The Argosy, Christmas 1912 — page 179: what you’re looking at

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

CASTAWAYS OF you. We will turn this man over to them.” Then, and for the first time, Lumley realized that his generous desire to aid the distressed had plunged him into trouble. To get to the roof was im- possible. The elevator opening was in the wall behind him, and he started up and retreated toward it. All the time he was executing his re- treat toward the elevator he was plead- ing with his enraged foes for their kindly consideration. ' One of the sons was taking down an electric rifle from the wall. Mother and daughter, clasped in each other’s arms, were on the verge of hysteria. But the father, tortured into fury by decree 3165, was eager for hostilities. Just as the young man turned with the electric rifle, Lumley fell backward into the elevator-cage. His falling body touched the spring that released the car, and he shot downward, At the foot of the shaft he regained his feet and plunged through an open door. He was on the ground floor of the house, and above him he could hear sounds of wildest commotion—trans- mits shouted to the opposition, screams of women, wild shouts of the men, a patter of feet on broad staircases. Lumley gained a massive street door, only to find it locked. What was there to do? He fought with the door, and as he struggled he called wildly for help... His calls, he frantically reasoned, were as useless as his attempts to open the door: Yet he must do something, and instinctively he continued to shout and wrench at the barrier with all his strength. Suddenly there was a crash, a ring- ing impact as of a ton of steel hurled against the door on its outer side. The stout wood shivered, and all but yield- ed. Again came the thunderous attack, and this time the door was burst 1n- ward. Lumley was flung backward to the floor. As he lay there he had a glimpse of a warrior muglug charging through the breach. THE YEAR 2000. 165 The steel giant bent over Lumley, lifted him as easily as though he had been an infant, flung him across one shoulder, and made off with him. Out- side the house another muglug of the warrior class joined the first, and shoulder to shoulder the two ratiled and clanged their way down the street. The relief Lumley might otherwise have felt was clouded with uncertainty. He was held to the muglug’s shoulder by a viselike grip of the iron hands, and every attempt he made to free him- self was met with firm resistance. The two muglugs were at large. Were they dependable, or had they re- belled against the authority of Jerry Dicks and gone on a bit of a rampage? Lumley could only wait and worry and hope for the. best. CHAPTER XVI. TESTED AND FOUND O. K. OR WANTING, FIvE minutes after Lumley had been rescued from the house where edict 3165 had caused so much distress he was borne into a great building that fairly roared with activity. On every hand steel was smiting steel, and the din was terrific. Muglugs were at work building other muglugs. The steel mechanics were divided into groups, and each group had its own particular piece- work. Here were a dozen or so shaping, fit- ting, and riveting the metal heads; just beyond these were the torso-work- ers; farther along were the toilers who hinged and jointed the wonderful arms and hands; over on the right were those whose business it was to fashion the legs and feet, and make perfect the clever joints at thigh, knee, and ankle; and then, last of all, were the assembling frames where each part was brought together, and the com- pleted muglug stamped with a number and laid aside for test and final ap- proval. Lumley, over the iron shoulder of cComicbooks CO