The Connecticut labor news., 1921-09-16
"A Princess of Wars y lIlIIllIL by EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS lllllilII
Copyright, A. C. McC1urg & Company.
CHAPTER XIV-(Continued)

CHAPTER XIV-(Continued) me many victory. The third fell within ten seconds after the SecOnd and the last lay dead upon the blorly floor few moments later. They were brave men and noble fighters, and if grieved me that I had been forced to kill them. but I would have willingly depopulated all Barsoom could have reached the side of my Deiah ThOriS in no other way.
 Sheathing my bloody blade I ad- vdnced toward my Martian princeSS who still stood mutely gazing at me without sign of recognition.
 "WhO are you, ZodangAn?" she whiS pered. Another enemy to harasS me in my misery?"
 q am friend," answered, "a once cherished friend"
 ''NO friend of HeliumS princess wears that metal" she replied "and yet the voice! I have heard 1t before :; it is nOt-it cannot be-no. for he is dead"
 Tt is, though my princess, none oth- CT than John Carter" l said. "Do you not recognize. even through paint and strange metal. the heart of your chief tain?"
 As I came close to her she Swayed toward me with OutStretched hands, but as I reached to take her in my arms she drew back with a shudder and a little moan of misery.
 '"TOO late, too Iate," she grieved. "Oh, my chieftain that was, and whom I thought dead, had you but returned one little hour before-but now it is too late. too late"
 "What do you mean, Dejah Thoris?' I cried. "That you would not have promised yourself to the ZOdangan prince had you known that I lived?'
 "Think you, John Carter that I would give my heart to you yesterday and today to another? I thought that 1t lay buried with your ashes in the pits of WarhOon. and so today I have promised my body to another to save my people from the curse of 8 vic torious ZOdangan army. I am as good as married John Carter. No longer may you call me your princess. No longer are you my chieftain."
 hIlUN Dul Illll0 OI NUuI tuSlOlllS here upon BarsOom, Dejah Thoris. but 1 do know that I love you, and if you meant the last words you spoke to me that day as the hOrdeS of WarhOOn were charging down upon us. no other man shall ever claim you as his bride. You meant them then, my princess. and you mean them still Say that it is true"
 "I meant them, John Carter" she whispered. 'T cannot repeat them now, for have given myself to another An, if you had only known our ways, my friend" she continued, half to herself, 'the promise would have been yours long months ago, and you could have claimed me before all others"
 Then aloud she said: Do you re- member the night when you offended me? You called me your princess without having asked my hand of me, and then you bOasted that you had fought for me. You did not know, and l should not have been offended; see that now. But there was no one to tell you, what l could not, that upon Bar sOOm there are two kinds of women in the cities of the red men. The one they fight for that they may ask them in marriage; the other kind they fight for also, but never ask their hands When man has won woman he may ad- dress her as his princess or in any of the several terms which signify posses sion. You had fought for me, but had never asked me in marriage and so when you called me your princess. you see" she faltered, 'I was hurt, but even then, John Carter I did not re pulse you, as I should have done. until you made it doubly worse by taunting me with having won me through com bat"
 'I do not need ask your forgiveness now, Dejah ThOris," I cried. You must know that my fault was of ignorance of your BarsOOmian customs. What l failed to do, through implicit belief that my petition would he pre- SumptuOus and unWelcome, I do now, Dejah ThOris; I ask you to be my wife,
 nd by all the Virginian fighting blood that flows in my veins you shall be-"
 No, John Carter, it is useless" she cried, hopelessly. Ut is useless, my friend. You must bear the sorrow with me. That at least we may share in common. That, and the memory of the brief days among the Tharks. You must go now. nor ever see me again. GOOd-by, my chieftain that was" Disheartened and dejected, I with drew from the room, but I was not en- tirely discouraged, nor would I admit that Dejah ThOris was lost to me un- til the ceremony had actually been performed.
 AS l wandered along the corridors 1 l was as absolutely lost in the mazes of winding passageways as l had been before. I discovered Dejah Thoris apartments.
 Presently l came upon a spiral run way leading to a lower floor, and this l followed downward for several stories | until I reached the doorway of a large apartment in which were a number of 1 guardSmen. The walls of this room l were hung with transparent tapestries | behind which I secreted myself with. l out being apprehended.
 The conversation of the guardSmer 1 was general, and awakened no interest | in me until an officer entered the room | and ordered four of the men to relieve | the detail who were guarding the l princess of Helium. Now, knew. my 1 troubles would commence in earnest | and indeed they were upon me all tOC
 soon, for it seemed that the squad haC scarcely left the guardrOOm before one