEARS= * * * * * North American Accident Insurance Co. , [of Chicago] 388 Wallach Building, Newark, New Jersey. Gentlemen: At no cost to me send details of New $10, 000 Premier $10Policy. _Name_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _Address_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. _City_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * [Illustration] Pledge to the Public on Used Car Sales 1 Every used car is conspicuously marked with its lowest price in plainfigures, and that price, just as the price of our new cars, is rigidlymaintained. 2 All Studebaker automobiles which are marked as CERTIFIED CARS havebeen properly reconditioned, and carry a 30-day guarantee forreplacement of defective parts and free service on adjustments. 3 Every purchaser of a used car may drive it for five days, and then, ifnot satisfied for any reason, bring it back and apply the money paid asa credit on the purchase of any other car in stock--new or used. (It isassumed that the car has not been damaged in the meantime. ) © 1929 The Studebaker Corporation of America. You can save money and get a better motor car _if you buy according to the Studebaker Pledge plan_ OVER 150, 000 THRIFTY AMERICAN CITIZENS DID LAST YEAR! A well constructed car, sold at 40 or 50 per cent of its original price, offers maximum transportation value. Studebaker dealers offer many fineused cars--Studebakers, Erskines and other makes--which have been drivenonly a few thousand miles. Reconditioning of mechanical parts, refinishing of bodies give new carlife to these cars at prices no greater than you must pay for a cheapnew car. And as a final measure of protection, these cars are soldaccording to the Studebaker Pledge--which offers 5 days' driving trialon all cars and a 30-day guarantee on all certified cars. Prices being plainly marked provides the same price for everyone. Millions of people buy "used" houses. Every car on the road is a usedcar the week after it is purchased. _Invest 2¢--you may save $200_ Mail the coupon below for the free booklet. --The 2¢ stamp is aninvestment which may save you as much as $200 in buying a motorcar! [Illustration: How to judge a used car] STUDEBAKER _Builder of Champions_ The Studebaker Corporation of America Dept. 232, South Bend, Indiana Please send me copy of "How to Judge a Used Car" _Name_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _Street_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _City_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _State_ . .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * [Illustration: Amazingly Easy Way to Get Into ELECTRICITY] Don't spend your life waiting for $5 raises in a dull, hopeless job. Now. .. And forever . .. Say good-bye to 25 and 35 dollars a week. Let meteach you how to prepare for positions that lead to $50, $64, and on upto $200 a week in Electricity--NOT by correspondence, but by an amazingway to teach =right here in the great Coyne Shops= that makes you apractical expert in 90 days! Getting into electricity is far easier thanyou imagine! LEARN WITHOUT BOOKS--In 90 Days _By Actual Work--in the Great CoyneShops_ Lack of experience--age, or advanced education bars no one. I don't careif you don't know an armature from an air brake--I don't expect you to!It makes no difference! Don't let lack of money stop you. Most of themen at Coyne have no more money than you have. That's why I have workedout my astonishing offers. _Earn While Learning_ If you need part-time work to help pay your living expenses I'll helpyou get it and when you graduate I'll give you lifetime employmentservice. And, in 12 brief weeks, =in the great roaring shops of Coyne=, I train you as you never dreamed you could be trained . .. On one of thegreatest outlays of electrical apparatus ever assembled . .. Realdynamos, engines, power plants, autos, switchboards, transmittingstations . .. Everything from door bells to farm power and lighting . .. Full sized . .. In full operation every day! _No Books--No Lessons_ No dull books, no baffling charts, no classes, you get individualtraining . .. All real actual work . .. Building real batteries . .. Winding real armatures, operating real motors, dynamos and generators, wiring houses, etc. =GET THE FACTS= Coyne is your one great chance to get into electricity. Every obstacle is removed. This school is 30 years old--Coyne trainingis tested--proven beyond all doubt--endorsed by many large electricalconcerns. You can find out everything absolutely free. Simply mail thecoupon and let me send you the big, free Coyne book of 150 photographs. .. Facts . .. Jobs . .. Salaries . .. Opportunities. Tells you how manyearn expenses while training and how we assist our graduates in thefield. This does not obligate you. So act at once. Just mail coupon. BIG BOOK _FREE_! Send for my big book containing 150 photographs telling completestory--absolutely FREE COYNE ELECTRICAL SCHOOL 500 S. Paulina St. , Dept. 20-66, Chicago, Ill. * * * * * COYNE ELECTRICAL SCHOOL, H. C. Lewis, Pres. 500 S. Paulina Street, Dept. 20-66, Chicago, Illinois Dear Mr. Lewis: Without obligation send me your big, free catalog andall details of Free Employment Service, Radio, Airplane, and AutomotiveElectrical Courses, and how I may "earn while learning. " _Name_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _Street_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _City_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _State_ . .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * [Illustration: Buy a Watch the Modern Way] This 21 Jewel--Santa Fe Special Sent You On-Approval Wear 30 Days=Free=! Thank you for making it possible for me to own a 21-jewel Santa FeSpecial, write thousands of our customers. Buy Direct Our catalogue is our showroom. Any watch will be sent for you to seewithout one penny down. No obligation to buy. Save 1/3 to 1/2 on the price you pay for a similar watch made by other Manufacturers. Most liberal offer. Our "Direct to You" offer and Extra SpecialDistribution Plan is fully explained in the New Santa Fe Special Bookletjust off the press. The "Santa Fe Special" Plan means a big saving ofmoney to you and you get the best watch value on the market today. Railroad Accuracy Beauty Unsurpassed Life-long Dependability --all are combined in the highest degree in the famous "Santa FeSpecial" Watch. These watches are now in service on practically every railroad in theUnited States and in every branch of the Army and Naval service. Thousands of them are distributed around the world. You will never missthe few cents a day that will make you own one of these watches. Just Out! Send coupon for our New Watch Book--just off the press. All the newestwatch case designs in white or green gold, fancy shapes and thin modelsare shown. Read our easy payment offer. Wear the watch 30 days FREE. SANTA FE WATCH CO. Dept. 255 Thomas Bldg. Topeka, Kans. * * * * * SANTA FE WATCH CO. , Dept. 255, Thomas Bldg. , Topeka, Kansas. Please send me absolutely Free your New Watch Book [ ] Diamond Book [ ]. Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . State . .. .. .. . * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * [Illustration: COOLS while you shave and the coolness lingers! ListerineShaving Cream] "Pardon me, gentlemen!" _Business men gargle daily to check colds and sore throat_ Why is Listerine to be found in the offices of a majority of Americanbusiness men? Why do they use it at the noon hour? Why do they sometimeshalt important meetings, to gargle with it? Simply because, like you, they recognize in this safe antiseptic aswift, effective enemy of sore throat and the common cold. Used at thefirst sign of trouble, it has prevented thousands of cases from becomingserious. Its effectiveness is due to its amazing power to destroy disease germs, millions of which lodge in the oral cavity. Though safe to use andpleasant to taste, full strength Listerine kills even such resistantorganisms as the Staphylococcus Aureus (pus) and Bacillus Typhosus(typhoid) in counts ranging to 200, 000, 000 in 15 seconds. We could notmake this statement unless prepared to prove it to the entiresatisfaction of the medical profession and the U. S. Government. As a preventive of sore throat and colds use Listerine systematicallyevery day. And at the first definite sign that either is developing, increase the frequency of the gargle. You will be amazed to see howquickly the condition disappears. Lambert Pharmacal Co. , St. Louis, Mo. LISTERINE _for_ SORE THROAT _Kills 200, 000, 000 germs in 15 seconds_ * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * Go to School at Home! [Illustration: High School Course in Two Years!] You Want to Earn Big Money! =And you will not be satisfied unless you earn steady promotion. = Butare you prepared for the job ahead of you? Do you measure up to thestandard that insures success? For a more responsible position a fairlygood education is necessary. To write a sensible business letter, toprepare estimates, to figure cost and to compute interest, you must havea certain amount of preparation. All this you must be able to do beforeyou will earn promotion. Many business houses hire no men whose general knowledge is not equal toa high school course. Why? Because big business refuses to burden itselfwith men who are barred from promotion by the lack of elementaryeducation. Can You Qualify for a Better Position We have a plan whereby you can. We can give you a complete butsimplified high school course in two years, giving you all theessentials that form the foundation of practical business. It willprepare you to hold your own where competition is keen and exacting. Donot doubt your ability, but make up your mind to it and you will soonhave the requirements that will bring you success and big money. YOU CANDO IT. Let us show you how to get on the road to success. It will not cost youa single working hour. Write today. It costs you nothing but a stamp. American School Dept. H-237 Drexel Ave. And 58th St. , Chicago * * * * * =American School= Dept. H-237 Drexel Ave. And 58th St. , Chicago Send me full information on the subject checked and how you will help mewin success. . .. . Architect . .. . Building Contractor . .. . Automobile Engineer . .. . Automobile Repairman . .. . Civil Engineer . .. . Structural Engineer . .. . Business Manager . .. . Cert. Public Accountant . .. . Accountant and Auditor . .. . Bookkeeper . .. . Draftsman and Designer . .. . Electrical Engineer . .. . Electric Light & Power . .. . General Education . .. . Vocational Guidance . .. . Business Law . .. . Lawyer . .. . Machine Shop Practice . .. . Mechanical Engineer . .. . Shop Superintendent . .. . Employment Manager . .. . Steam Engineer . .. . Foremanship . .. . Sanitary Engineer . .. . Surveyor (& Mapping) . .. . Telephone Engineer . .. . Telegraph Engineer . .. . High School Graduate . .. . Wireless Radio . .. . Undecided Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . * * * * * EXTRA STRONG IMPROVED MODEL COPPER BOILER Catalog Free [Illustration: SOLID CAST NO SCREW TOP] HEAVY COPPER 5 Gallon $6. 50 7 8. 85 10 11. 90 15 14. 20 20 18. 50 25 22. 50 30 27. 50 SAVE 20% _NOW_! Most Practical Boiler & Cooker Made with large 5-inch Improved Cap and Spout. Safe, practical andsimple. Nothing to get out of order, most substantial and durable on themarket. Will last a lifetime, gives real service and satisfaction. Easily Cleaned Cap removed in a second; no burning of hands. An ideal lowpressure-boiler and pasteurizer for home and farm. =Save 20%= by ordering direct from factory. No article of such highquality and utility ever sold at such amazingly low prices. Pricesquoted are each with order or one-fourth cash, balance C. O. D. Send checkor money order: prompt shipment made in plain strong box. The onlyboiler worth having. Large Catalog Free. HOME MANUFACTURING CO. Dept. 5850 18 E. Kinzie St. Chicago, Illinois * * * * * Agents! Sell Shirts [Illustration: Bostonian] Start =without investment= in a profitable shirt business of your own. Take orders in your district for nationally known Bostonian Shirts. =$1. 50 commission= for you on sale of 3 shirts for $6. 95--=PostagePaid=. $9 value, guaranteed fast colors. No experience needed. Completeselling equipment =FREE=! =Good Pay for Honest Workers= Big earnings for ambitious workers. Genuine Broadcloth in four fastcolors. Write for money-making plan, free outfit, with actual clothsamples and everything need to start. Name and address on postal willdo. =Write TODAY! SURE!= BOSTONIAN MFG. CO. , B-300, 89 Bickford St. , Boston, Mass. * * * * * DEAFNESS IS MISERY Multitudes of persons with defective hearing and Head Noises enjoyconversation, go to Theatre and Church because they Use LeonardInvisible Ear Drums which resemble Tiny Megaphones fitting in the Earentirely out of sight. No wires, batteries or head piece. They areinexpensive. Write for booklet and sworn statement of the inventor whowas himself deaf. =A. O. LEONARD, Inc. , Suite 683, 70 5th Ave. , New York= * * * * * Denison's Plays _54 Years of Hits_ We supply all entertainment needs for dramatic clubs, schools, lodges, etc. , and for every occasion. Songs Minstrels Musical Comedies Revues Vaudeville Acts Blackface Skits _Catalogue Free_ =T. S. Denison & Co. 623 S. Wabash, Dept. 130 Chicago= * * * * * Don't Stop Tobacco Without precautions against injurious effects. Baco-Cure gives thenecessary assistance. Use tobacco while you take it. Has aided hundreds. Complete $5. 00 treatment guaranteed to get results or money refunded. Write for booklet. Eureka Chemical Co. , B-26 Columbus, Ohio * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * Easy, Quick Way To Get Into Aviation [Illustration] _Let_ Major Rockwell Train You AT HOME My new, practical, amazing, Home Study Course prepares you quickly tofill any of the fascinating Aviation jobs, either on the ground or as askilled flyer, paying $50 to $150 a week. I train you to succeedquickly, to fill one of the thousands of air and ground jobs now open, and I help you find your right place in Aviation. =I'll Help You Get Your Job= [Illustration: FREE BOOK WRITE!] Learn at home in your spare hours. In 12 short weeks you can be ready totake your flying instructions at greatly reduced rates at any airportnear your home, or right here in Dayton. Or you can step into anyaviation ground job with my help. Experience or advanced education notnecessary. Aviation--the fastest growing industry is calling you! Yourisk nothing. If you are not satisfied after completing my course, I'llrefund your tuition. Take the first step by writing NOW for my big FREEBook and Tuition offer. State age. =MAJOR R. L. ROCKWELL= _The Dayton School of Aviation_ =Desk B-6= =Dayton, Ohio= * * * * * SAXOPHONE Easy to Play Easy To Pay Simplified Key Arrangement Fingers fall naturally into playing position. Makes it extremely easy toplay rapidly on the Buescher. [Illustration] The Buescher True-Tone Saxophone is the easiest of all wind instrumentsto play and one of the most beautiful. You can learn the scale in anhour, and in a few weeks be playing popular music. First 3 lessons free, with each new Saxophone. For home entertainment--church--lodge--schoolor for Orchestra Dance Music, the Saxophone is the ideal instrument. =FREE TRIAL=--We allow 6 days' free trial on any Buescher Saxophone inyour own home and arrange easy payments so you can pay while you play. Write for Saxophone Catalog. BUESCHER BAND INSTRUMENT CO. 2980 Buescher Block (553) ELKHART, INDIANA * * * * * [Illustration: =MEN WANTED FOR RAILROADS=] Nearest their homes--everywhere--to train for Firemen, Brakemen; averagewages $150-$200 monthly. Promoted to Conductor or Engineer--highestwages on railroads. Also clerks. Railway Educational Association, Dept. D-30, Brooklyn, New York. * * * * * BIG MONEY _IN POULTRY_! [Illustration: How to RAISE POULTRY for PROFIT] If you want a real job--at real pay or if you want to start profitablebusiness of your own--become a trained Poultryman. It's interesting, healthful, profitable. Our famous home study Course gives short cuts tosuccess. Write for Free Book, "How to Raise Poultry for Profit. " =National Poultry Institute, Dept. 415-F, Washington, D. C. = * * * * * SPORT OF A THOUSAND THRILLS [Illustration: _Model shown is the popular "45" Twin_] EAGER power under instant control--speed that leaves the car-paradesbehind--lightning response to throttle and brakes--these are just a fewof the thousand thrills of motorcycling. Ask any Harley-Davidsonrider--he'll tell you of dozens more. And they are all yours at lowcost, in a Harley-Davidson "45"--the wonderful Twin at a popular price. Let your dealer show you the 1930 features of this motorcycle--try the comfortable, low-swung saddle--get the "feel" of this wonder Twin. Ask about his Pay-As-You-Ride Plan. _Mail the Coupon!_ _for literature showing our full line of Singles, Twins, and Sidecars. Motorcycle prices range from $235 f. O. B. Factory_. RIDE A HARLEY-DAVIDSON * * * * * HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY Dept. N. S. G. , Milwaukee, Wis. Interested in your motorcycles. Send literature. Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . My age is [ ] 16-19 years, [ ] 20-30 years, [ ] 31 years and up, [ ] under 16 years. Check your age group. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * "How I Licked Wretched Old Age at 63" I Quit Getting up Nights--Banished Foot and Leg Pains . .. Got Rid of Rheumatic Pains and Constipation . .. Improved My Health Generally . .. Found Renewed Strength. "At 61, I thought I was through. I blamed old age, but it never occurredto me to actually fight back. I was only half-living, getting up nights. .. Constipated . .. Constantly tormented by aches and pains. At 62 mycondition became almost intolerable. I had about given up hope when adoctor recommended your treatment. Then at 63, it seemed that I shookoff 20 years almost overnight. " _Forty_--The Danger Age These are the facts, just as I learned them. In 65% of all men, thevital prostate gland shows up soon after all. No pain is experienced, but as this distressing condition continues, sciatica, backache, severebladder weakness, constipation, etc. , often develop. [Illustration] PROSTATE TROUBLE These are frequently the signs of prostate trouble. Now thousands sufferthese handicaps needlessly! For a prominent American Scientist afterseven years of research, discovered a new, safe way to stimulate theprostate gland to normal health and activity in many cases. This newhygiene is worthy to be called a notable achievement of the age. A National Institution for Men Past 40 Its success has been startling, its growth rapid. This new hygiene israpidly gaining in national prominence. The institution in Steubenvillehas now reached large proportions. Scores and even hundreds of letterspour in every day, and in many cases reported results have been littleshort of amazing. In case after case, men have reported that they havefelt ten years younger in six days. Now physicians in every part of thecountry are using and recommending this treatment. Quick as is the response to this new hygiene, it is actually a pleasant, natural relaxation, involving no drugs, medicine or electric rayswhatever. The scientist explains this discovery and tells why many menare old at forty in a new book now sent free, in 24-page, illustratedform. Send for it. Every man past forty should know the true meaning ofthree frank facts. No cost or obligation is incurred. But act at oncebefore this free edition is exhausted. Simply fill in your name below, tear off and mail. =THE ELECTRO THERMAL COMPANY= 4826 Morris Avenue Steubenville, Ohio If you live West of the Rockies, address The Electro Thermal Co. , 303 Van Nuys Building, Dept. 48-C, Los Angeles, Calif. In Canada, address The Electro Thermal Co. , Desk 48-C, 53 Yonge St. , Toronto, Can. THE ELECTRO THERMAL CO. , 4826 Morris Ave. , Steubenville, Ohio. Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. City . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . State . .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * How To Secure A Government Position Why worry about strikes, layoffs, hard times? Get a Government job!Increased salaries, steady work, travel, good pay. Examinations coming. I'll help you become a Custom House Clerk, Railway Postal Clerk, PostOffice Clerk, City Mail Carrier, Rural Carrier--or get into any otherGovernment job you want. I was a Secretary-Examiner of Civil ServiceCommission for 8 years. Have helped thousands. NOW FREE My 32-page book tells about the jobs open--and how I can help you getone. Write TODAY. ARTHUR R. PATTERSON. Civil Service Expert. PATTERSONSCHOOL, 1082 Wisner Building, Rochester. N. Y. * * * * * Photos ENLARGED Size 16x20 inches 98¢ Same price for full length or best form groups, landscapes, or petanimals, etc. , enlargements of any part of group picture. Safe return ofyour own original photo guaranteed. SPECIAL FREE OFFER =SEND NO MONEY= Just mail photo or snapshot (any size) and within a weekyou will receive your beautiful life-like enlargement size 16x20 in. Guaranteed fadeless. Pay postman 98¢ plus postage or send $1. 00 withorder and we pay postage. With each enlargement we will send FREE ahand-tinted miniature reproduction of photo sent. Take advantage now ofthis amazing offer--send your photo today. =UNITED PORTRAIT COMPANY= 1652 Ogden Ave. Dept. B-590, Chicago, Ill. * * * * * BLANK CARTRIDGE PISTOL This well made and effective pistol is modelled on the pattern of thelatest type of Revolver, the appearance of which alone is enough toscare a burglar, whilst, when loaded, it will probably prove just aseffective as a revolver with real bullets without the danger to life. Ittakes the standard . 22 Calibre Blank Cartridges, that are obtainablemost everywhere. Special cash with order offer: 1 superior quality BlankCartridge Pistol. 100 Blank Cartridges, and our new 550-page DeLuxeCatalog of latest novelties all for =ONLY $1. 50=. Shipped by expressonly. Cannot go by parcel post. Extra Blank Cartridges =50¢ per 100=. Remember it is quite harmless, as it will not accommodate loadedcartridges. Special Holster (Cowboy Type) for pistol 50¢. No C. O. D. Shipments. =Special Offer= 1 Blank Cartridge Pistol, 100 Blank Cartridges, 1 550-page NoveltyCatalog =ONLY $1. 50= The Lot Shipped by Express Only Cash with Order Only =JOHNSON SMITH & COMPANY. = Dept 212, Racine, Wisconsin * * * * * BE A RAILWAY TRAFFIC INSPECTOR EARN UP TO $250 Per Month Expenses Paid [Illustration: No Hunting For a Position] Unusual opportunities for men 19 to 55 in this uncrowded profession. Travel or remain near home. Pleasant, fascinating work. Advancementrapid. Prepare in 3 months' spare time, home instruction. We assist youto a position upon completion, paying $120 to $135 per month, plusexpenses or refund your tuition. Learn about Traffic Inspection now. Ourfree booklet shows how it can make your future a certainty. Write for ittoday. =Standard Business Training Institute= =DIV. 13= =Buffalo, N. Y. = * * * * * Sleep Disturbed? If irritating kidney excretions frequently disturb your sleep or causebackache, leg pains and make you feel tired, achy, depressed anddiscouraged, why not try the Cystex 48 Hour Test? No dopes orhabit-forming drugs. List of pure ingredients in each package. GetCystex (pronounced Siss-tex) at your drug store for only 60¢. Use all ofit. See how it works. Money back if it doesn't satisfy you completely. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * NEW WAY TO MAKE MONEY Easy Cash--Sure and Quick An opportunity to earn $15 a day or more taking orders from your friendsand neighbors for our fine tailoring. Orders come easy when you show ourswell samples and smart styles. =We Show You How=--you don't need toknow anything about tailoring--simply follow our directions--we make iteasy. FREE SUIT OFFER Make a few sales to your friends and get it finely tailored to yourorder suit, in any style, absolutely FREE, in addition to your cashprofits. =FREE New, Big Sample OUTFIT= New style convenient carrying outfit, large all-wool samples--allsupplies necessary to start at once--furnished =FREE=. =Write at once. = =PROGRESS TAILORING CO. , Dept. P-204, Chicago= * * * * * MORE PAY with QUAKER FREE OUTFIT FREE SHIRTS TIES CASH BONUS GIVEN _Earn big money right from the start. Let Quaker help you. Wonderfulfree Sample outfit gets orders everywhere. Men's Shirts, Ties, Underwear, Hosiery. Unmatchable values. Unique Selling features. Ironclad guarantee. You can't fail with Quaker. Write for your Freeoutfit NOW. _ QUAKER SHIRT CORPORATION Dept. K-2 1107 Broadway, N. Y. * * * * * FRENCH LOVE DROPS An enchanting exotic perfume of irresistible charm, clinging for hourslike lovers loath to part. Just a few drops are enough. Full size bottle98¢ prepaid or $1. 39 C. O. D. Plus postage. Directions with every order. FREE: 1 full size bottle if you order 2 vials. =D'ORO CO. = =Box 90, Varick Station, New York= =Dept NSG 2= * * * * * NO JOKE TO BE DEAF --EVERY DEAF PERSON KNOWS THAT [Illustration: Medicated Ear Drum] I make myself hear, after being deaf for 25 years, with these ArtificialEar Drums. I wear them day and night. They stop head noises and ringingears. They are perfectly comfortable. No one sees them. Write me and Iwill tell you a true story, how I got deaf and how I make you hear. Address GEO. P. WAY, Artificial Ear Drum Co. (Inc. ) 300 Hoffman Bldg. Detroit, Mich. * * * * * Be A Detective _Make Secret Investigations_ Earn Big Money. Work home or travel. Fascinating work. Experienceunnecessary. =DETECTIVE= Particulars FREE, Write NOW to =GEO. N. WAGNER, 2190 Broadway, New York= * * * * * TOBACCO Habit Overcome Or No Pay Over 500, 000 men and women used Superba Remedy to help stop Cigarettes, Cigars, Pipe, Chewing or Snuff. Write for full treatment on trial. Contains no dope or habit forming drugs. Costs $2. 00 if successful, nothing if not. SUPERBA CO. , A-11, Baltimore, Md. * * * * * Get Strong WITH These Improved Muscle Builders _All for $5. 00_ [Illustration: Save $20. 00 with this OFFER] _Send no money_ GUARANTEE SATISFACTION OR MONEY BACK Why pay an extravagant price for strength--here's an opportunity to getall the equipment you require along with an excellent course ofinstructions for only $5. 00. Realize your ambition and develop musclesof a super-man. Get strong and amaze your friends. We show you how toeasily master feats which now seem difficult--or if you just wantphysical culture for your health's sake, this equipment is just what youneed. With this special offer you save at least $20. 00. We furnish a tencable chest expander which is adjustable to give resistance up to 200lbs. It is made of new live extra strength, springy rubber so as toensure long wear and give the resistance you need for real muscledevelopment. You also get a pair of patented hand grips for developingpowerful grip and forearms. We include wall exercising parts which permit you to develop your back, arms and legs--a real muscle necessity. You know that business men andathletes, too, first show their age in their legs. Develop your legmuscles with the foot strap which we furnish. This will give you speedand endurance--but that isn't all that you get. In addition we include aspecially written course which contains pictures and diagrams showingyou how to develop any part of your body so that you will quickly get onwith these exercises and gain the greatest advantage from their use. Actnow while you can get in on this special offer. It might be withdrawn, so rush the coupon. SEND NO MONEY All of the items pictured on this page are included in this big specialreduction offer. Sign your name and address to the coupon below and rushit to us. We will send your ten cable chest developer, the wall parts, apair of hand grips, foot strap and the course by return mail. Pay thepostman only $5. 00, plus the few cents postage on arrival. (If youdesire to send check or money order in advance, we pay postage. ) GUARANTEE All Crusader products are guaranteed to give entire satisfaction ormoney back. CRUSADER APPARATUS CO. , Dept. 2002, 44 Parker Ave. , Maplewood, N. J. I accept your offer. Send me everything described in your advertisementby return mail. I will pay postman $5. 00 plus postage on arrival. It isunderstood if I am not entirely satisfied after examination I can returnthe goods and you will refund my money. Note:--No C. O. D. Orders to Foreign Countries or Canada. Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. City . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . State . .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * Win $3, 500. 00 Prizes from $1800. 00 to $4245. 00 each have been won through our uniqueadvertising plan. In our last, an old man of 69, out of work, won over$5000. 00. A boy, only 15, won $900. 00. In next 3 or 4 months thousandsof dollars will be awarded to fortunate persons who solve our puzzlesand win our prizes. FIND THE TWIN FLYERS Watch out! These twelve pictures of a famous woman flyer all lookalike--BUT--two, and only two, are exactly alike. Find these twinflyers! Some pictures are different in the collar, helmet, goggles, ortie. Remember, only two of the twelve are exactly alike. Find them, andsend the numbers of the twin flyers on a post card or letter today. Ifcorrect, your answer will qualify you for this opportunity. =$7160. 00 IN PRIZES GIVEN THIS TIME= Over 25 prizes, and duplicate prizes in case of ties. It's up to thewinner whether he or she chooses $2875. 00 in cash or a new Wacoairplane, a big automobile, or a new home. A gorgeous prize list! ANYONEWHO ANSWERS THIS PUZZLE CORRECTLY MAY RECEIVE PRIZES OR CASH. =$625. 00 ADDITIONAL FOR PROMPTNESS= Be prompt! It pays. Find the real twin flyers, and I will sendCertificate which will be good for $625. 00 if you are prompt and winfirst prize. Imagine, a first prize of $3500. 00! NO MORE PUZZLES TO SOLVE. Any man, woman, boy, or girl in theU. S. A. --anyone at all, except residents of Chicago, Illinois, and formermajor prize winners. 25 of the people who take up this offer are goingto win these wonderful prizes. Be one of them. Send the numbers of thetwin flyers. Send no money, but be prompt. =J. D. SNYDER, Dept. 36, 54 W. Illinois St. , Chicago, Ill. = * * * * * TRAIN FOR AVIATION AT HOME Hundreds of men are already training for big-pay Aviation jobs throughLt. Hinton's practical home-study course. This thorough training is justthe foundation you need to enter Aviation in any of its many branches, for the course covers Terms and Definitions, Principles of Flight, Rigging, Repairing, Construction, Instruments, Aerology, Engines, Ignition, Carburetion, Airports; _Aviation from A to Z_. Aftergraduation Hinton's Employment Department puts you in touch with realjobs, or, if you want to be a pilot, Hinton arranges special flyingrates at an accredited Air College near your home. Hinton-trained menare in demand and they are making good. His Big Free Book explainseverything. Send for your copy at once! [Illustration] =SEND FOR FREE BOOK= =MAIL NOW!= WALTER HINTON, President, 316-D Aviation Institute of U. S. A. 1115 Conn. Ave. , Washington, D. C. Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Age . .. .. .. .. (Must be 18) Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. City . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . State . .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * $8 often made in one day by many of our sales Agents [Illustrations] Sell finest line new guaranteed hosiery you ever saw, for men, women, children. Written guarantee to wear and satisfy or replaced. 126 styles, colors. Finest silks. All at lowest prices. NEW FORD CAR We offer our agents a =new Ford Car= when earned under our plan. Yourcommission daily. Credit given. Extra bonus. We deliver or youdeliver--suit yourself. FINE SILK HOSE Our new plan gives you =fine silk hosiery= for your own use. I want menand women to act as Local Sales Agents. Spare time is satisfactory. Write quick. A post card will do. =WILKNIT HOSIERY CO. = =No. 2807 Greenfield, Ohio= * * * * * NEW SCIENTIFIC WONDER ="X-RAY" CURIO= [Illustration: Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. ] =PRICE 10¢ 3-25¢ no stamps= BIG FUN =BOYS= You apparently see thru Clothes, Wood, Stone, any object. SeeBones in Flesh. FREE Pkg. Radio picture films, takes pictures withoutcamera. You'll like 'em. (1 pkg. With each 25¢ order. ) =MARVEL MFG. CO. Dept. 86, NEW HAVEN, CONN. = * * * * * TRAVEL--for 'UNCLE SAM' =RAILWAY POSTAL CLERKS= =MAIL CARRIERS--POSTOFFICE CLERKS GENERAL CLERKS--CUSTOMS INSPECTORS= $1700 to $3400 a Year for Life No "layoffs" because of strikes, poor business, etc. --sure pay--rapidadvancement. Many other U. S. Government Jobs. City and country residentsstand same chance. Common sense education usually sufficient. STEADY WORK Cut coupon and mail it before turning the page =MEN--BOYS 18 to 45= =Use Coupon Before You Lose It= * * * * * COUPON FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, Dept. E267, Rochester, N. Y. Rush to me, free of charge. (1) A full description of the positionschecked below. (2) 32-page book with list of positions obtainable. (3)Tell me how to get the positions checked. [ ] Railway Postal Clerk ($1900 to $2700) [ ] Postoffice Clerk ($1700 to $2300) [ ] City Mail Carrier ($1700 to $2100) [ ] General Clerk ($1200 to $2100) [ ] Customs Inspector ($2100 up) [ ] Rural Mail Carrier ($2100 to $3300) Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * Get Strong QUICKLY Giant Chest Expander ONLY $2. 00 Here's an opportunity for everyone to develop big muscles and obtaingreat strength by using this heavy-tensioned PROGRESSIVE EXERCISER, adjustable from 20 to 200 lbs. Resistance. Complete instructions witheach exerciser. Get rid of those aches and pains, indigestion, constipation, headaches, etc. Build up your body and look like a real He-man. SEND NO MONEY! Simply pay the postman $2. 00, plus a few cents postage, for five-cabledexerciser or $4. 00 plus a few cents postage, for ten-cabled exerciser. _Money back in five days if dissatisfied. _ Progressive Exerciser Co. Dept. 5002, Langdon Building Duane Street and Broadway New York City [Illustration] * * * * * LAW STUDY AT HOME Become a lawyer. Legally trained men win high positions and big successin business and public life. Be independent. Greater opportunities nowthan ever before. Big corporations are headed by men with legaltraining. Earn =$5, 000 to $10, 000 Annually= We guide you step by step. You can train at home during spare time. Degree of LL. B. Conferred. LaSalle students found among practicingattorneys of every state. We furnish all text material, includingfourteen-volume Law Library. Low cost, easy terms. Get our valuable64-page "Law Guide" and "Evidence" books FREE. Send for them NOW. LaSalle Extension University, Dept. 275-L, Chicago The World's Largest Business Training Institution * * * * * HOW SHARP IS YOUR RAZOR? Did you have trouble shaving this morning? If your razor blade scrapedand pulled you will appreciate this remarkable new discovery. .. . GoldNugget Strop Dressing . .. Can be used satisfactorily on all stroppingdevices . .. Puts keen cutting edge on any razor blade. .. . Easy to apply. .. Results assured. Makes you feel like singing when you shave. $1postpaid. NO-HONE COMPANY 3124 California St. Omaha, Nebraska * * * * * PATENTS Time counts in applying for patents. Don't risk delay in protecting yourideas. Send sketch or model for instructions or write for FREE book. "How to Obtain a Patent" and "Record of Invention" form. No charge forinformation on how to proceed. Communications strictly confidential. Prompt, careful, efficient service. Clarence A. O'Brien, RegisteredPatent Attorney, 1876 Security Savings and Comm'l Bank Building(directly across street from Patent Office) Washington, D. C. * * * * * STOP Tobacco No human being can escape the harmful effects of tobacco. Don't try toquit without assistance. Let our simple inexpensive remedy help you. Acomplete treatment costs but $2. 00. Every penny promptly refunded if youdo not get desired results. Ours is a harmless preparation, carefully compounded to overcome thecondition, that will make quitting of tobacco pleasant, and easy. Itcomes with a money back guarantee. =Anti-Tobacco League= P. O. Box H-2 OMAHA, NEBR. * * * * * SONG WRITERS! [Illustration] SUBSTANTIAL ADVANCE ROYALTIES are paid on work found acceptable forpublication. Anyone wishing to write _either the words_ or music forsongs may submit work for free examination and advice. _Past experienceunnecessary_. New demand created by "Talking Pictures" fully describedin our free book. Write for it Today. NEWCOMER ASSOCIATES 723 Earle Building, New York * * * * * Learn to PAINT SIGNS and SHOW CARDS We quickly teach you by mail, or at school. In spare time. Enormousdemand. Big future. Interesting work. Oldest and foremost school. EARN $50 TO $200 WEEKLY Otto Wiegand, Md. , home-study graduate, made $12, 000 from his businessin one year. John Vassoe, N. Y. , gets $25 for a show card. Crawford, B. C. , writes: "Earned $200 while taking course. " Write for completeinformation. DETROIT SCHOOL OF LETTERING Est. 1889 180 Stimson Ave. DETROIT, MICH. * * * * * STOP WORRYING about Money [Illustration: _Here's a New, Easy Way to Make_ $15 a Day] YES--here's a wonderful opportunity to start right in making $15 in aday. You can have plenty of money to pay your bills, to spend for newclothes, furniture, radio, pleasure trips, or whatever you want. No morepinching pennies or counting the nickels and dimes. No more saying "Wecan't afford it. " That's the biggest mistake any man or woman ever made. =And I'll prove it. = Van Allen Makes $100 a Week Just send me your name and address and I'll give you some facts thatwill open your eyes. I'll show you how L. C. Van Allen, of Illinois, quit a $23-a-week job, took hold of my proposition, and made better than$100 a week! Then there's Gustav Karnath, of Minnesota, who cleared$20. 35 the first five hours, and Mrs. B. L. Hodges, of New York, whosays she never fails to make a profit of $18 to $20 a day. I haveletters from men and women everywhere that tell about profits of $10, $15, $20 and as high as $25 and $30 in a single day. Start Right In You don't need any experience or capital to make big money my way. Nocourse of training is necessary. You simply act as my Representative inyour locality and look after my business there. All you have to do iscall on your friends and my established customers and take care of theirorders for my fast selling line of Groceries, Toilet Articles and otherHousehold Necessities. I have thousands of customers in every section ofevery State. They must order from you because I never sell throughstores. Last year my Representatives made nearly two million dollars. When I get the coupon from you I send full details by return mail. Youcan quickly be making money just like I said. I will also supply youwith Groceries and other Household Necessities at lowest, wholesaleprices. SEND NO MONEY If you want ready cash--a chance to make $15 or more a day starting atonce--and Groceries at wholesale--just send me your name and address onthe coupon. It costs you nothing to investigate. Keep your present joband start in spare time if you want to. Oscar Stuart, of W. Virginia, reports $18 profit in 2-1/2 hours' spare time. So you see there'severything to gain. Simply mail the coupon. _I_ will give you fulldetails of my plan without cost or obligation to you. I'll give you thebig opportunity you've been waiting for. So don't lose a moment. Mailthe coupon NOW. FREE! [Illustration: New Ford Tudor Sedan] NOT a contest. I offer a brand-new car free to producers as an extrareward or bonus--in addition to their large cash profits. Mail couponfor particulars. * * * * * MAIL THIS NOW! =ALBERT MILLS, Pres. , American Products Co. , = =5441 Monmouth Ave. , Cincinnati, Ohio. = Send me, without cost or obligation, all the facts about your newproposition that offers a wonderful opportunity to make quick profits of$15 or more a day and Groceries at wholesale. Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. © A. P. Co. (Print or Write Plainly) * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * What's Wrong With This Picture? See If You Can Find the Mistakes in This Picture [Illustration] We will spend over $167, 000. 00 this year for the purpose of conductingfree prize offers to advertise and expand our business. Thousands ofpersons are going to receive valuable prizes or cash awards andcompensations this year through our offers. The sky is the limit! Anyoneliving in the United States outside of Chicago, except employees of thiscompany, members of their families, or our previous auto or first prizewinners, or members of their families, may enter an answer to thispuzzle. $7, 346 In Prizes Given in This One Offer Seven Big New 6-Cylinder Sedans and Other Valuable Prizes Try your skill--it costs you nothing. Study the picture shown here, butlook carefully. The artist has purposely made many mistakes. Can youfind four or more of them? These mistakes can be found in variousobjects is the picture--that's all the hint we can give you. If youthink you can find four or more mistakes, answer at once. Just mark themistakes in pencil on the picture, or tell me what they are in a letteror on a post card. Only four mistakes are required for a perfect answer. Anyone Who Answers This Puzzle Correctly May Receive Prizes or Cash! Man, woman, boy, or girl--it doesn't matter who or what you are. Sevenof the people who take up this offer are going to win wonderfulautomobiles. You can be among them. Answer today! Duplicate prizesawarded in case of ties. =Additional $500. 00 for Promptness= $500. 00 extra will be awarded inaddition to first prize if you are prompt. If your answer is judged tobe perfect, I will tell you without delay about winning the prizes. Hurry now! Address your answer to G. W. ALDERTON, Advertising Manager, Dept. 143, 510 North Dearborn St. , Chicago, Ill. * * * * * AGENTS--Represent THE Carlton LINE--_America's Best Paying Proposition_! SAMPLES FREE SELL FROM A MILLION DOLLAR STOCK Shirts, Neckwear and Underwear. No substitutions. 4 Hour Shipping Service. Highest Commissions Bonuses. Profit Sharing. Biggest Company. Mail Coupon. CARLTON MILLS, 114 FIFTH AVE. , N. Y. C. _Send me your Famous Sample Outfit_ Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100-G CARLTON MILLS INC. 114 FIFTH AVE. NEW YORK =Dept. 186-6= MAIL COUPON $1000 LIFE Insurance Policy Free * * * * * BE A JAZZ MUSIC MASTER Play Piano By Ear [Illustration: Niagara School Free Book] Play popular song hits perfectly. Name the tune, play it by ear. Noteacher--self-instruction. No tedious ding-dong daily practice--just 20brief, entertaining lessons, easily mastered. At Home in Your Spare Time Send for FREE BOOK. Learn many styles of bass and syncopation--trickendings. If 10¢ (coin or stamps) is enclosed, you also receive wonderfulbooklet "_How to Entertain at Piano_"--and many new tricks, stunts, etc. _Niagara School of Music_ Dept. 350 Niagara Falls, N. Y. Send for this Free Book * * * * * Learn How to BOX =$2. 98= brings you the famous boxing course by mail of Jimmy DeForest, =World's Greatest Trainer=, the system that trained Dempsey and greatchampions. Covers everything in scientific boxing from fundamentals toring generalship. Twenty weeks makes you a finished DeForest trainedboxer. Hundreds of DeForest trained men are making good in the ringtoday. Complete course sent in one mailing. Send $2. 98 or C. O. D orderpaying postman $2. 98 plus actual postage. [Illustration] =Jimmy DeForest Boxing Course= =347 Madison Ave. , Box 42, New York City= * * * * * Radium Is Restoring Health to Thousands No medicine, drugs or dieting. Just a light, small, comfortableinexpensive Radio-Active Pad, worn on the back by day and over thestomach at night. Sold on trial. You can be sure it is helping youbefore you buy it. Over 150, 000 sold on this plan. Thousands havewritten us that it healed them of Neuritis, Rheumatism, High BloodPressure, Constipation, Nervous Prostration, Heart, Lungs, Liver, Kidneyand Bladder trouble, etc. No matter what you have tried, or what yourtrouble may be, try Degnen's Radio-Active Solar Pad at our risk. Writetoday for Trial offer and descriptive literature. Radium Appliance Co. , 2833 Bradbury Bldg. , Los Angeles, Cal. * * * * * HYPNOTIZE [Illustration] 25 Lessons in Hypnotism, Mind Reading and Magnetic Healing. Tells howexperts hypnotize at a glance, make others obey their commands. How toovercome bad habits, how to give a home performance, get on the stage, etc. Helpful to every man and woman, executives, salesmen, doctors, mothers, etc. Simple, easy. Learn at home. Only $1. 10, including the"Hypnotic Eye, " a new aid for amateurs. Send stamps or M. O. (or payC. O. D. Plus postage). Guaranteed. =Educator Press, 19 Park Row, NewYork. Dept. H-41= * * * * * AVIATION Information FREE Send us your name and address for full information regarding theAviation and Airplane business. Find out about the many greatopportunities now open and how we prepare you at home, during sparetime, to qualify. Our new book, _Opportunities in the Airplane industry_also sent free if you answer at once. AMERICAN SCHOOL OF AVIATION Dept. 1182 3601 Michigan Ave. CHICAGO * * * * * Charming--Captivating--Irresistible DESIR D'AMOUR [Love's Desire] [Illustration] This exotic perfume goes straight to the heart like Cupid's arrows. Itsstrength and mystic aroma thrills and delights young and old. Triplestrength full size vial 98 cents prepaid or $1. 32 C. O. D. Plus shippingcharges. Directions free. One bottle GRATIS if you order three vials. MAGNUS WORKS, Box 12, Varick Sta. , New York, N. Y. , Dept. NSG-2. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * [Illustration: On your feet--_In a good Paying Business_] We start you in the shoe and hosiery business. Inexperienced workersearn Big Money yearly. Direct-to-Wearer plan. Just show Tanners FamousLine of Footwear. We tell how and where to sell. Perfect fit through Patented System. Collect your pay daily. We furnish $40. 00 Sample Outfit of actual shoes and hosiery. 83 styles. =Send for free book "Getting Ahead" and full particulars. = Noobligation. TANNERS SHOE CO. 892 C Street, Boston, Mass. * * * * * =Play the Hawaiian Guitar like the Hawaiians!= =Only 4 Motions= used in playing this fascinating instrument Our nativeHawaiian instructors teach you to master them quickly. Pictures showhow. Everything explained clearly. [Illustration] Play in Half Hour After you get the four easy motions you play harmonious chords with verylittle practice. No previous musical knowledge needed. Easy Lessons Even if you don't know one note from another, the 52 printed lessons andclear pictures make it easy to learn quickly. Pay as you play. GIVEN _when you enroll_--a sweet toned HAWAIIAN GUITAR, Carrying Caseand Playing Outfit--Value $18 to $20 _No extras--everything included_ =WRITE AT ONCE= for attractive offer and easy terms. You haveeverything to gain. A postcard will do. =ACT!= OTHER COURSES Tenor Banjo, Violin, Tiple, Tenor Guitar, Ukulele, Banjo Ukulele. Underwell known instructors. FIRST HAWAIIAN CONSERVATORY of MUSIC, Inc. 9th Floor, Woolworth Bldg, Dept. 269 New York, N. Y. _Approved as a Correspondence School Under the Laws of the State of NewYork--Member National Home Study Council_ * * * * * SELL ROSECLIFF SHIRTS _Make Steady Money_ YOUR OWN SHIRTS and TIES Showing Samples Men's Shirts Ties, Underwear brings you big cash commissions. One YearGuarantee. No substitutions. Free silk initials. More exclusiveRosecliff features establish leadership. Write for your FREE Outfit NOW! ROSECLIFF SHIRT CORP. Dept. J-2 1237 Broadway, N. Y. _Outfit Free_ * * * * * GOV'T. POSITIONS $35 TO $75 WEEKLY MEN--WOMEN AGE 18 to 55 ( ) By. Mail Clerk ( ) P. O. Laborer ( ) R. F. D. Carrier ( ) Special Agent (investigator) ( ) City Mail Carrier ( ) Meat Inspector ( ) P. O. Clerk ( ) File Clerk ( ) General Clerk ( ) Matron ( ) Steno-Typist ( ) Immigrant Inspector ( ) Seamstress ( ) Auditor ( ) Steno-Secretary ( ) U. S. Border Patrol ( ) Chauffeur-Carrier ( ) Watchman ( ) Skilled Laborer ( ) Postmaster ( ) Typist INSTRUCTION BUREAU, 112-B, St. Louis, Mo. Send me FREE particulars How To Qualify for positions marked "X. "Salaries, locations, opportunities, etc. ALL SENT FREE. Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * [Illustration: FREE! Body Chart] If you will mail the coupon below, this Anatomical and PhysiologicalChart will be mailed to you without one cent of expense. It shows thelocation of the Organs, Bones of the Body, Muscles of the Body, Head andVertebra Column and tells you how the nerves radiate from your spinalcord to all organs of the body. This chart should be in every home. Where Is That PAIN? It may be in the neck, back, hips, stomach, liver, legs or arms. Wherever it is, the chart will help to show you the location and causeof your ailment. For instance, this chart will help you locate vermiformappendix pains. 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Mail couponNOW--while this offer lasts! =Institute of Applied Science= =Dept. 15-62= =1920 Sunnyside Avenue, Chicago= * * * * * =INSTITUTE OF APPLIED SCIENCE, = =Dept. 15-62 1920 Sunnyside Avenue, Chicago, Ill. = Gentlemen: Without any obligation whatever, send me your new, fullyillustrated FREE book on Finger Prints and the free copy of theConfidential Reports of Operator No. 38 made to His Chief. _Name_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _Address_ . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. _Age_ . .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * Muscles 5¢ apiece! Wouldn't it be great if we could buy muscles by the bag--take them homeand paste them on our shoulders? Then our rich friends with money to buythem, sure would be socking us all over the lots. But they don't comethat easy, fellows. If you want muscle you have to work for it. That'sthe reason why the lazy fellow never can hope to be strong. So if you'relazy and don't want to work--you had better quit right here. This talkwas never meant for you. [Illustration: =EARLE LIEDERMAN, The Muscle Builder=] _Author of "Muscle Building, " "Science of Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu, ""Secrets of Strength, " "Here's Health, " "Endurance, " Etc. _ I WANT LIVE ONES I've been making big men out of little ones for over fifteen years. I'vemade pretty near as many strong men as Heinz has made pickles. My systemnever fails. That's why I guarantee my works to do the trick. That's whythey gave me the name of "The Muscle Builder. " I have the surest bet that you ever heard of. Eugen Sandow himself saidthat my system is the shortest and surest that America ever had tooffer. Follow me closely now and I'll tell you a few things I'm going to do foryou. HERE'S WHAT I GUARANTEE In just 30 days I'm going to increase your arm one full inch. Yes, andadd two inches to your chest in the same length of time. But that'snothing. I've only started; get this--I'm going to put knobs of muscleson your shoulders like baseballs. I'm going to deepen your chest so thatyou will double your lung capacity. Each breath you take will floodevery crevice of your pulmonary cavity with oxygen. This will load yourblood with red corpuscles, shooting life and vitality throughout yourentire system. I'm going to give you arms and legs like pillars. I'mgoing to work on every inner muscle as well, toning up your liver, yourheart, etc. You'll have a snap to your step and a flash to your eye. You'll feel the real pep shooting up and down your old backbone. You'llstretch out your big brawny arms and crave for a chance to crusheverything before you. You'll just bubble over with vim and animation. Sounds pretty good, what? You can bet your old ukulele it's good. It'swonderful. And don't forget, fellow--I'm not just promising all this--Iguarantee it. Well, let's get busy, I want action--So do you. Send for my new 64-page book "_Muscular Development_" IT IS FREE It contains forty-eight full-page photographs of myself and some of themany prize-winning pupils I have trained. Some of these came to me aspitiful weaklings, imploring me to help them. Look them over now, andyou will marvel at their present physiques. This book will prove animpetus and a real inspiration to you. It will thrill you through andthrough. This will not obligate you at all, but for the sake of yourfuture health and happiness, do not put it off. Send today--right now, before you turn this page. EARLE LIEDERMAN DEPT. 1702 305 BROADWAY, N. Y. CITY * * * * * =EARLE LIEDERMAN= =Dept. 1702, 305 Broadway, New York City= Dear Sir:--Please send me without any obligation on my part whatever, acopy of your latest book "Muscular Development. " (Please write or printplainly. ) Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Age . .. .. .. .. . Address . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. City . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . State . .. .. .. .. .. * * * * * Please mention NEWSSTAND GROUP--MEN'S LIST, when answeringadvertisements * * * * * change to OLD GOLD in kindness to your THROAT THE SMOKE SCREEN THAT KEEPS OUT THROAT-SCRATCH "COLD" WEATHER IS OLD GOLD WEATHER [Illustration: Old Gold Cigarettes] In raw, damp, or cold weather, change to OLD GOLD. Its naturally goodtobaccos are smooth and kind to your throat. Just clean, ripe tobacco, blended to honey-smoothness. And a flavor thathas won more than 100, 000 taste tests. No artificial treatment . .. Justbetter tobacco, that's all. And it has put OLD GOLD among the leaders inTHREE years! Take a carton home. Do it today. For this is the weatherfor mild OLD GOLD. =Better tobaccos make them smoother and better . .. With "not a cough ina carload"= * * * * * WHEN CRITICAL SMOKERS GET TOGETHER [Illustration: Camel] Their experience recognizes that Camel is indeed "a better cigarette": Better in its quality of mellow, fragrant tobacco. Better in the mildness and satisfying taste of the Camel blend. When they learn the difference they flock to Camels. CAMEL _CIGARETTES_ * * * * * Transcriber Corrections: He turned quickly and was astonished at the sight of [added 'the'] shook a skinny forefinger [standardized 'fore-finger'] in Tom's face. I was successful [was 'successsful'] in business His eyes were riveted [standardized 'rivetted'] to an undulating, One is that it would be [was 'would me'] propellers [standardized 'propellors'] ripping into the summer night The thing was halfway [standardized 'half-way'] to the high bank On some were propellers [standardized 'propellors']. the slim shafts with their little propellerlike [standardized'propellorlike'] fans. There were others without the propellers; [standardized 'propellors'] He saw from below the swift plane, [added comma] the streaming, intangible ray does not sympathize [was 'symphathize'] with radicals. and took up a cigarette. Lighting [was 'Lightning'] it The light of the match died, plunging me into a pit of gloom. [was, ] more comfort than [was 'that'] a room of grotesque shadows familiar [was 'familar'] to him. He had seen it pictured throughout the sun-ship, [standardized 'sun ship'] Northwood, goinginto the cabin for fur coats, Athalia's [was 'Athania's'] picture was gone. He seized a telescope and focused [was 'focusd'] it Northwood [was 'Norwood'] narrowed his eyes as "Do I guess right, " said Northwood, [was ;] "that the light is "Yes, " said Dr. Mundson. [was 'Munson'] "In your American slang, New Eden, [was 'Elden'] where supermen are younger than babes while she possessed the freshness of young girlhood, [changed from ;]her skin and eyes the iciness [was 'icyness'] was gone from his blue eyes you would be disappointed in him, [added, ] especially after having which she probably never saw before to-day, [standardized 'today'] I don't blame Adam for preferring [was 'prefering'] Athalia. the atoms of his body seemed to fly asunder. [was 'assunder'] Every grave that has yawned to receive its prey hides [was 'pray'] thrust him into Future Time, where the laboratory [was hyphenatedbetween lines as 'labor-ratory'] there could be no survivors. [standardized 'survivers'] could receive with any [was 'and'] degree of clarity, always passed everyone [standardized 'every one'] who took hiscourses that he was allowed to go [was 'do'] about as he pleased. I can have a good man rewrite [standardized 're-write'] your drivel isn't to-day [standardized 'today'] to that Indian. would be necessary to decelerate [was 'decellerate'] what looked at first [was 'fist'] glance to be a huge artillery shell To-day [standardized 'Today'] the human body stands a speed A few minutes was enough for [removed duplicate 'for'] me to grasp Suppose I was laughed [was 'to laughed'] at when I get back, in the chairs of science to-day. [standardized 'today'] pre-pleistocene [was 'pre-pleistocence'] age--swimming among theinvertebrate and, with almost super-human [standardized 'superhuman'] efforts, "The swarm's halfway [standardized 'half-way'] to Adelaide, " he said. "Tommy, there must be water in the station, " said [was 'and'] Dodd. The entire machine was enclosed [standardized 'inclosed'] in a inconspicuousness [was 'inconspicuous'] of his voice and manner replied the detective. "Where did you hide the loot?" [was, ] a person might [was 'mighty'] cause by passing very rapidly. more experience with robberies than [was 'that'] with apprehending is closed for to-day. [standardized 'today'] replied the doctor with a judicial [was 'judical'] air, "Are we going to waste the whole afternoon [was 'afternon'] showed you to be ambidextrous. " [was 'ambidexterous'] SUBSCRIPTION [was 'SUBSCSRIPTION'] $3. 00 PER YEAR