# Weird Tales/Volume 30/Issue 4

NB: The copyright for "Which Will Scarcely Be Understood" by Robert E. Howard was renewed by Howard's estate and has therefore been redacted from this version of the magazine.
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A MAGAZINE OF THE BIZARRE AND UNUSUAL
REGISTERED IN U.S. PATENT OFFICE
| Volume 30 | CONTENTS FOR OCTOBER, 1937 | Number 4 |
| Cover Design | M. Brundage | M. Brundage |
| Illustrating a scene in "Tiger Cat" ||
| Tiger Cat | David H. Keller | 386 |
| A story as fascinating as any of the horrors conceited in the tortured mind of Dante or of Poe ||
| Pledged to the Dead | Seabury Quinn | 397 |
| A thrilling tale of a lover whose sweetheart had been in her grave more than a century ||
| Which Will Scarcely Be Understood | Robert E. Howard | 416 |
| Verse ||
| The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft | 418 |
| A posthumous story of a revolting horror in the cellar of an old house ||
| The Homicidal Diary | Earl Peirce, Jr. | 437 |
| What strange compulsion drove this man to roam the streets and commit his ghastly crimes? ||
| The Long Arm | Franz Habl | 450 |
| Insidiously crawling and groping, the long arm reached out on its errand of death ||
| The Lake of Life (part 2) | Edmond Hamilton | 459 |
| A weird-scientific serial replete with thrills, adventure, mystery and romance ||
| The Golgotha Dancers | Manly Wade Wellman | 483 |
| A curious and terrifying story about an artist who sold his soul to paint a living picture ||
| Here Lies | H. W. Guernsey | 489 |
| An ironic tale about a practical communist who taught his friend when to take him seriously ||
| The Last of Mrs. DeBrugh | H. Sivia | 492 |
| DeBrugh was dead, but he still regarded his promise as a sacred duty to be fulfilled ||
| To a Skull on My Bookshelf | Elizabeth Virgins Raplee | 495 |
| Verse ||
| Weird Story Reprint: The Purple Cincture | H. Thompson Rich | 496 |
| A popular story from an early number of WEIRD TALES ||
| After Two Nights of the Ear-ache | Francis Hard | 502 |
| Verse ||
| The Eyrie | | 503 |
| A department in which the readers express their opinions ||
Published monthly by the Popular Fiction Publishing Company, 2457 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, Ind. Entered as second-class matter March 20, 1923, at the post office at Indianapolis, Ind., under the act of March 3, 1879. Single copies, 25 cents. Subscription rates: One year in the United States and possessions, Cuba, Mexico, South America. Spain, $2.50; Canada, $2.75; elsewhere, $3.00. English office: Otis A. Kline, c/o John Paradise, 86 Strand, W. C. 2, London. The publishers are not responsible for the loss of unsolicited manuscripts, although every care will be taken of such material while in their possession. The contents of this magazine are fully protected by copyright and must not be reproduced either wholly or in part without permission from the publishers.
NOTE—All manuscripts and communications should be addressed to the publishers' Chicago office at 840 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
FARNSWORTH WRIGHT, Editor.
Copyright, 1937, by the Popular Fiction Publishing Company,
COPYRIGHTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
WEIRD TALES ISSUED 1st OF EACH MONTH
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COMING NEXT MONTH
The rivet-studded oaken door crashed open, splintering from the assault of pike-butts whose thunderous echoes still rolled around the walls of the tiny stone room revealed beyond the wreck of the shattered door. Jirel, the warrior-maid of Joiry, leaped in through die splintered ruins, dashing the red hair from her eyes,' grinning with effort, gripping her two-edged sword. But in the ruin of the door she paused. The mail-clad men at her heels surged around her in the doorway like a wave of blue-bright steel, and then paused too, staring.
For Franga the warlock was kneeling in his chapel, and to see Franga on his knees was like watching the devil recite a paternoster. But it was no holy altar before which the wizard bent. The black stone of it bulked huge in this tiny, bare room echoing still with the thunder of battle, and in the split-second between the door's fall and Jirel's crashing entry through its ruins Franga had crouched in a last desperate effort at—at what? His bony shoulders beneath their rich black robe heaved with frantic motion as he fingered the small jet bosses that girdled the altar's block. A slab in the side of it fell open abruptly as the wizard, realizing that his enemy was almost within sword's reach, whirled and crouched like a feral thing. Blazing light, cold and unearthly, streamed out from the gap in the altar.
"So that's where you've hidden it!" said Jirel with a savage softness.
Over his shoulder Franga snarled at her, pale lips writhing back from discolored teeth. Physically he was terrified of her, and his terror paralyzed him. She saw him hesitate, evidently torn between his desire to snatch into safety what was hidden in the altar and his panic fear of her sword that dripped blood upon the stones. . . .
You will not want to miss tin's utterly strange and thrilling novelette, in which Jirel and Northwest Smith join forces against the mighty evil powers of Franga the warlock. Two of the most popular writers of fantastic fiction have collaborated to make this story gripping and fascinating. It will be printed complete in next month's Weird Tales:
Quest of the Starstone
By C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner
———Also———
| Living Buddhess By Seabury Quinn A fascinating tale of a living female Buddha and the dreadful change that befell a lovely American girl—a tale of Jules de Grandin, and a dire lama from out of devil-ridden Asia. | The Voyage of the Neutralia By B. Wallis An exciting story of weird adventures and a strange voyage through space to other planets—by the author of "The Abysmal Horror" and other fascinating thrill-tales. |
| Dread Summons By Paul Ernst The old butler heard a scream, muffled by the street noises from outside, and when he investigated he found that a dread summons had been answered. | The Secret of Sebek By Robert Bloch What grisly horror, spawned in prehistoric ages in ancient Egypt, stalked through that weird house in New Orleans? A tale of the Mardi Gras. |
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| The Phantom of the Ether The first warning of the stupendous cataclysm that befell the earth in the fourth decade of the Twentieth Century was recorded simultaneously in several parts of America. At twelve minutes past 3 o'clock a. m., during a lull in the night's aerial business, several of the larger stations of the Western hemisphere began picking up strange signals out of the ether. They were faint and ghostly, as if coming from a vast distance. As far as anyone could learn, the signals originated nowhere upon the earth. It was as if some phantom were whispering through the ether in the language of another planet. | Monochrome blue-tinted photograph of a copy of The Moon Terror, a hard-backed book illustrated with a woman tied to an altar and an ornately dressed man about to sacrifice her; with a large moon or circle in the background. |
* A Mysterious Message from the Ether!
* "To All Mankind
* "I am the dictator of human destiny. Through control of the earth's internal forces I am master of every existing thing. I can blot out all life—destroy the globe itself. It is my intention to abolish all present governments and make myself emperor of the earth.
* "Communicate this to the various governments of the earth:
* "As a preliminary to the establishment of my sole rule throughout the world, the following demands must be complied with:
* "First: All standing armies shall be disbanded, and every implement of warfare, of whatsoever nature, destroyed.
* "Second: All war vessels shall be assembled—those of the Atlantic fleets midway between New York and Gibraltar, those of the Pacific fleets midway between San Francisco and Honolulu—and sunk.
* "Third: One-half of all the monetary gold supply of the world shall be collected and turned over to my agents at places to be announced later.
* "Fourth: At noon on the third day after the foregoing demands have been complied with, all existing governments shall resign and surrender their powers to my agents, who will be on hand to receive them.
* "In my next communication I will fix the date for the fulfillment of these demands.
* "The alternative is the destruction of the globe.
* "KWO"
Thrills! Mystery! Excitement!—"The Moon Terror" :
Who was this mysterious "KWO," aid was his message actually a momentous declaration to the human race, or merely a hoax perpetrated by some person with an over-vivid imagination?
Newspapers and scientific journals began to speculate upon the matter, advancing all manner of theories to account for this strange summons. In Europe, as well as in America, vast throngs of excited people filled the streets in front of the newspaper offices, watching the bulletin boards for further developments. Was this really the beginning of the dissolution of our planet?
While the supply lasts, you can get a copy of this startling book at the special close-out price of only 50c. Send your order today to: :
POPULAR FICTION PUBLISHING COMPANY,
840 N. Michigan Ave.Chicago, Ill., U. S. A. :
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Special Bargain Offer :
| • YOURS While They Last At Reduced Price Only Fifty Cents • | Beautifully bound in rich blue cloth with attractive orange-colored cover jacket. |
| The Moon Terror, by A. G. Birch, is a stupendous weird-scientific novel of Chinese intrigue to gain control of the world. ALSO—OTHER STORIES In addition to the full length novel, this book also contains three shorter stories by well-known authors of thrilling weird-scientific fiction: Ooze, by Anthony M. Rud, tells of a biologist who removed the growth limitations from an amoeba, and the amazing catastrophe that ensued. Penelope, by Vincent Starrett, is a fascinating tale of the star Penelope, and fantastic thing that happened when the star was in perihelion. An Adventure in the Fourth Dimension, by Farnsworth Wright, is an uproarious skit on the four-dimensional theories of the mathematicians and inter-planetary stories in general. LIMITED SUPPLY Make sure of getting your copy now before the close-out supply is exhausted. Send your order today for this book at the special bargain price of only 50c. NOTE: This book for sale from the publisher only. It cannot be purchased in any book store. ||
| WEIRD TALES, Book Dept. 840 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill., U.S.A. Enclosed find 50c for cloth-bound copy of The Moon Terror as per your special offer. Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   Address. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ||
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was legally published within the United States (or the United Nations Headquarters in New York subject to Section 7 of the United States Headquarters Agreement) before 1964, and copyright was not renewed.
* For Class A renewal records (books only) published between 1923 and 1963, check the Stanford University Copyright Renewal Database.
* For other renewal records of publications between 1922–1950, see the University of Pennsylvania copyright records.
* For all records since 1978, search the U.S. Copyright Office records.
Works published in 1937 could have had their copyright renewed in 1964 or 1965, i.e. between January 1st of the 27th year after publication or registration and December 31st of the 28th year. As this work's copyright was not renewed, it entered the public domain on January 1st, 1966.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
It is imperative that contributors ascertain that there is no evidence of a copyright renewal before using this license. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the work as a copyright violation.
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