Avon Murder Mystery Monthly No. 41 — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

88 THE METAL MONSTER Awakening was—dreadful, a struggling back from drowning. I saw Martin—blasted. I drove the—the spell away from me, tore it away. “And, O Walter—Dick—it hurt-—it hurt—and for a breath before | ran to him it was like—like coming from a world in which there was no disorder, no sorrow, no doubts, a rhythmic, harmonious world of light and music, into—into a world that was like a black and dirty kitchen. | “And it’s there,” her voice rose, hysterically. “It’s still within me— whispering, whispering; urging me away from you, from Martin, from every human thing; bidding me give myself up, surrender my human- ity. “Its seal,” she sobbed. “No—Azs seal! An alien consciousness sealed within me, that tries to make the human me a slave—that waits to overcome my will—and if I surrender gives me freedom, an incredible freedom—but makes me, being still human, a—monster.” She hid her face in her hands, quivering. “If I could sleep,” she wailed. “But I’m afraid to sleep. I think I shall never sleep again. For sleeping how do I know what I may be when I wake?” | | I caught Drake’s eye; he nodded. I slipped my hand down into the medicine-case, brought forth a certain potent and tasteless combination of drugs which I carry upon explorations. _ ; I dropped a little into her cup, then held it to her lips. Like a child, unthinking, she obeyed and drank. , - “But PIL not surrender.” Her eyes were tragic. “Never think it! I can win—don’t you know I can?” “Winer” Drake dropped down beside her, drew her toward him. “Bravest girl I’ve known—of course you'll win. And remember this— nine-tenths of what you're thinking now is purely over-wrought nerves and weariness. You'll win—and we'll win, never doubt it.” “T don’t,” she said. “I know it—oh, it will be hard—but I wiJl—I will—” CHAPTER XV the House of Norhala ER eyes closed, her body relaxed; the potion had done ‘its work quickly. We laid her beside Ventnor on the pile of silken stuffs, covered them both with a fold, then looked at each other long and GOGO .S (GO)