Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

— 642 form, and soon Ku-ro set to work grinding together red and yellow ochre till a tint was got something like that of flesh, and with this color, mixed with water, he tinted the figure, his enthusiasm growing as he worked. The garment he left untouched, for the Star-Marked One wore ever the skin of the ‘ white leopard from the Country of the Snows, but the arms and face, the bosom and the legs, uncovered like those of the maidens of the Ta-an, he tinted till they glowed rosy as with the leaping, pulsing blood beneath the skin. The lips he touched with red ochre, the hair with yellow, for the Star-Marked One was ever pictured in the tales as yellow of hair. The eyes, gray, he touched with a flake of soot from the lip of his stone lamp, mixing this, too, with water, and laying it on sparingly, and when he had done he took the figure reverently to the mouth of his cave; for by now the light was failing— and he gasped in astonishment; the ivory seemed fairly to live and breathe in his hands. Doubtingly, as one suspecting a miracle, he touched the image with his fingers, al- most expecting to feel it yield at the touch. But the ivory remained hard, and the feel of it reassured him, though none the less his heart raced and pounded and the blood throbbed in his temples as the knowledge grew within him that he had done what never before had an artist dreamed or wrought. Reverently Ku-ro carried the statue back within the cave and placed it on the rocky shelf, laying a skin gently over it to protect it from view. This done, he rolled himself in skins and slept. For the next three days Ku-ro remained within his cave, going not abroad, but wait- ing the summons to the Rock of Council. At last the word came, and the Carver of Ivory followed the messenger to the broad, open space beside the river, where were gathered the tribesmen in response to the call of Nan-a-ta. | Making his way through the multitude clustered about the flat-topped rock, Ku-ro came to where stood Nan-a-ta, Then-ai, and Tu-sen upon the rock. Leaping up, ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. he took his place, and the great chieftain raised his hand for silence. “People of the Mountain Caves,” spoke Nan-a-ta, “this day my daughter gives her hand to the one who shows the best- carved figure of the Star-Marked One, go- ing with him to his cave as bride. Tu-sen, be it yours to show first your handiwork; People of the Mountain Caves, look well; yours is it to judge!”’ Tu-sen strode to the edge of the Rock of Council, and lifted high the statue he bore; with his left hand he held it, while with his right he stripped from it the skin in which it was wrapped. A gasp of awe and amazement ran through the ctfowd, and many voices rose in cheers, for in very. truth the figure was of wondrous beauty. Tu-sen flushed with pleasure and turned the figure about that all might see, then stepped back and laid the carving at the feet of Then-ai, who smiled on him. The chieftain nodded to Ku-ro, who in tern Stepped forward, lifting high his work, slowly and reverently unwrapping the skins from about it and holding it aloft. Unttl that moment the day had been dull and overcast; dark gray clouds had. hid the sun, and all the valley lay under a spell of gloom. But as Ku-ro raised the figure. the sun broke through the veil, and a shaft - - of light,-sifting through the trees at the edge of the clearing, struck full on his arm and harfd, gilding the warm and glowing figure which he held. No sound broke the deep silence of the valley, and Ku-ro, amazed, looked down— they had cheered Tu-sen; surely some meed of praise might be his also! Then from the multitude came a hissing gasp of indrawn breath, and an old man, most re- vered of all the artists of the Ta-an, sank slowly to his knees, his arms outstretched in worship. One after another followed, still silent, till all the People of the Moun- tain Caves knelt before the Star-Marked One, and the heart of Ku-ro swelled within his bosom, and the tears flooded to his eyes. He turned and laid the figure at the feet of Then-ai, and, wordless, the great chief- tain lifted his daughter’s hand and laid it, unresisting, in that of Ku-ro. The honored ‘artist could see that the great chieftain comicloookks