Avon Murder Mystery Monthly No. 41 — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

34 THE METAL MONSTER own \was as pallid, as terror-stricken as theirs. “They were such little things,” muttered Drake. “Such little things bits of metal—little globes and pyramids and cubes—just little things.” “Babes! Only babes!” It was Ruth—“Bades!” “Bits of metal”—Dick’s gaze sought mine, held it—“and they looked for each other, they worked with each other—thinkingly, consctously— they were deliberate, purposeful—little things—and with the force of a score of dynamos—living, thinking—”" | “Don’t!” Ruth laid white hands over his eyes. “Don’t—don’t you be frightened!” “Frightened?” he echoed. “/’m not afraid—yes, | am atraid—” He arose, stiffly—and stumbled toward me. Afraid? Drake afraid. Well—so was I. Bitterly, terribly afraid. _ For what we had beheld in the dusk of that dragoned, ruined cham- ber was outside all experience, beyond all knowledge or dream of science. Not their shapes—that was nothing. Not even that, being metal, they had moved. But that being metal, they had moved consciously, thoughtfully, de- liberately. | They were metal things with—minds! That—that was the incredible, the terrifying thing. That—and their power. Thor compressed within Hop-o’-my-thumb—and thinking. The light- nings incarnate in metal minacules—and thinking. ‘The inert, the immobile, given volition, movement, cognoscence-— thinking. Metal with a brain! CHAPTER V The Smiting Thing ILENTLY we looked at each other, and silently we passed out of the courtyard. The dread was heavy upon me. The twilight was stealing upon the close-clustered peaks. Another hour, and their ame- thyst-and-purple mantles would drop upon them! snowfelds and glaciers sparkle out in irised beauty; nightfall. As I gazed upon them I wondered to what secret place within their GOGO .S (GO)