Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-05-27

US the history or your planet TuIiy as
well as of his own. Can we not see
everything which takes place upon
Earth. as you call it; is Ii not hang
ing there in the heavens in plain
sight?"
This baffled me. l must confess,
fully as much as my statements had
COMPOUNDED her; and / told her so.
She then explained in general the i'm
struments her people had used and
been perfecting for ages. which per-.
nit them to throw upon a screen a
perfect image of what is transpiring
upon any planet and upon many of
the stars.
If, then, you are so familiar with
earthly things" l asked. ''why is it
that you do not recognize me as iden-
teal with the inhabitants of that plan
et?"
She smiled again as one might in
bored indulgence of a questioning
child.
Because, John Carter she replied,
nearly every planet and star having
atmospheric conditions at all APP
preaching those of Barsoom. shows
forms of animal life almost Identical
with you and me; and, further Earth
men, almost without exception, cover
their bodies with strange unsightly
pieces of cloth, and their heads with
hideous contraptions the purpose of
which we have been unable to con-
ceive; while you, when found by the
Tharkian warriors, were entirely UNI
disfgured and unadorned"
! then narrated the details of my
departure from the Earth, explain
ing that my body there lay fully
clothed in ali the, to her. strange gar
ments of mundane dwellers. AT this
point Sola returned with our meager
belongings and her young Marian
protege. who, Of course. would have
to share the quarters with them.
Sofa asked us if we had had a Wis
itor during her absence, and seemed
much surprised when we answered
in the negative. 1t seemed that as
she had mounted the approach to the
upper floors where our quarters were
located, she had met Sarkoja descend
ing. We decided that she must have
been eavesdropping, but as we could
recall nothing of importance that had
passed between US we dismissed the
matter as of little consequence.
Dejah Thoris and l then fell to ex-
aiming the architecture and decOra-
tions of the beautiful chambers of the
building we were occupying. She told
me that these people had presumably
flourished over a hundred thousand
years before. They were the early
progenitors OF her race, but had mixed
with the other great races of early
Martians, who were very dark, almost
black, ard also with the reddish yell
low race which had fiourished at the
same time.
These three great divisions of the
higher Martians had been forced in
to a mighty alliance as the drying up
of the Marian seas had compelled
them to seek the comparatively few
and always diminishing fertile areas,
and to defend themselves. under new
conditions of life, against the wild
hordes of green men.
The ancient Martians had been
highly cultivated and literary race,
but during the vicissitudes of those
trying centuries of reimbursement TO
new conditions, not only did their ad-
vancement and production cease en-
tirely, but practically all their archives,
records, and literature were lost.
We had been so engrossed In explOr-
alton of the building and in our con
versation that it was late in the after
noon before we realized it. We were
brought back to realization of our
present conditions by a messenger
bearing a summons from Lorquas
Ptomel directing me to appear before
him forthwith Bidding Dejah Thor
is and Sofa farewell, and command
ing Woola to remain on guard, hast
ened TO the audience chamber, where
found Lorquas Ptomel and Tars Tar
kas seated upon the rostrum.
AS / entered and saluted, Lorquas
Ptomel signaled me to advance, and
fixing his great, hideous eyes upon
me, addressed me thus:
You have been with us few days
yet during that time you have by
your proves won a high position
among us. Be that as 1t rnay, you are
not one Of us; you owe us no allegi-
ance.
'Your position Is a peculiar one"
he continued; "you are prisoner
and yet you give commands which
must be obeyed; you are an alien and
yet you are a Tharkian chieftain !;
yon are midget and yet you can kill
a mighty warrior with one blow Of
your fist And now you are reported
to have been plotting to escape with
another prisoner of another race; a
prisoner who, from her own admission
half believes you are returned from
the valley OF Dor. Either one Of these
accusations, If proved, would be suffi-
cient grounds for your execution, but
we are a just people and you shall
nv IL