Elbert County tribune and Elbert County banner., 1921-07-01

Kiss me, John Carter" she muir
INJURED. 'T love you'll love you'll 1t Is
cruel that we must be torn apart who
were just starting upon life Of love
and happiness"
As / pressed her dear lips to mine
the old feeling of unconquernble pow
er and authority rose in me. The fight
ing blood of Virginia sprang to life In
my veins.
1T shall not be, my princess, L
cried. There is, there must be some
way, and John Carter. who has fought
his way through strange world for
love of you, will find IT."
And with my words there crept
above the threshold of my conscious
mind series of nine long forgotten
sounds. Like a flash of lightning In
the darkness their full purport dawned
upon me-the key to the three great
doors of the atmosphere planti
Turning suddenly toward Thrdos
Mors as ] still clasped my dying love
to my breast I cried:
"a flyer, Jeddaki Quick Order
your swiftest flyer to the palace top.
I can save Barsoom yet"
He did not wait to question, but In
an instant guard was racing to the
nearest dock and though the air was
thin and almost gone at the rooftop
they managed to launch the fastest
one-man, airscout machine that the
skin of Barsoom had ever produced.
kissing Dejah Thoris dozen times
and commanding Woola, who would
have followed me. to remain and guard
her / bounded with my old agility and
strength to the high ramparts of the
palace, and In another moment / was
headed toward the goal of the hopes
of all Barsoom.
had to fly low to get sufficient air
to breathe, but took a straight course
across an old sea bottom and so had to
rise only few feet above the ground.
| Travelled with awful velocity, for
my errand was race against time
with death. The face of Dejah Thoris
hung always before me. AS I turned
for last look as left the palace gar
den / had seen her stagger and sink
upon the ground beside the little incu-
bator. That she had dropped into the
last coma which would end In death,
II the air supply remained unreplen-
ished, / well knew, and so, throwing
caution to the winds, / flung over
board everything but the engine and
compass, even to my ornaments, and
lying on my belly along the deck with
| one hand on the steering wheel and
the other pushing the speed lever to
Its last notch / split the thin air of
dying Mars with the speed of meteor.
lor orlr 1e.
of the atmosphere plant loomed sud
denly before me, and with a sickening
thud 1 plunged to the ground before
the small door which was withholding
the spark of life from the Inhabitants
of an entire planet.
Beside the door great crew of men
had been laboring to pierce the wall,
but they had scarcely scratched the
flintlike surface, and now most of
them lay in the last sleep from which
not even air would awaken them.
Conditions seemed much worse here
than at Helium, and 1t was with diff
Guilty that 1 breathed at all. There
were a few men still conscious, and to
one of these / spoke.
"If can open these doors Is there a
man who can start the engines2' l
asked.
81 can." he replied. "if you open
| quickly. / can last but few moments
more. But 1t is useless, they are both
dead and no one else upon Barsoom
knew the secret of these awful locks.
| For three days men crazed with fear
have surged about this portal In vain
attempts to solve Its mystery"
| 1 had no time to talk, 1 was becom-
ing very weak and it was with diff
Guilty that 1 controlled my mind at all.
But with final effort as I sank
weakly to my knees 1 hurled the nine
thought waves at that awful thing be-
fore me. The Martian had crawled to
my side and with staring eyes fixed on
the single panel before us we waited
in the silence of death.
Slowly the mighty door receded be-
fore us. I attempted to rise and fol-
low 1t but / was too weak.
After it." cried to my companion,
"and If you reach the pumproom turn
loose all the pumps. 1t is the only
chance Barsoorn has to exist tomor-
rowl"
From where lay opened the sec
ond door, and then the third, and as I
saw the hope of Barsoom crawling
weakly on hands and knees through
the last doorway I sank unconscious
upon the ground