Argosy, Vol. 147, No. 1 — page 121: what you’re looking at

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

ee Ric for Miela and me, and how two of his men had brought her here to the Water City boat at once. That was all she knew, except that this house was the headquarters of Tao’s emis- saries, who, it appeared, were now allied with Baar and his party. Anina whispered all this to Mercer when her mother had finished. “Let’s get out of here,” said Mercer. The responsibility of two women, espe- cially the elder Lua, who could not fly, weighed suddenly upon him, and his. first thought was to get back to the Great City at once. Anina helped her mother into the boat. “Wait,” she whispered to Mercer. “TI hear what they say. You wait here.” She went to the foot of the steps and began climbing them cautiously. “Not on your life, I won’t wait here,” Mercer muttered to himself, and, gripping the light-ray cylinder firmly as though he feared it might get away from him, he joined Anina on the stairway. Slowly, cautiously they made their way upward. ‘The steps were fairly wide, and they went up almost side by side. From near the top they could see a portion of the room above. The corner of a table showed, around which a number of men were gathered, eat- ing. A woman was moving about the room serving them. Their words, from here, were plainly au- dible. Mercer would have gone a step or two higher, without thought of discovery, but Anina held him back. “ Wait, Ollie. I hear now what they say.” They stood silent. The men were talk- TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK U THE FIRE PEOPLE. i: U an ing earnestly. Mercer could 3 words, but of course understood m hing “What do they say, Anina?” } pered impatiently after a moment. B “ Baar is here with two or three of men. He talks with Tao’s men. 1 talk about men from Twilight Cou Waiting for them now. Speak of s Worried—because men do not come. — ing for light-ray. 55 3 ie “They'll have a long wait,” Me i chuckled. “ Let’s get out of rie He must have made a slight n ise, is perhaps he and Anina, crouching tk the stairs, were seen by some one al He never knew quite how it occurre - b without warning, a man stood at tk he o : ing, looking down at them. ee There was a shout, and the roor was in instant turmoil. Mercer | head. Anina pulled at him and sid so thing, but he did not hear her. © =e knew that they had been disce vel ed that most of their enemies in th e V 3 City were crowded together in this « room at hand. And se had the li g re the only one in the city. A sudden madness possessed h tore away from Anina and, climk ng U rr steps of the stairway, leaped into th th above. . e Twenty or thirty men f Sit mc of them about the table. Sev ed hastily to their feet; two or were overturned. The man who had been lookéng ae the opening darted back as Mercer ca and shouted again. a Mercer saw it was Baar. a -~ ™, 2 aie ec ia j a a < a * Ai THE 155TH NOVEL, ORIGINALLY PRINTED IN THIS M/ a — BE PUBLISHED IN BOOK FORM IS THE GIRL IN THE GOLDEN ATOM By RAY CUMMINGS . (ALLSTORY WEEKLY, March 1s, 1919.) _ aaa Published in book form se Methuen, London, En lan sf WAL en's 3E- ae oa aa ita , st “ comicbooks. com