The Snowflake herald., 1921-03-25
,ora many similar tales.


my mother was rather small IN
fact too small to be allowed the re-
sponsibilities of maternity, as our
cbieftains breed principally for size.
She was also less cold and cruel than
most green Martian women, and caring
l;ttle for their society, she often
~oamed the deserted avenues of Thark
alone. or went and sat among the wild
flowers that deck the nearby Nils,
thinking thoughts and wishing wishes
which I believe / alone among Thark-
Ian women today may understand, for
am | not the child of my mother?
"And there among the hills she met
young warrior, whose duty 1t was to
guard the feeding zitidars and thoats
and see that they roamed not beyond
the hills. She trusted him and told OF
the awful repugnance she felt for the
crueltieS of their kind for the hideous'
loveIess lives they must ever lead. ana
then she waited for the storm OF de-
nunciation to break from his cold nara
lips; but instead he took her III MS
arms and kissed her.
'They kept their love a secret for
six long years. She, my mother. was
of the retinue of the great Tai Ha1us'
while her lover was a simple warrior,
wearing only his own metal. Had
their detection from the traditions OF
the Tharks been discovered both
would have paid the penalty in the
great arena before Tai Hajus and the
assembled hordes
1.-The egg from which ! came was
hidden beneath a great glass vesse!
uDOn the highest and most inaccessible
of the partially ruined towers of an.
cient Thark. Once each year my moth
er visited it for the five long years II
lay there in the process of incubation.
She dared not come Oftener for in
the mighty guilt of her conscience she
feared that her every move was
watched. During this period my ia
ther gained great distinction as a
warrior and had taken the metal from
several chieftains. His advance was
rapid. and he soon stood high in the
councils of Thark. But one day he wa
ordered away upon . long expedite
to the ice-clad south, TO make war up
on the natives there and despoil them
of their furs.
"He was gone for four years, and
when he returned all had been over
for three; for about year after bis
departure, and shortly before the time
for the return of an expedition which
had gone forth to fetch the fruits OF
a community incubator. the egg had
Matched. Thereafter my mother con-
tinued to keep me in the old tower,
visiting me nightly and lavishing upon
me the love the community life would
have robbed US both Of
"She taught me rapidly the language
and customs of my kind, and one night
she told me the story have told to you
up to this point, impressing upon me
the necessity for absolute secrecy and
the great caution | must exercise after
she had placed me with the other
young TharkS to permit no one TO guess
that | was further advanced in edu-
cation than they and then drawing me
close to- her she whispered in my ear
the name of my father.
And then light flashed out upon
the darkness of the tower chamber,
and there stood Sarkoja, her cleaning,
baleful eyes fixed in a frenzy Of loath-
ing and contempt upon my mother.
That she had heard the entire story
was apparent, and that she had sus-
pected something wrong from my
mothers long nightly absences from
her quarters accounted for her pres
ence there on that fateful night.
"SarkOja FASTENED to Tai Hajus TO
report her discovery, and while she
was gone my mother wrapping me in
the silks and furs of her night cover
ings, so that | was scarcely noticeable,
descended to the streets and ran wild
~ toward the outskirts of the city, in
the direction which led to the far
south, out toward the man whose pro
lection she might not claim, but on
whose face she wished to look once
more before she died.
AS we neared the cltyS southern
extremity a sound came to US from
across the messy fiat, from the direc
tion of the only pass through the hills
which led to the gates, the pass by
which caravans from either north or
south or east or west would enter the
city. My mother from her hiding
place saw that the expedition was the
returning caravan bearing the young
Thanks Instantly her plan was
formed, and as great chariot swung
close to our hiding place she slipped
stealthily in upon the trailing tail
board crouching low in the shadow of
the high side, straining me to her
bosom in a frenzy Of love.
''She knew, what l did not, that
never again after that night would she
hold me to her breast, nor was it like
ly we would ever look upon each 9TH
er's faces again. In the confusion of
the plaza she mixed me with the other
children, whose guardians during the