The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-02


I had Ibid the body Of Captain
I'LL John Carter of virginia away
from the sight of men In that
strange mausoleum in the old GENE
terry at Richmond.
Often had pondered on the odd ins
structions he had left me governing
the construction of his mighty tomb,
and especially those parts wherein he
directed that he be laid in an open
casket and that the ponderous mech
anism which controlled the bolts Of
the vaults huge door be accessible
only from the inside.
Twelve years had passed since I had
read the remarkable manuscript Of
this remarkable man, this man who
remembered no childhood and who
could not even offer a vague guess as
to his age, who was always young and
vet who had-so he claimed dandled
my zgrandfather's great-grandfather
upon his knee; this man who had spent
ten years upon the planet Mars, who
had fought for the green men of Bar
SOON and fought against them, who
had fought for and against the red
men and who had won the ever beau
tiful Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium,
for his wife and for nearly ten years
had been prince of the house Of
Tardos Mors, jeddak of Helium.
Twelve years had passed since his
body had been found upon the blur
before his cottage overlooking the Hud-
son. Ofttimes during the long years
! had wondered Ii John Carter were
really dead or If he again roamed the
dead sea bottoms Of that dying planet.
Had he returned to Barsoom to find
that he had opened the frowning por.
tails Of the mighty atmosphere plant
In time to save the countless millions
who were dying Of asphyxiation on
that far gone day that had seen him
hurtled ruthlessly through 4S.OOO, 900
miles Of space back to earth once
more?
] had wondered IL he had found his
black haired princess and the slender
son he had dreamed was with her in
the royal gardens of Tardos Mors
awaiting his return.
Or had he found that he had been
too late and thus gone back to living
death upon dead world, or was he
really dead after all, never to return
either to his Mother Earth or his be-
loved Mars?
Thus was lost in useless specula-
ton one sultry August evening when
old Ben, my body servant, handed me
q telegram. Tearing it open, / read:
Meet me tomorrow hotel-Richmond.
JOHN CARTER.
Early the next morning I took the
first train for Richmond and within
two hours was being ushered into the
room occupied by John Carter
AS entered he rose to greet me, his
old time smile of welcome lighting his
handsome face. Apparently, he had
not aged minute, but was still the
straight. clean limbed fighting man Of
thirty.
His keen gray eyes were undimmed,
and the only lines upon his face were
the lines of character and determine
ton that always had been there since
FIRST remembered him, nearly thirty
five years before.
well nephew" he greeted me. do
you feel as though yoyl were seeing a
ghost or suffering from the effects OF
too many Of Uncle Ben's juleps?"
"JuIeps, l reckon l replied, ''for
certainly feel mighty good. But may
be it's just the sight of you again that
affects me. You have been back to
Mars? Tell me. And Dejah Thoris?
You found her well an&-awaiting you?"
Eyes. have been to Barsoom again
and-hut It's long story, too long to
tell in the limited time ! have before