Air Wonder Stories, May 1930 — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

AIR WONDER STORIES A iminute, and if was settling lightly to the ground near her, its engine stilled. And its graceful, amber-colored wings reflected the sunlight as though the plane’ were a gigantic insect halted for a moment in-its flight. CHAPTER VII Alicia’s Rescue ‘HAT Alicia now saw presented: stich a contrast to her V V past experiences that for a moment she was. unnerved. x ” She had-just fled from the most. horrible creatures it had ever-been her misforttme to behold, and now approaching her was one.of the most magnificent human beings. she had ever dreamed of existing: He was a-strong, stalwart yotmg man, Could he bea Martian? Alicia tried to arise, but her exertions already had been great and-she fell back weakly. She turned her head,however, and kept her eyes fixed upon the man who had left his plane-and was running swiftly toward her. Another. moment, and he had Knelt-on the ground beside‘her, deep wonderment showing in his eyes as he scanned her face, For. only a moment. did the man bend over her. While she smiled tp at him, now. confident of safety. Then he was-sud- denly alert, as though in alarm. Picking her up bodily, he ran to his craft, the engine of which he started immediately. The machine rose vertically and at great speed just in time to escape the rush of a dozen or more Bat-men that flapped in fury below them, Ascending toa greater height, her rescuer cleared the walls of the crater to take a direct course_at great speed. As they: flew, Alicia studied ‘her companion, He had addressed a few words to her, but as she shook her head a puzzled look had come into his eyes. ‘Now and then -the: ‘man would look at her searchingly, address- ing her again and again in a futile effort at communication, But it was no tse, She could understand nothing of what he said. Meanwhile, Alicia wondered how she could let her\rescuer Imnow of the plight of her friends, She knew that if they had survived they wotld- continue their efforts to free her from the Bat-men, and that great danger threatened them as long as they: did not know that she was no longer held captive. How to get a message to them was now her greatest concern. As to her rescuer, she felt perfectly safe with him, Young, handsome and as virile a type of manhood 4s she-had ever seen, he obviously was-the product of a highly-developed. civilization. They flew on for about two hours.and-then descended as they approached a strange city. Alicia gazed in wonder at the beauty of the scene before her. She had already concluded there was a high culttre on the:planet,. Her ‘contact with the stalwart fellow who had so opportunely saved her had verified it, The city hefore the girl's wondering eyes-lay nestled in a narrow valley guarded by high, rugged mountains that boldly thrust upward and reflected iridescent colors in the bright sun- light. They were still too far away for her to make anything of the architecture, so the first impression Alicia had was a riot of gay color. Like-a jewel-in-a rough, picturesque setting lay the city, its buildings a variety-of shades that shone in the distance with a pleasing harmony of design. HEY Janded on a runway in the grounds of an imposing structure statiding on an emitience overlooking the-city. The girl's companion escorted her into the building, where, within a few minutes, Alicia found herself the center of a group of. men who regarded her with the utmost. courtesy and: cere- mony, but with-a’ curiosity they failed. to: conceal. One after another addressed her. She could: only shake her head and smile. Finally they ceased questioning her and con- versed together. Meanwhile, her escort, younger than the others, and apparently pleased with his achievement in bringing here hith&, smilingly stood near as though:to reassure her. There were eight or ten men in the group, All of them were — somewhat distinguished in appearance and in fact they impressed Alicia as being of scholarly type, Their manner, she observed, was dignified and even profound. The girl felt that she had been: brought to an institution of some kind, and this speeulation was stipported afew minutes later when she was taken to a large hall-used as an observatory, Instruments were to:be seen here and there in orderly array. The girl caught sight of a gigantic telescope at the end of the hall. She also saw a planetarium ata distance while from the smooth marble walls Tnmg charts of many sizes, One of the group, an elderly, stately man of great dignity and gracious bearing, turned to his: companions and made a suggestion; Alicia, of course, did not understand, yet she sensed at once the effect of the old man’s words on the others, She noted that their attitude. changed ‘instantly, their thoughtfulness giving way to a wonderment in which it was evident there was mixed a great deal of excitement: And she was certain that what. he had said concerned: her, The white-haired patriarch, whom the others had addressed as Horo, now beckoned to Alicia. She stepped-forward and he Jed her to-a corner of the great hall. Before them was a planetarium, an instrument with which she was familiar, al- though she had never before seen the solar system so beauti- fully presented in miniature. It plainly was a work of art, attesting at-once the high mechattical skill and scientific knowl- edge here, Horo took a slender rod and touched the sun of the planetar- ium, glancing inquiringly at Alicia, The girl nodded that she understood. Next, Horo touched the fourth planet from the sun which she knew to be Mars. Then he bowed to her and placed his hands on his breast after a wide, sweeping gesture with his oufspread arms. Alicia knew just what he meant, and so indicated Bus a smile. Now Horo offered her the rod, which she took and at once indicated the third planet from the stm, which was the Earth, her own world, Then she bowed to the group with her hands on-her- heart. Amazement spread over the faces ofall, and Horo, who had been the first to conceive the idea that she must be-from another world, was. in ecstasy because of his discovery, Eagerly he grasped Alicia by the hand again and led her to a chart on the wall. Swiftly he turned the sheets over till it was her turn to show amazement, for Horo now exposed a projection of the Earth’s ‘surface that actually showed the continents with a fidelity of cutline that amazed: her, Here, indeed, was a-skill in astronomy that was marv€lous|! Certainly, she conjectured, Leonard Fry would be entranced with it, And now she gave thought anew to the problem that had been: constantly. in her mind, but for which she had found no solution. She looked about her for the one medium with which she might be able to express herself, Présently she found what she sought, and.now with parchment of a fine texture and a crayon inher hands she became the center of interest. Rapidly she sketched the projectile-in flight between the two planets,Not a word was spoken by anyone, but the Martians all hung over her shoulder’ in astonishment. She showed her two compatiions of the journey. OW she pictured herself leaving the projectile and gather- ing flowers in-the crater: where they had landed, while her friends remained on board, Next there was a sketch of herself being borne away by the horrible Bat-men. Everyone shuddered-as ‘she looked-up after picturing:the grotto to which she had been carried and her escape and rescue, ad he Aah AS Fh ene ‘ pes , a+ -, = “