Argosy, Vol. 147, No. 1 — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

ar . ee a ha Senta little sigh. on is Jacked and sat down be- i r now. His trousers were thin, ie mab and stiff from his recent i ue staring at the sleeping girl. ov gad beautiful and very sweet, ; with her golden hair framing e, her little head pillowed on her : at ortion of one blue-feathered wing 1g out from under the blanket. All ¢ Mercer bent over and kissed her P teeching her lips with his, as one 3 ‘sleeping child. e stirred, then opened her eyes and d up at him again. < fou cold, Ollie,” she said accusingly. Soe ‘ted an ‘edge of the blanket. ‘‘ Here fe str hed himself beside her, and she a corner of the blanket over him: and s, like two children lost in the woods and Ic ilec -d together for warmth under a fallen ed CHAPTER XXI. a 3 - ANOTHER LIGHT-RAY! SHE news that Mercer and Anina had been left in the Twilight Country a ‘ mn) dumfounded Miela and ee Something was wrong,” Mercer had d then they had insisted on stay- Sand had sent the girls back to 2 come over. uld make nothing of it, nor did if hour of argument into which we y plunged further enlighten us. lav in our plans which had dawned SO ) suddenly and clearly certainly = red to us, for all it was seeming- ‘hase . ae reached no on whatever except that we would evening as Mercer had di- eli cea of the police chief _He was a little man, curiously nt i d for a Mercutian, with taloons. ,a a shirt, short jacket and BOLE) = sa "ARGOSY- ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Oe Ee ee ments were rapid, his roving soneg | cu- liarly alert. vase He bowed before me obsequiously. He would obey me to the letter, I could see that at once from his manner; though, had I impressed him as being like my prede- cessor, I did not doubt but that he would do as he pleased upon occasion. I toyed with the little light-ray cylinder in my hand quite casually through the brief interview, and I saw he was tho impressed, for he seemed unable to take his eyes from it. “Where are your men just now?” I asked. He raised his hands deprecatingly and poured out a flood ef words te Miela when my question was translated to him. ‘‘ He himself was sleeping,” she said to me when he had paused for breath. “ His third watch was on patrol about the city, Then from the castle came the king’s guards, fleeing in haste. These of the po- lice they met they told that evil men were in the castle with the light-ray, and all who represented the city’s authority would be killed.” ‘That was a lie,” I interrupted. “ There was no light-ray here then.” Miela nodded. “It was what Baar’s men had told them to say, I think.” ‘And then what happened to the po- lice?” “Then they left their posts about the city. Some fled; others went back and reported what they had heard.” ‘And it never occurred to any of them to come up here and try to step the dis- turbance? Curious policemen, these!” “It is too deadly—the light-ray,” said Miela. “ They were afraid. And then the alarm bell began ringing. They sent for Ano, here, to ask him what they should do. And then you sent for him. He has his men at the police building, in waiting. And he comes to you at the risk of*his life, and now asks your commands.” Thus did my chief of police explain sat- isfactorily to himself, and with great protes- tations of loyalty to his trust, how it ae about that he and his men did nothings their king was in a one