Air Wonder Stories, July 1929 — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

MEN WITH WINGS 67 Doctor Morris was rotund, pink-cheeked and bald, The sight of him carried me back to New York. He might have been merely a physician paying his daily call at his clinic. He had no wings or signs of any. Surely he did not belong in the Brazilian jungles, Later I learned that he was from New York, that he had come to Mentor of his own accord, preferring his work here among the flying people to his fashionable clientele on Park Avenue. Here he was head of the medical corps and he loved the winged people more than he could ever have loved his millionaire clients. “Well,” he said quietly, “we lost one, but we managed to save two!” and he smiled. “I surely am delighted to see you looking so good, young man. You almost went under. But you'll be as good as a new babe in a few days. No bones broken, but you were pretty well cut up around your head and shoulders. Had a slight concussion of the brain, too. Lost lots of blood. Now Wormley here broke a leg and got his face so cut up I am afraid his own mother won’t be able to recognize him again.” He noted the readings of my chart and then bade us both to take a nap. With a friendly nod and a “Hape you like Mentor,” he was gone with Miss Lois trailing behind. Conjectures PE EER Wormley or I spoke, both of us think- ing of our dead comrade in the other bed. Then I must have fallen off to sleep, for it was dark in the room when I was awakened by a nurse (not Miss Lois) bringing me some broth. The room was lighted with electricity, and I saw that D’Arcy’s body had already been removed. After eating I fell asleep again. I did not awaken until morning and I found Wormley already breakfasting and waiting for me to wake up. I was given some fruit juices by a nurse who, unlike Miss Lois, had poor little un- developed wings on her shoulders. However, she was cheery and gay as she made us ready for the day. When she left us I turned to Wormley. “Now, tell me something,” I said, “about this place. What have you discovered about it anyway?” “Feeling chipper, eh? Well, you'll be out and doing, I suppose, in a short while and I’ve got about a month or so before I can get around on this game leg of mine.” “Well, tell me what kind of a machine they used to pull us down with?” “Sorry, but I can’t say. No one seems anxious to talk about it at all. But after thinking it over it seemed to me that what we were caught in was a great man-made tornado,” T looked at him incredulously. nado.” “Um-hum” he nodded. “Just that. I’ve been thru one before and I know the signs. What else could explain the great force that pulled us, the sudden darkness, the chill and the feeling of the earth swinging around.” I shook my head sadly. “I don’t see.” ‘Man-made tor- Wormley looked at me tolerantly. “Alright, here goes” he said, “I'll explain. A tornado, you see is caused by a sudden change, or movement of air. Let a cold body of air sweep over a heated place and it will quickly descend and the heated air will tise. That creates a spiral movement of the air. The cold air descending naturally causes a sudden chill, while the great flurry of dust in the air ionized by electrical disturbances obscures the sun and causes darkness.” I was beginning to see. “But,” I objected, “T always thought that a tornado touched only a small area.” “So it does” Wormley agreed, “That's why this one must be man made. What I think they did was to electrically ionize the dust of the air probably even throwing great quantities of dust into the air. And then they must use some gigantic machine to suck in the air to create the cyclonic movement in the higher regions.” I lay back pondering. So these people had com- mand of a great knowledge of science. . . “Well what do you think now” Wormley asked. “Well, whatever it was, it certainly did the trick.” “Right”, Wormley agreed. “It certainly isa wow and Td like to have the chance to study it. Me- chanics is my meat!” “Well, all I'm after is the meat of the story. Come across now and tell me all that you’ve learned about this place. I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible and report this to the ‘home folks’ ”’. “Boy, from the looks of this joint you’re never going to see no home folks ... take that from me.” I laughed. Show me the reporter who did not get home to report! “You can laugh, but it's no laughing matter. I know that girl who signalled us got hers... and the Patriarch won’t stand for any foolishness!” “Who’s the Patriarch?” I demanded, “You'll know soon enough, but I guess I better enlighten you before you make any breaks for liberty! Well, in the first place you are now in the hospital of City Number One of the nation of Mentor as I have already told you. And City Number One is built entirely underground! No wonder none of us ever found it. “Tt must have taken quite a bit of engineering too, with those gigantic trees overhead, most of them several hundred feet high. Everything here appears to be under a communistic sort of regime. Everyone works for a common cause—food, cloth- ing and work is doled out by the city administration plan. Children are raised ‘by the state, lives are directed by the bell. Everyone does his work on schedule. And over it all is this Patriarch. “Haven't seen him yet, but I understand that he’s a dictatorial boy, has’em all under his thumb and they love it. He’s a lady killer, too, Has a harem of his very own. His family has held the Patriarch- ship since the beginning of the race, so he’s natural- ly the big billy-goat. I am led to believe that he will be making a tour of inspection in.a few days.” “Have you seen any of the kidnapped girls?” “No, not yet, though I understand a few of ’em are working here in the hospital. Doctor Morris says that most of the captives are happy here, too. It seems as if they enjoy the wholesome life! no ‘sasiety’ to do, no continual run of social duties, comnliclooolks.com