Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

A494 small. bedroom chair was overturned near the center of the room. “ FHe—he isn’t burned.” Mercer spoke the words hardly above a whisper. “‘ Some- thing else killed him—there’s been a fight. They—”’ He stopped. A sudden panic seized me. I wanted to run—to do something — anything — that would get me away from the nameless, silent: terror that seemed all about. ‘““ Come on,” I whispered back. Let’s get out of here.” As we got out into the living room we heard slow, dragging footsteps on the porch outside. We stopped again, shrinking back against the wall. — “ They—they—it’s—” Mercer’s whis- pered words died away. We were both ter- rified beyond the power of reasoning. The dragging footsteps came closer—a sound that had in it nothing of human tread. Then we heard soft voices—words that were ‘“‘ God! unintelligible. “Tt’s the Mercutians,” I found vane to whisper. “ They—” A figure appeared in the porch doorway, outlined against the light behind—the figure of a short, squat man. He seemed to have on some sort of white, furry garment. He was bareheaded, with hair falling to his shoulders. At the sight of him my terror suddenly left me. Here was an enemy I could cope with. The dread fear of supernatural beings that had possessed me evaporated. With a shout to Mercer I dashed for- ward directly at the doorway. I think the Mercutian had not yet seen us; the stood quite still, his body blocking the full width of the doorway. I let fly with my fist as I came up and hit him full in the face. At the same in- stant my body struck his. He toppled back- ward and I went through the doorway.. I | tripped over him on the porch outside and fell sprawling. Before I could rise three other Mercutians fell upon me and pinned me down. Mercer was right behind me in the door- way. I saw him pause an instant to see what was happening. There seemed to be five Mercutians altogether. The one I had ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. » hit lay quite still. Three others were.hold- ing me. _ The fifth stood to one side, watching Mercer, but apparently inactive. T saw Mercer hesitate. An expression of surprise came over his face. His body swayed; he took a single step. forward, half turned, and then fell in a crumpled heap. CHAPTER VI. MIELA. HE girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat. She. continued smiling. Alan stood up and faced her. He wondered. what he should say—-whether she could understand him any better than he could her. “You speak on pail he began hesi- tantly. The girl did not answer at once; “she seemed to be trying to divine his mean- ing. Then she waved her hand—a curious movement, which he took to be a gesture of negation—her broadening smile disclos- ing teeth that were small, even, and very white. At this closer view Alan could see she was apparently about twenty years old, as time is reckoned on earth. Her body was very slender, gracefully rounded, yet with an appearance of extreme fragility. Her slenderness, and the long, sleek wings be- hind, made her appear taller than she really was; actually she was about the height of a normal woman of our own race. Her legs were covered by a pair of trou- sers of some silky fabric, grayish blue in color. Her bare feet were incased in san- dals, the golden cords of which crossed her insteps and wound about her ankles, fastening down the lower hems of the trou- sers. A silken, gray-blue scarf was wound about her waist; crossing in front, it passed up over her breast and shoulders, crossing again between the wings behind and de- scending to the waist. Her hair was ‘a smooth, glossy black. It was parted in the middle, covered her ears, and came forward over each shoulder. The plaits were bound tightly around with silk- en cords; each: was fastened to her body CONNICHOOKS. GOIN