Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-01-05

gu, leauluS Hls Culu upOu Ills JWO uauuh
and staring straight before him like
that terrible doomed creature who fas-
cinates the eyes of every beholder stand
ing in the Sistine chapel and gazing at
Michael Angeles dreadful painting of
1.-THE Last Judgment.
This wicked Marian also felt that he
was in the grasp of pitiless and irresisti
BILE fate and that punishment too we'll
deserved and from which there was no
| possible escape now confronted him.
There he remained, in hopelessness
which almost compelled our sympathy,
until Alma had so far recovered that she
was once more able to act as our inter
prefer. Then we made short work of
the negotiations. Speaking through
| Alma, the commander said
| "You know who we are. We have
come from the earth, which, by your
command, was laid waste. Our COM
mission was not revenge, but self pro.
lection. What we have done has been
accomplished with that in view. You
have just witnessed an example of our
power, the exercise of which was not
dictated by our wish, but compelled by
the attack wantonly made upon a help
less member of our own race under ouI
protection.
eve have laid waste your planet,
but it Is simply just retribution fol-
what you did with ours We are pre-,
pared to complete the destruction, leav,
ing not living being in this world OF
yours, or to grant you peace, at your
choice. Our condition of peace is sim
ply this, All resistance must cease alb
solute!y.'"
"Quite right" broke in Colone
Smith. "Let the scorpion pull out hi
sting or We'll do it for him."
Nothing that we could now do, >
continued the commander, "would il
my opinion save you from ultimate de
struction. The forces of nature which
we have been compelled to let loos'
upon you will complete their OWE vic
tory. But we do not wish unnecessaril,
to staio our hands further with you
blood, We shall leave you in possession
of 30 IT lives. Preserve them if you can
But in case the flood recedcs before yol
have all persisted from starvation re
member that you here take an oath sol
EMMY binding yourself and your de
scendants forever never again to max
war upon the earth.
CHATS really the best we can do,
said Mr.. Edison, turning to u.s. "W
can't possibly murder these people il
cold blood. The probability is that tn
flood has hopelessly ruined all their en-
gines of war. | do not believe tina
there is one chance in ten that the wa
tiers will drain off in time to enabl
them to get at their stores of provision
before they have persisted from starva
ton"
st is my opinion, said Lord Kel
vim, who had joined us, his pair Of dis
integrators hanging by his side attache
to strap running over the back of hi
neck, very much as a farmer sometime
carries his big mittens, sit is my opin
ion that the flood will recede more raI
iddly than you think and that the ma
jority Of these people will survive. Blu
quite agree with your merciful vieN
of tho matter. We must be guilty of II
| WuhtOl ucslIuCtlOll luOTb
nine tenths of the inhabitants of MAJ
have persisted in the deluge. Even if al
the others survived ages would elaps
before they could regain the power
injure US. a."
need not describe in detail how on
propositions were received by this MAJ
tian monarch. He knew, and his advii
ers, some Of whom he had called in cor
sultation, also knew, that everythin
was in our hands to do as We pleased
They readily agreed, therefore, tbs
they would make no more resistance an
that we and our electrical ships shoul
no undisturbed while wo remained upo
Mars. The monarch took the oath pr,
scribed after the manner Of his race
Thus the business was completed. BIZ
through it all there had been the shat
ow of sneer on the emperor's fac
which did not like. But said notl
ng.
And now we began to think of OF
return home and Of the pleasure "
should have in recounting our advel
lures to our friends on the earth, WI
were doubtless eagerly waiting for new
, from us, We knew they had bet
watching Mars with powerful tel
scopes, and we were also eager to leal