All-Story Weekly, March 1, 1919 — page 123: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

than they spoke of the Shining One?* The green dwarf knelt, took from his girdle- pouch a silk-wrapped sométhing, unwound it—and, still kneeling, drew out a slender poniard of gleaming white metal, hilted with the blue, scintillating stones; stretch- ing out a long arm he thrust it into~ O’Keefe’s girdle; then gave him again the rare salute. Before he could rise the tripod globe chimed; swam with its film of racing colors; whispered. The dwarf listened. “T hear!” he said. Its humming stopped, the crawling colors stilled. “You know the way.” He turned to O’Keefe and to me. He followed us to the head of the pathway. “ Now,” he said grimly, “let the Silent Ones show their power—if they still have it!” And with this strange benediction’ per- plexing me, we passed on. “ For God’s sake, Larry,” I urged as we approached the house of the priestess, “ you'll be careful!” He nodded—but I saw with a little dead- ly pang of apprehension in my_ heart a puzzled, lurking doubt within his eyes. There were many guards about the place —-far more than I had ever seen before. They stood at attention along the bowered THE: CONQUEST OF THE MOON ‘POOL. od path, and just before we reached the portal. of the palace, a dozen of them, manifestly awaiting us, stepped forward, saluted, then formed on each side of us a guard of honor. As we ascended the serpent steps Von Hetzdorp suddenly appeared. The blue robes were gone; he was clothed in gay green tunic and leg-swathings — and odd enough he looked in them, with his owl- rimmed spectacles and his pointed Teutonic beard. He gave a signal to our guards— _ and I wondered what influence the German had attained, for promptly, ‘without ques- eE3 tion, they drew aside. amiably. “Tt is goot to see you again, Dr. Good+ win,” he said. At me he smiled aes ‘No doubt you have been — = observing much. You and I will have much 5 to say to eath other—yes?”’ Friendly as were the words, in them was something furtively menacing. ‘Have you found your friends yet?” he went on—and now I sensed something more __ eS It is too I have deeply sinister in him. ‘ No! bad! Well, don’t give up hope. an idea Olaf will find his wife before you find Professor Throckmartin, Ja/” His lips curled in a vulpine grin—what was the man = hinting, what was he driving at? He turned to O’Keefe. | ‘Lieutenant, I would like to speak to you—alone!”’ “T’ve no secrets from Goodwin,” swered O’Keefe. “So?” queried Von Hetzdorp suavely. He bent, whispered to Larry. The Irishman started, eyed him with a certain shocked incredulity, then turned to me. ‘Just a minute, Doc!” he said, and I caught the suspicion of a.wink. They drew aside, out of ear-shot. The German talked rapidly. Larry was all attention. Von Hetzdorp’s earnestness became _ intense; O’Keefe interrupted—appeared to question. Von Hetzdorp glanced at me and as his gaze shifted from O’Keefe, I saw a hot flame of rage and horror blaze up in the latter’s eyes. At last O’Keefe appeared to consider gravely; nodded as though he had an- * I have no space here even to outline the eschatology of this people, nor to catalogue their pantheon, Siya and Siyana typified worldly love. these degrading elements usually found in love-cults. Their ritual was, however, singularly free from Their youthful priests and priestesses were selected from the most beautiful children of the ruling class, and at the age of nineteen the girls, and at the age of twenty-one the youths were automatically released from their service, taking, if they desired, mates. Priests and priestesses of all cults dwelt in the immense seven-terraced struc- ture, of which the jet amphitheater was the water side. The symbol, icon, representation, of Siya and Sivana—the globe and the up-striving figures—typified earthly love, feet bound to earth, but eyes among the stars. Hell or heaven I never heard formulated, nor their equivalents; unless. that existence in the Shining One’s domain could serve for either. Over all this was Thanaroa, remote, unheeding, but still maker and ruler of al!—an absentee First Cause personified! ‘Thanaroa seemed to be the one article of belief in the creed of the soldiers—Rador, with his reverence for the Ancient Ones, was an exception. Whatever there was, indeed, of high, truly religious impulse among the Murians, this far, High God had. I found this exceedingly interesting, because it had long been _ my theory—to put the matter in the shape of a geometrical formula—that the ‘a attractiveness of gods to man increases uniformly sacroue! to the square of their distance.—W, T. G, ee ae = Soe. “ bare a> . 4 = i ~ ar cet ae ov et - oo a = in Pe fas ee ; ~ ee Wee = ” leyiat? 7 iparrei 7 re ta 2 patos xs » pe atap Win os . > f a a F oe A 7 a” cee re i ed Re Diehl By um TOE ol de ag ne me : = See ae me | | - Se a aS ~ Sta gS mnie a SNe? 3 =n te oe ! once ie oni ma pe ae: coe te ee — 6) | O @ © % “ oe “e n - vee ‘ re 4 fl Soe) ul fi es _ \ ; ke Lite ay £323” Fe Lite fire: PA ce fel /aare ¢ oe oe i : i wee) F . ‘ 4 ~ a f SOV Ae te } - ‘ yp! } fel Ade My Wry Dad) s w « ri ; 7 ‘Ta! 1 RS , ‘ ow » a Pe , Kj at 4 + : - fy 4 ‘ v7. eI “ts 7 “+ ty ve Pe bliin ‘ >