Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-15

| They were clad in graceful, flowing robes
/ highly ornamented with metal and jewels
and their luxuriant hair was of a beau
tiful golden and reddish bronze. The men
were beardless, and only a few wore arms
| The scenes depicted, for the most part, q
fair.skinned, fsirhalred people at play.
Dejah Thoris clasped her hands with
an exclamation of rapture as she ga2ed
upon these magnificent works of art
| wrought by people long extinct: while
| Sola. on the other hand apparently did
| not see them.
We decided to use this room, on the
second floor and overlooking the plaza. for
| Dejah Thors and Sola, and another room
adjoining and in the rear for the cooking
| and supplies | then dispatched Sola to
| bring the bedding and such food and
utensils as she might need, telling her
! would guard Dejah Thoris until her re.
! turn.
As Soa departed Dejah Thoris turned
to me with faint smile.
And whereto, then. would your pris.
oner escape should you leave her, unless
| 1t was to follow you and crave your pro.
| lection. and ask your pardon for the cruel
! thoughts she has harbored against you
| these last few days?"
you are right" I answered, there
| is no escape for either of us unless we
| go together"
! "I heard your challenge TO the creature
L I
| stand your position among these people,
| but what l cannot fathom Is your state.
/ ment that you are not of Barsoom. In the
! name of my first ancestor, then, where
may you be from?
You are like unto my people and yet
so unlike You speak my language. and
| yet | heard you tell Tars TarkaS that
| you had but learned II recently.
IAN Barsoomians speak the same
tongue from the ice-clad south to the ice
clad north, though their written languages
differ. Only in the valley Dor. where the
river Iss empties into the lost sea of
korus, is there supposed to be different
language spoken, and, except in the leg
ends of our ancestors, there Is no record
of Barsoomian returning up the river
lss. from the shores of korus in the valley
of Dor
"Do not tell me that you have thus re.
turned, They would kill you horribly
anywhere upon the surface of Barsoom,
If that were true. Tell me it is not.
Her eyes were filled with n strange,
weird light; her voice was pleading, and
her little hands, reached up upon my
breast. were pressed against me as though
to wiring denial from my very heart.
II do not know your customs, Deiah
Thoris, but in my own Virginia a gentle.
man does not lie to save himself. | am
not of Dor. | have never seen the mys-
still lost so far as l am concerned. Do
you believe me?"
And then it struck me suddenly that
| was very anxious that she should be-
l!eve me. It was not that / feared the
results which would follow n general be-
lief that | had returned from the Bar
soomian heaven or hell or whatever 1t was.
Why was it, then! Why should l care
what She thought? | looked down at
her: her beautiful face upturned and her
wonderful eyes opening up the very depth
of her soul And. as my eyes met hers, I
knew why and-I shuddered.
A similar wave of feeling seemed to stir
her. She drew away from me with a sigh,
and with her earnest face turned up TO
mine. she whispered, 81 believe you, John
Carter. / do not know what gentle
man is. nor have I ever heard before of
Virginia. But on Barsoom no man lies.
If he does not wish to speak the truth he
is silent.
where is this Virginia, your country.
John Carter" she asked. and it seemed
that this fair name of my fair land had
never sounded more beautiful than as it
fell from those perfect lips
II am of another world" I answered
'the great planet, Earth. which revolves
about our common sun and next within the
orbit of your Barsoom, which we know as
Mars. How | came here / cannot tell
you, for i do not know, But here | am,
and, since my presence has permitted me
to serve Dejah Thoris am glad that l
am here"
She gazed at me with troubled eyes,
long and questionngly. That 1t was diff.
cult to believe my statement | well knew,
nor could l hope that she would do so,
however much craved her confidence and
respect / should much rather not have
told her anything of my antecedents, but
no man could look into the depth of those
mr. ref hats r1f hal,a
Finally she smiled, and. rising, said:
81 shall have to believe. even though
cannot understand. | can readily perceive
that you are not of the Rarsoom of today
You are like u.s. yet different But why
should / trouble my poor head with such
problem, when my heart tells me that l
believe because | wish to believer
1t was good logic, good earthly feminine
logic. and if it satisfied her | certainly
could pick no flaws in it, AS a matter of
fact it was about the only kind of logic
that could be brought to bear upon my
problem.
We fell into general conversation
then. asking and answering many ques-
tions on each side. She was curious to
learn of the customs of my people. and
displayed remarkable knowledge of
events on earth. When 1 questioned her
closely on this seeming familiarity with
earthly things she laughed. and cried
out:
why every schooIboy on Barsoom
knows the geography, and much concern
ing the fauna and flora, as well as the |
history of your planet fully as well as of |
his own. Can we not see everything which |
takes place upon Earth-as you call it? |
Is it not hanging there in the heavens in |
plain sight?"
This baffied me, 1 must confess fully |
as much as my statements had confounded /
her; and told her so. She then explained /
roughly the instruments her people had |
used and had been perfecting for ages, |
which permit them to throw upon a screen |
a perfect image of what is transpiring |
upon any planet and upon many of the |
stars. Z
These pictures are so perfect in detail |
that, when photographed and enlarged, OBJ
jects no greater than blade of grass may /
be distinctly recognized. L afterward, in |
Helium, saw many of these pictures, as
well as the instruments which produced /
them.
IF. then, you are so familiar with |
earthly beings" I asked, why is it that /
you do not recognize me as an inhabitant
of that planet?"
She smiled again as one might in bored |
indulgence of a questioning child
Because, John Carter" she replied, |
nearly every planet and star having at
conditions at all approaching
those of Barsoom. shows forms of animal
life almost identical with you and me.